Allergy Product Recommendations
The trees are blooming and with that comes loads and loads of pollen in my area. There are so many over the counter allergy treatments, it can be easy to get lost in the allergy aisle and have no idea what is what or what can help your child with their annoying symptoms.
In the world of medicine there are many different avenues of treatment, the same goes for allergy treatment. There are holistic approaches and conventional approaches to treating allergy symptoms in children. So let’s break down a few of the different options.
Holistic Treatments
While most conventional treatments are easily found over the counter in any drug or big box store, a lot of holistic treatments take more work to find. Unfortunately, society as a whole hasn’t jumped on these products as readily as conventional medicine. That being said, you can find all of these recommendations on amazon!
This is a combination of natural herbs and spices that have anti-inflammatory properties to decrease inflammation in the upper airway that is caused by allergens. Inflammation in the upper airway causes nasal congestion, increased mucous product and cough. This is a very clean product with no dyes or preservatives!
Marketed to help with runny nose, sinus pressure, sneezing, nasal congestion, and eye irritation, this product is a mixture of natural ingredients that target each of those symptoms. On the back of the box the ingredient break down even tells you which symptom that ingredient targets!
Quercetin is a natural plant pigment that prevents histamine release in the body. Histamine release in the body is the main causative factor for allergic reactions. Conventional treatments target decreasing the body’s histamine reaction as well but this is a holistic alternative. D-Hist Jr is a quercetin based product which helps curb allergy symptoms.
BeeKeeper’s Natural Products
If you have been around my instagram long, you know that I love an array of products from BeeKeeper’s Natural. I love their Sore Throat Pops for my kids and their throat lozenges for myself and my husband. Both products are honey based. Honey is a natural mucolytic, meaning it helps break down mucous in the body which is super helpful when kids are having post-nasal drip causing cough and sore throat from allergy symptoms.
I also love their Immune Support Spray for sore throat relief because not only does it provide symptom relief, it is packed with vitamins and minerals to aid in immunity.
Lastly, they make a Saline Mist to help with nasal congestion. Saline is also great for helping to cleanse the upper airway of those large, irritating pollen particles this time of year.
Another brand of saline sprays/drops that I recommend to parents is Little Remedies because they make droppers and bottles small enough for those little noses.
So, what if those holistic options just aren’t cutting it? I feel like there is a time and place for true medication treatment, and when kids are miserable with symptoms or not sleeping well due to those symptoms, I turn to conventional options.
Conventional Treatments
Most conventional treatments that are available over the counter (OTC) fall into two categories:
Antihistamines
Antihistamines are just what they sound like, they are medications that aid to block histamine release in the body which causes allergy symptoms and inflammation in the body. There are two different types of antihistamines.
First generation antihistamines which cause sedation, such as benadryl. I rarely suggest benadryl to parents. Why? Because it causes so much sedation in children and there are a small subset of kids that it actually has the opposite effect on and causes them to get super hyped up! Also, I think the newer antihistamines (second generation) tend to last longer, are just as effective, and last longer than benadryl does. Just my 2 cents!
Second generation antihistamines which do not cause sedation. This category is what I recommend to parents most because most parents don’t want their children falling asleep at random times of the day. There are A LOT of second generation antihistamines available over the counter. It can often be trial and error with finding the correct one that works for your child. Most are safe in children over 6 months old and come in a variety of forms. Just look on the back of the box, talk to your local pharmacist or your provider for dosing information. Options include:
Cetirizine (Zyrtec): available in dissolvable or chewable tablets, adult/big kid tablets, 5mg tablets for smaller kids who have mastered swallowing pills like my kiddos. It also comes in a liquid available in multiple flavors.
Loratidine (Claritin): readily available in liquid and pills.
Fexofenadine (Allegra): also readily available in a liquid and pills.
Levocetirizine (Xyzal): this is a newer antihistamine to the market that also comes in a liquid or pills.
Nasal Sprays
Most allergy nasal sprays are a topical steroid that aims to work directly on the inflamed tissues in the nose to decrease nasal congestion and mucous production. I commonly recommend nasal fluticasone aka Floanse. It is available at a standard 50mcg/spray dose good for older kids and teens or a half dose of 25mcg/spray which is great for littles.
I hope you and your family find these recommendations helpful in improving your children’s symptoms this allergy season! Before we know it, summer will be here and we will be all pool or beach bound with the pollen a distant memory!
Be sure to follow along @nuanced_newborns for more helpful tips and tricks to keep your kiddo healthy!
