Lighten your child's allergen load

Sweep away triggers to reduce your child's allergy symptoms.

By Debra Fulghum Bruce, PhD
WebMD Feature
Reviewed by Brunilda Nazario, MD

Coughing, sneezing, wheezing, itching, congestion — kids with allergies put up with a lot of miserable symptoms. How can you help?

Some childhood allergy triggers are out of your control — a change of seasons or the pollen count. But there are many other allergy triggers you can avoid to reduce childhood allergy symptoms.

By learning the exact environmental irritants that trigger your child's allergies, and taking aggressive steps to avoid these allergens, you can improve your child's breathing and quality of life, says Murray Grossan, MD, author of The Sinus Cure.

Grossan tells WebMD that childhood allergy triggers vary from person to person and can even change over time. Among his allergy patients, he finds that molds, pollen, dust, animal dander, internal and external pollutants, and chemical toxins are the main triggers that greatly affect allergies in children, as well as overall health.

Checkmark Your Child's Allergy Triggers

So, which environmental allergens trigger your child's allergy symptoms? Checkmark those allergy triggers that may apply to your child:

• dust
• pollen
• mold and mildew
• tobacco smoke and wood smoke
• pet dander
• chemical fumes, aerosols, fresh paint, perfume and scented products
• weather fronts, wind, cold air, humid air
• cockroach droppings

Now that you have a better idea of the culprits that might cause your child's allergy symptoms, what's next? Here are some starting tips to help lighten your child's allergy load.

Win the Battle Against Dust Mites

House dust is made up of small particles of plant and animal material. Dust mites thrive on dust -- and their droppings are the most common trigger of year-round allergies. In fact, an estimated 500 million people around the world are allergic to dust mites.

Fortunately, studies show that decreasing exposure to dust can help greatly to decrease childhood allergy symptoms.

Children with allergies should have the bedroom as bare as possible to keep the dust mite population low during sleep, Grossan tells WebMD. "This means no rugs or carpets, heavy drapes, stuffed animals, or scores of books and toys." Grossan also has the following tips:

• Use air-conditioning to dehumidify the air and filter out 99% of all the pollen and allergen producing materials.
• Have the air ducts in your home professionally cleaned.
• Dust at least once a week or more often if possible.
• Use nonporous vacuum cleaner bags, and vacuum with a High Energy Particulate Arrester (HEPA) filter to help eliminate dust. HEPA filters can be efficient in filtering out airborne allergens and dander.
• Get rid of fuzzy or woolen blankets and down comforters.
• Wash your child's bed linens in hot water at least weekly to kill dust mites. While a cold- water wash will get rid of some dust mites, only hot water (at least 131 degrees F) will kill the mites. Dry your child's bed covering in a hot dryer.
• Encase the child's mattress, box spring, and pillow in a plastic zip-on cover or a special allergen-proof fabric cover to prevent dust mites from breeding in the bedding. These covers can be purchased at any allergy supply store. Tape over the zipper to seal out dust leaks.
• Modify your child's bedroom by replacing dusty carpets with linoleum or hardwood floors. Remove curtains and use shades or easy-wipe shutters.
• Keep your house cool (less than 70 degrees) and dry (less than 50% relative humidity -- 30% to 40% is ideal). Both measures help decrease the abundance of dust mites, as well as cockroaches and fungal problems.
• Use several layers of cheesecloth as a filter over incoming air vents, particularly in the child's bedroom. These will help to trap dust, dirt, or lint coming through the duct work.
• If possible, keep clothing in another room to lessen dust in the child's bedroom.

Avoid High Pollen Periods

Avoid High Pollen Periods WebMD allergy consultant Paul Enright, MD, an Arizona-based pulmonologist, says it's important for children with allergies to avoid pollen when possible. Here's what Enright suggests to lighten your child's allergy load during pollen season:

• If the child is allergic to outdoor allergens (ragweed or other weeds, grasses, trees), determine when they are in bloom. You can ask your allergist, or check your daily newspaper or a weather web site for the latest pollen count.
• In addition, keep the child indoors whenever possible and close the windows of the home to reduce outdoor allergens from coming indoors.
• You may also consider running a HEPA room air cleaner in the child's bedroom; minimize cats and dogs coming indoors from outdoors (even if the child is not allergic to the pet), since their fur accumulates pollen and other outdoor allergens.

Stop Mold in Its Tracks

Mold is a common childhood allergen, and molds are present almost anywhere. Outside, they can be found in soil, rotting wood, or vegetation, such as wet leaves or mulch, outdoor vinyl furniture, outdoor cushions, patios, and boat canvas. Inside, molds are found in bathrooms, bedrooms, refrigerators, garages, attics, garbage containers, carpets, damp wallpaper, rotting wood floors, and upholstery. In his book Breathe Right Now, Laurence A. Smolley, MD, a Florida-based pulmonologist at the Cleveland Clinic, explains that preventing molds means finding ways to provide good ventilation, light, dryness, and cleanliness for your home. In this book, Smolley suggests the following important measures to stop the growth of mold and mildew:

• Change your home or office air filter at least every other month, or consider changing to a HEPA air filter to improve air quality.
• Keep your kitchen and bathroom surfaces dry. Use diluted (5%) bleach and a small amount of detergent, if necessary, to remove any mildew in musty areas.
• Fix any leaky pipes or cracks and crevices to avoid water leakage in the home.
• Get rid of indoor plants and other sources of mildew.

Avoid Smoke to Reduce Childhood Allergies

Enright also tells WebMD that it's important to keep kids with childhood allergies away from all smoke. "Don't let anyone smoke around the child, since smoke increases the deposition of allergens in the nose and lungs. Also, don't use a fireplace, burn candles, burn incense, or use plug-in air fresheners."

In addition, be aware of weather changes, as sudden changes in temperature or an increase in humidity may increase the child's allergy symptoms.

What About Pets and Allergies?

Avoiding pets is important for children with allergies to them, the doctors tell WebMD. The child may be allergic to a protein found in the saliva, dander, or urine of the animal. When the animal sheds, allergen is carried through the air on invisible particles, and can land on the lining of your child's eyes and nose. It may be inhaled directly into the lungs. Some studies show that washing your pet weekly may reduce the amount of allergens that are shed in the home. Pet allergies can also affect the skin causing hives and itching. The animal's hair or fur can collect dust, pollen, mold, or other allergens and bring them into the home.

Other Measures to Reduce Symptoms of Childhood Allergies

If you've taken all necessary measures to lighten your child's allergy load, and you're still greeted with sneezes, wheezes, and stuffy noses each morning, you might want to look into allergy testing. Enright tells WebMD that allergy tests may be much more beneficial than immunotherapy (allergy shots).

"While the source of some allergens is obvious [you sneeze and wheeze whenever you cross paths with a cat], other sources are not [mites, molds, and cockroaches]."

Enright says that allergy skin tests or specific IgE (RAST) blood tests are necessary to determine if the child has become sensitized to the most common allergens which cause allergies (rhino-sinusitis) and/or asthma. Parents can then take steps to minimize exposure to those specific allergens.

Enright also suggests trying a daily non-sedating antihistamine (over-the-counter genetic brand), saline nasal rinses (during heavy exposure periods); and, if necessary, a prescription nasal corticosteroid spray to decrease inflammation and mucus production.

See Your Allergist for Optimal Allergy Relief

If your child continues to have chronic allergy symptoms, talk to your allergist. Sometimes it takes trying several different antihistamines, along with reducing the child's allergy load at home, before you find the right combination that works for your child.

SOURCES:

AAAAI.org: Spring Allergies & Asthma Survival Guide: "Understanding pollen and mold counts."
The American College of Allergy Asthma & Immunology: "Billions of Ragweed Pollen Grains Cause Most Seasonal Allergies."
Emedicine.net: "Allergic Rhinitis."
Murray Grossan, MD, co-author, The Sinus Cure.
Paul Enright, MD, pulmonologist and WebMD consultant, Tucson, Ariz.
Smolley, L. Breathe Right Now, Dell, New York, 1999.
Reviewed on Sept 17, 2008
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