Babies\toddlers & alergies- find out if your little one has any

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How can I tell if my toddler has allergies or just a cold?

It can be tough to tell the difference between a cold and allergies in young children, but there are some telltale signs. If it seems as if your toddler always has a cold, there's a good chance he actually has nasal allergies (also known as allergic rhinitis). Colds usually wind themselves down in a week to ten days. Allergies don't. Ask yourself the following questions:

• Is your toddler's nose always stuffy or running?


• Is he constantly wiggling, wiping, or pushing his nose (doctors call this the allergic salute)?


• Is the mucus that drains from his nose clear and thin (as opposed to yellow or greenish and thick)?


• Does he seem to sneeze a lot?


• Are his eyes itchy, red, and watery?


• Does the skin under his eyes look dark or purple or blue (doctors call these allergic shiners)?


• Does your child breathe through his mouth?


• Does your child have a dry cough?


• Does he have irritated skin or an itchy red rash?


If you answered "yes" to one or more of these questions, your toddler is probably allergic to something in his environment. Children with nasal allergies are also more prone to ear infections and asthma.

What causes allergies?
An allergy is a physical reaction to a substance in the environment. When a child with allergies comes into contact with one of these substances, known as an allergen, either by touching it, breathing it, eating it, or having it injected, his body views it as a dangerous invader and releases histamines and other chemicals to fight it off. The most common allergens in children are these:

• Dust mites — microscopic organisms that thrive on human skin flakes


• Animal dander — those white flaky specks on cats, dogs, and other furry animals


• Pollen — from plants, grass, trees, flowers


• Molds — fungi found in wet, damp places such as bathrooms and basements


Some children may be allergic to down and feather pillows, chenille or wool blankets, and horsehair (sometimes used in mattresses). And while most experts don't think children can be allergic to tobacco smoke, it can certainly aggravate their allergic symptoms.

Common symptoms of nasal allergies include congestion, runny nose, sore throat, watery eyes, and itchy rashes. They're the result of histamines causing swelling and excessive mucus production. (Most food allergies have different symptoms.)

The tendency to be allergic is often inherited. If you or your partner has allergies, your toddler has a 30 percent chance of developing them too. If you both have allergies, that probability jumps to 60 percent, though your child may not develop the same ones you have. Family members may differ widely in the kinds of things they're allergic to.

It can also take time for an allergy to develop. Each allergic person has a threshold that must be met before an allergy causes a reaction. For instance, if your toddler inherited the tendency to be allergic to cat dander, he may have no trouble at all for the first few months he's around Fluffy. But then one day when the exposure level reaches his breaking point (doctors say this takes about six months), his body will react and mount an offense against it.

"Because it takes at least six months of regular exposure to an allergen for a child to develop a reaction to it, allergies in toddlers are not as common as people think," says José Carro, an allergist and immunologist at Miami Children's Hospital. But some children will have a reduced reaction called an allergic sensitivity. This is especially true if they have house pets or are allergic to dust mites, which are common in almost every home. Seasonal allergies to things such as pollen and grass, on the other hand, usually don't rear their ugly (and stuffy) head until the late toddler years.

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