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When the flu season is finally over and the weather is ideal for outdoor play, a new monster moves into town: seasonal allergies. Runny noses and itchy, watery eyes can easily ruin a kid’s day. Read these tips to find out how to manage outdoor seasonal allergies with kids so you can enjoy your time outdoors!
Living in Florida comes with a lot of perks, the main one being that we can play outside 365 days of the year. However, that also means we suffer from more allergies than most. Warm weather allows for something to flower 365 days of the year. Because of that, the pollen count is high almost every single day.
When it comes to allergies, I got lucky with my first son. He hasn’t suffered from them at all. My second son is another story. The poor kid always has itchy watery eyes and a runny nose.
I took him to the doctor at the start of flu season last year convinced that he had a cold or the flu. She took one look at him and told me she was certain he was suffering from seasonal allergies. She suggested allergy medication and sent us home.
As a mom who had never dealt with kids allergies, I had no idea how to manage them or what to do. That’s when I turned to the Smart Allergy Mom Toolkit® by the makers of Children’s Claritin®.
The Smart Allergy Mom Toolkit® has all sorts of amazing tools to help families understand and manage seasonal allergies.
My favorite tool is the pollen count allergy forecast. This is so helpful for me when I’m deciding what activities to do with my kids. If the pollen count is really high, then I try to do activities indoors or within our screened in porch. This way my little guy can enjoy time outside without getting covered in (too much) pollen.
The Smart Allergy Mom Toolkit® also has some amazing advice for managing outdoor seasonal allergies in kids. Here are some of my favorite tips from the website.
How to Manage Outdoor Seasonal Allergies in Kids
Scan the playground:
If your child has seasonal allergies, scan the playground for non– allergy-friendly grass, trees, or flowers and then steer your child away
Be prepared for anything:
Prevent a playdate from getting cut short. Keep your child’s allergy medication, tissues, cough drops, and eye drops on hand
Know the pollen count:
Pollen levels change often. And when they do, so can your child’s symptoms. Use the Allergy Forecast – Pollen Count tool to track how much mold and pollen is in the air on a given day.
Stay out of the wind:
Stay inside on windy days when pollen counts are high; wind can also blow pollen further
Avoid the outdoors during peak pollen times:
Pollen production peaks in the late morning and early afternoon. If you can, plan to limit your child’s outdoor exposure during those times of day
Keep the outdoors outside:
Teach your kids to leave their shoes at the door. Pollen can also collect on clothes and hair during outdoor play. Have your child take a shower and change into clean clothes when he or she reenters the home. After washing clothes, use a dryer instead of leaving them outside to line dry
Clear the air:
In the car, keep windows closed and switch the air conditioning setting to recirculate. At home, keep windows and doors closed and use an air purifier or air conditioner to eliminate allergens from the house
Plant a hypoallergenic garden:
Not all flowers and shrubs cause allergic reactions. Some allergy-friendly flowers include begonias, cacti, geraniums, irises, lilies, pansies, and tulips. Allergy-friendly shrubs include azaleas, boxwoods, hibiscus, and hydrangeas
The website also has some other amazing resources. I especially love the awesome download for tracking allergy symptoms. There is also a section for FAQs that can help you figure out what you should be asking your doctor.
I’m a huge fan of Children’s Claritin® from Walmart for kids ages 2+. We use the dye-free liquid. I love it because it’s effective and it’s the #1 Pediatrician Recommended Non-Drowsy Oral Allergy Brand
Children’s Claritin® provides 24-hour relief from runny noses, itchy, watery eyes, and an itchy
nose and throat.
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