00:46 - Check history of allergies in the family
01:27 - Determine whether it is seasonal allergy or not
02:38 - Alleviating symptoms of allergies
03:06 - Administering medications
03:54 - Home remedies I recommend
04:59 - Helpful tip and you don't need to spend anythingoptions
Hey, everybody. Harper Jones with Bow-Tiger and you are watching Saturdays with Harper. And I can tell you guys that spring has official sprang. The birds are chirping, the flowers are blooming, it's beautiful outside and a couple of video blogs, or maybe one or two video blogs ago, we did discuss going outside with your kids and making sure that they're sunscreened up, and that their skin is just really, really protected from those harsh rays.
Well, there is another culprit to be outside quite a bit, especially in the spring, and that is seasonal allergies. So I thought that we'd touch a little bit on that subject today, just discuss some different ways that you can determine if your child suffers from seasonal allergies. And then also, some ways to alleviate the symptoms of allergies.
Now, the first thing that you want to think about when you're wondering if your child has allergies or not of any kind is, is there a family history of these allergies? If you, really or your mother, or your husband, or your husband's father, like myself, actually unfortunately, suffer from seasonal allergies, it is very, very likely that your daughter or son will as well, just like my daughter. Also, this is not just seasonal allergies. If anybody suffers from a pet allergy or a food allergy, you want to kind of be on high alert for these things with your kids as well because it's very likely that they'll kind of inherit that allergy as well unfortunately.
So back to the seasonal allergies though. How can we determine if it's seasonal allergies and not something else? A lot of the time for seasonal allergies, if there's a high pollen in count, one, the symptoms will be a lot worse. The symptoms like congestion, watery, itchy eyes, a lot of coughing, but a very dry cough, these are all symptoms of seasonal allergies. Another thing that kind of makes it a little difficult to determine is ear infections and kids that get ear infections are most likely suffering from seasonal allergies as well. But only so long as these symptoms only occur during allergy season, during the seasonal allergy season which is typically spring and summer, and also you want to make sure that any of these symptoms are never in addition to a fever. If your child has a fever, you want to make sure that you reach out to your pediatrician as quickly as possible because if they're suffering from all of these symptoms in addition to a fever, it's likely something other than seasonal allergies. And hopefully, it's just a small cold that will pass quickly, but you want to make sure that you stay on top of it nonetheless.
Okay. So, how can we alleviate the symptoms of seasonal allergies? We cannot completely get rid of seasonal allergies. It's just not possible. So how do alleviate the symptoms? Now, first of all, I am one of those in-between moms. I'm not the mom who has to go to the pharmacy every time my child is sick and I'm not the mom who stays at home and tries to use all the home remedies. I really try to use a mix of the two to make sure that my child is as comfortable as possible.
So I have found two medications and we're going to start with pharmacy first. I found two medications that I really, really like to alleviate her symptoms, and that is Claritin, the kid's version, of course, and Flonase. Now, I have to say that Flonase for congestion works the best. It really breaks up the congestion super fast. But the way you have to administer Flonase, which of course, is through the nose, is not the most liked by most children. I would say that Claritin is probably a bit easier. It's once a day, it's provided in just a chewable format, and it actually tastes good to them. So they don't mind taking it. But I do really, really like Flonase for the fact that it really alleviates symptoms quickly. So although we have a 5-minute tantrum over having to take it, once it's taken, within 20, 30 minutes, my child's feeling great.
Okay. So home remedies, I do use some home remedies as well, and I try to use these remedies when maybe the pollen counts not quite as high, the symptoms aren't quite as bad, and I can get away with home remedies to really alleviate as much as I can. The first thing you want to think about is, a lot of time with allergies, another symptom that comes along is a rash. It can be anywhere on the body, it can be super itchy, sometimes even painful. You obviously don't want your child to have to suffer this pain from this rash, from seasonal allergies or anything else. Ways to alleviate that, you can do an oatmeal bath or put a little bit of baking soda in their bath. That will certainly help. Also, any lotion with aloe vera really, really comforts and soothes the skin, and helps along with that rash. Another thing that my child is not a really big fan of but they work really well, are naval flushes. A lot of the time, it can be a saline solution that you use. And that really just flushes out any of the congestion that's in the nose. It is not a pleasant experience. It's not a pleasant experience for me, nor my daughter. But it really, really works.
Then, of course, this is something that a lot of people maybe do or don't think about, but it's something that is completely, ultimately free and it really helps just get rid of that pressure, that headache pressures that sometimes are associated with seasonal allergies, and just all the congestion that happens right here, and that is steam. Now, whether it is putting them under a towel over a hot pot of water, not too hot of course. We don't want them burning themselves. Or even putting them in the bathroom while the shower's running, while a bath is going, while that room gets nice and steamy, that will really break up a lot of the congestion and just make them a happier child while they are suffering through the seasonal allergies and the spring season.
Now, of course, if you guys have any questions or comments to this video, I would really love for you guys to reach out. I'm happy to answer any questions and touch on any comments that you guys might have. And if you guys are watching this video on Facebook or YouTube, I'd ask that you also check out our video blogs on bow-tiger.com, and we'll see you next week. Thanks so much, guys. Have a great day.
* Disclaimer: The Content is not intended to be a substitute for professional medical advice, diagnosis, or treatment. Always seek the advice of your physician or other qualified health provider with any questions you may have regarding a medical condition. Never disregard professional medical advice or delay in seeking it because of something you have read/heard on this Website.
