Is it Allergies or a Cold?
Your daughter has been blowing her nose and sneezing. Here’s how to tell what’s causing it:
Symptoms come on suddenly and last a while. It could be allergies. Colds usually develop quickly and last three to 10 days, though they can last up to two weeks.
The seasons changed. It could be allergies, which are more common when plants pollinate in the spring through the fall, while colds are more common in the winter.
Her eyes are itchy and watery. It’s more likely to be allergies, since itchy eyes aren’t something kids typically complain about if they have a cold.
She has a fever, sore throat, cough and/or aches and pains. It could be a cold. These symptoms are rarely linked to allergies and are far more likely to be signs of a cold or other upper respiratory virus.
If it’s a cold: Check with your pediatrician before giving her over-the-counter medicine. And since a cold is a virus, antibiotics won’t help unless she develops an ear or sinus infection.
If It’s allergies: Your doctor can suggest medications to alleviate the symptoms. Antibiotics won’t help with allergies, either, unless a secondary infection crops up.
Peanut Exposure at Home
For kids with peanut allergies, your house may be more dangerous than school, according to a study in the journal Clinical and Translational Allergy.
Canadian researchers looked at 1,941 kids with peanut allergies and during the three years they were tracked, 37 percent of allergic reactions occurred in the child’s own house. Know the signs of an allergic reaction as outlined by the Mayo Clinic:
Mild or moderate: Runny nose, tightening of the throat or tingling and itchiness around the mouth; hives, redness or swelling on the skin; stomach cramps, diarrhea, nausea or vomiting.
Severe: Extreme swelling of the throat, dizziness, loss of consciousness, rapid pulse and constriction of airways. Symptoms appear within minutes of exposure and require immediate medical attention, including an EpiPen injection and an ER visit.
Hand-Washed Dishes = Fewer Achoos?
There may be such a thing as too clean. A 2015 Pediatrics study found that hand-washing dishes instead of using the dishwasher could reduce kids’ risk of allergies and asthma.
Researchers asked parents of seven- and eight-year-old Swedish children how they did their dishes.
Of the 12 percent of families who washed them by hand, their kids had about half the risk for developing allergies, compared to those who used dishwashers.
More Like This:
8 Ways To Not Get Sick When Your Kid Gets Sick