Surviving the Summer Allergy Season
Issue 13
Summer is a great time of year for BEING outside with your child but for some young children allergies to pollen, heat and insect bites can mean misery. Here is our guide to avoiding and treating summer allergies:
Hayfever
For the 12 million hayfever sufferers in the UK the high pollen count over the summer causes symptoms including sneezing, wheezing and itchy red eyes, which can be particularly unpleasant for young children.What is hayfever?
Hayfever is an allergic reaction, which occurs when pollen from grasses, plants and flowers gets into the eyes or is inhaled into the nose.What are the symptoms?
The most common symptoms of hayfever are violent sneezing and a runny nose, watery or itchy eyes, tightening of the throat and chest, and tiredness.How can it be prevented?
There are a number of measures that you can take to help prevent and reduce the symptoms of hayfever:Plants produce the most pollen between 5.00am and 10.00am and then again before dusk, so keep your child indoors at these times. You can also sign up for pollen alerts at www.allergyadvice.co.uk and receive a free SMS report on the pollen in your area
Keep windows closed on high pollen count days
Wash your child’s hair and clothes each night to remove any pollen which may have become caught in them during the day
Buy a pair of wrap around sunglasses for your child and make sure that they wear them when you go outside. This will prevent pollen from going into their eyes
Ask all members of the family and visitors to your house to remove their shoes before they enter. This way pollen will not get trailed through your home
Change your child’s bed sheets regularly
Keep car windows and doors closed
Avoid summer meadows and areas of flowering grasses. Escape to the seaside instead where pollen counts are lower
Dry clothes in the tumble dryer in hayfever season. Don’t hang laundry outside as it collects pollen, which you then carry with you on your dry clothes and bedding.
How can it be treated?
There are a number of child-friendly medicines to treat hayfever but the most fast-acting is Benadryl Allergy Oral Solution, which provides non-drowsy relief in a once daily dose. The banana-flavoured liquid is suitable for children aged from 2 years old.Prickly Heat
What is prickly heat?
Prickly heat is a skin allergy caused by blocked sweat glands.What are the symptoms?
The main symptoms of prickly heat are severe itchy skin and an angry rash.
How can it be avoided?
n Keep your child out of the sun
n Make sure your child stays cool by giving them plenty of water
n Dress your child in loose, light-weight clothing
How can it be treated?
There is no cure for prickly heat, but the discomfort can be alleviated by applying calamine lotion - available at the chemist - to the affected area on your child’s skin.Insect Bites and stings
What are the symptoms?
The severity of the reaction to a bite or sting can vary depending on your child’s skin, but normally it causes a small, itchy lump on the affected area. In the cases of some types of sting, for example bee stings, you may notice that the sting has been left in your child’s arm.
You also need to be aware that a small number of children can have a severe reaction to an insect bite or sting - this is known as an anaphylactic reaction and can be life-threatening. Symptoms usually occur after seconds or minutes, and may progress rapidly. Occasionally they begin a few hours after the bite or sting.
Severe symptoms of an anaphylactic reaction include a rapid drop in blood pressure (where your child will go weak and floppy); severe asthma; or a closing of the throat. But there are also a number of mild or moderate symptoms including itching or swelling in the mouth, hives anywhere on the body, generalised flushing of the skin, or nausea and vomiting.
If you think that your child is suffering from an anaphylactic reaction then seek urgent medical advice.
How can bites and stinges be avoided?
Obviously, it is difficult to avoid stings but bites can be prevented.
Use a child-friendly insect repellent, such as Crocodile Herbal Insect Repellent, which is safe for babies and children of any age.
Make sure that you apply the repellent to the areas of your child’s skin that are exposed and cover up as much of their skin as possible with clothing - remember that insects find little ankles and toes particularly tasty!
How can they be treated?
Apply antiseptic cream such as Savlon to the area of the bite or sting to prevent infection. Using calamine lotion on the affected area will also help to reduce itching and calm the skin.
Remember, if you think your child is suffering an anaphylactic reaction you must seek urgent medical advice.
The first line of treatment for this kind of reaction is an adrenaline injection, which causes a series of reactions in the body to help it cope with the stress of a severe allergy. There are a number ways of giving a child this injection but doctors may use something called Epipen Jr, which is specifically designed for children aged 18 months and above. The needle is not visible, which means that treatment is less traumatic for the child.
If your child has suffered an anaphylactic reaction as a result of a bite or sting then your GP may prescribe a product such as the Epipen, which can be kept at home and administered by you should your child suffer a severe reaction again.
