Hayfever in children

[Pickle]

Any tried and trusted remedies out there? My 3.5 year old son has developed severe hayfever in the last week, having never suffered from it before - mine has been bad this week too, so there must be a different pollen in the air.

Poor wee man is mainly struggling with his eyes, which the other night puffed up so badly he could barely open them and they are really itchy. I'm using the maximum dose of Piriton syrup and am also using antihistamine eye drops - we are just about managing to ward it off, but every time he gets an hour or so away from being due another dose it gets really bad again. Nothing more heartbreaking than having your child saying "make the pollen stop hurting my eyes Mummy" in tears :(

I used to get it really badly as a child, so know exactly how he feels. Any other ideas out there (medical and non medical appreciated).

P x

[Fuschia]

I think maybe a stronger antihistamine from the GP..? Referral to allergy clinic?

http://www.babycentre.co.uk/baby/health/hayfeverexpert/

[Peckhamgatecrasher]

Local honey is supposed to help. Surrey Docks Farm used to sell it - haven't been for years so don't know if they still do.

DT Article

[new mother]

THis is becoming a really big issue for some reason. Im so sorry for you. I can imagine the poor little one and 3.5 is very young to be coping with the bad pollen as we call it. Friend got stronger stuff from the gp but the problem with that is that the school refuses to administer it so she now has to skulk around at lunchtime waiting for the little one - embarrassed of course - to appear to be dosed up. It's that or no school as her eyes swell up terribly as you are describing for your son. I think GP should be your next port of call. Good luck.

[Peckhamgatecrasher]

You could try 'magic' sunglasses - the power of suggestion is quite mysterious.

[Pickle]

Thanks all - after a not too bad day he could barely open his eyes again this evening by bedtime, so will take him to the GP next week for something stronger. Thankfully for now he's at home with me for most of the week so I'll be able to dose him up with medicine and hopefully get it under control.

At least at 3.5 he understands what's happening, and is happy to have the eye drops etc. put in as he knows it will help him. Fingers crossed my daughter misses the nasty hayfever gene that I've passed on to her brother and follows her Dad's side of the family, none of whom have ever had to deal with it.

P x

[Belle]

Hi,

totally sympathise with him - I get it too, only since I was an adult, and hate it. Saw a nutritionist recently about other stuff and the pollen allergies came up in some allergy tests she ran - she referred me to this website: http://www.allergyuk.org/fs_rhinitis.aspx - which has some tips. Annoyingly the tips relating to hayfever are particularly hard to implement with small children as I've learnt myself this summer: avoiding opening windows, avoiding too much outdoors time etc. But some stuff might help - eg getting an ioniser/air purifier thing, changing clothes when getting in from the outside, putting vaseline around the nose. I know the real answer is better medicine but maybe these wee things might help a bit too.

x

ps I think I read on there or elsewhere that hanging clothes to dry outside is a bad thing for hayfever sufferers - must admit have ignored this as v sadly love hanging my washing up outside!