If your child experiences itchy eyes, a runny nose, sneezing, or throat clearing as the seasons change, there’s a strong possibility they’re reacting to pollen, a typical cause of seasonal allergies.

Thankfully, you can treat seasonal allergies in several ways in your child. Some of the ways to do it include:

Use over-the-counter medications

The nearby drugstore aisle has first-line remedies for seasonal allergies. You can buy all of them over the counter.

Some medications you can go for include Antihistamines, steroid nasal sprays, and eye drops. For children with severe symptoms, you can combine antihistamines and intranasal steroids.

If your child needs daily treatment for chronic problems, try intranasal steroids.

Oral antihistamines

Antihistamines, whether liquid or tablet, can immediately relieve seasonal allergy symptoms. When in the market, look for cetirizine, levocetirizine, loratadine, and fexofenadine in brand-name and generic forms. They typically work in 30 minutes and do not cause drowsiness in children.

In terms of drowsiness, allergists do not recommend diphenhydramine (brand name Benadryl) for youngsters due to sedation and other safety issues.

To stay safe, use one of the newer oral antihistamines with a lengthy track record of safety and effectiveness.

Nasal sprays

Steroid nasal sprays are highly effective at reducing nasal channel edema and irritation, which causes congestion. Fluticasone propionate, fluticasone furoate, and triamcinolone are among the pediatric versions you can go for.

The good side is that, unlike antihistamines, the effect does not occur immediately. You must give it to your child constantly for several days, sometimes up to two weeks before symptom alleviation occurs.

Azelastine, a nasal antihistamine available without a prescription, is another possibility. While it’s highly effective, you should note that the spray may induce drowsiness if you have a stuffy, runny, or itchy nose or sneezing, so use it in moderation.

Allergy shots

If over-the-counter medications aren’t alleviating a child’s problems, allergy shots may be the solution. While they are great, you should avoid giving them to children under five.

However, they can be an excellent solution for some school-aged children and teenagers. You should consider allergy shots if they’re on an antihistamine and a nasal steroid and still have a running nose and congestion.

Allergy shots are often administered in the doctor’s office every two to four weeks and operate by desensitizing how the immune system responds to an allergen.

So, you’re treating a child’s symptoms and modifying their allergy. A trace amount of the allergen is injected beneath the skin. The relief, however, is not immediate. In most cases, you may see symptom improvement after a year, so you should be patient.

Making lifestyle changes

Because pollen is airborne and can travel large distances, it is impossible to avoid it completely. Monitor pollen counts in your neighborhood to reduce your child’s exposure during peak times.

Consider varying your activities when the pollen counts are high. For example, instead of going to the park, you can go to the movies or stay indoors.

Keeping your windows closed can limit the amount of pollen in your home or car. Bathing or showering your child and changing into clean clothes after being outside will help to limit the spread of these allergens indoors.

Don’t forget about your pets. Your dog or cat’s fur may transport pollen into your home. Consider wiping their fur after going outside. You also should bathe the kids more frequently and keep the pollen out of your child’s room.

Under the tongue tablets

Sublingual immunotherapy, often known as under-the-tongue tablets, works in the same manner that allergy injections do.

The good side is that there will be no needles.

Each dose is administered by placing a dissolvable tablet under the child’s tongue. In the office, a doctor administers the initial dose and monitors for side effects. Following that, the child takes one tablet daily at home during allergy season.

Sublingual immunotherapy is currently approved for grass and ragweed allergies in the United States. It is unsuitable for youngsters allergic to tree pollen, one of the most prevalent spring allergens.

Seeing an allergist

Children with well-controlled symptoms may not require allergy testing. However, if over-the-counter drugs aren’t working and your child is unhappy, an allergist can help.

When you visit a pediatric allergist, they will guide your family through the treatment options and allergy testing procedure.

When a child’s allergic condition becomes difficult to treat or causes consequences, such as chronic ear or sinus infections, asthma episodes, or eczema flares, the allergist will help you control symptoms and offer additional prescription drugs.

Allergy testing gives you peace of mind and valuable information about the cause of your child’s sniffling and sneezing.

People sometimes attribute symptoms to pollen when caused by a dust mite or pet allergy, which may necessitate year-round medication and different management strategies.

Through testing, your doctor will tell you the best way to control the condition and the best medications to try.

Parting shot

Seasonal allergies affect about one in every five children, which is expected to rise as climate change causes longer pollen seasons and increased pollen production.

Pollen from oak, birch trees, and other plants are infamous for causing springtime allergy problems in different areas.

A child experiencing allergy symptoms throughout the summer may be allergic to grass pollen. Weed allergies become more prevalent in the fall.

Waiting until your child is unhappy from sneezing and sniffling may require considerably more medication to control symptoms, so it’s good to catch the problem before it develops.

One of the ways to do it is to change their lifestyle, where they spend most of their time indoors. If you do this and the kid still gets sick, don’t worry, as you can use plenty of medications to your advantage.

Besides the medications, also think about taking your child to an allergy specialist Manassas VA. The specialist will undertake a battery of tests to help you understand the nature of the allergy better and how to get over it.