To ask if your children suffer from hayfever.

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Posting here for traffic. Don’t seem to get answers elsewhere.

Do your children suffer from hay fever? I don’t myself so have no experience.

Dd soon to be 5 has been snotty on and off for a couple weeks! Some days she’s fine and others sneezy which seems worse first thing and sometimes in the evening it’s worse.

She’s fine otherwise just very sniffly.

Does it sound like she could have hay fever?

I always assumed hay fever would be worse on sunny days but today is windy, damp and cloudy and she’s very snotty tonight.

Any advice or tips?

A few of mine do. The liquid stuff we get for ds 5., tablets for older ones. Weather wasn't great here yesterday and ds's eyes were slits!

Don't think it particularly matters if it's sunny it's about pollen count. I get it with cut grass also. Look out for itchy eyes and itchy throat. You can get hay-fever meds on tesco or a chemist. P0

Sounds like it. Ds gets hay fever. It's always worse on the first day of rain because it drops all of the high pollen to the ground.

We've found Benadryl kids works well.

A few other things to be aware of is not drying washing outside. Ds is fine with his clothes but we make sure bedding is done inside. Also keeping windows closed or if open making sure the curtains are closed.

Thank you. Never thought about the washing @WreckTangled! I will bear that in mind. I have been drying outdoors as much as possible. I’m new to this. DS has never suffered.

Do you think the neighbours having their particularly long grass cut yesterday evening could have made things worse today? She’s very snotty!

Possibly. I don't suffer so don't know loads about it but I know some people might only be allergic to certain pollens. I think it's mainly tree pollen at the moment.

If you look at your car I bet it's covered in pollen, your washing will be similar (although it isn't outside for as long as your car but it helps to see it).

Yes both although the older one worse. Both have had an inhaler for being wheezy and my eldest sneezes and coughs a lot. I don’t know what causes it yet, but try and persuade them to take piriton occasionally if I think they’re suffering.

My DS and I both get hayfever, he started at 18months old but the GP wouldn't believe me as he was 'too young'.
We both find that the day after a high pollen/very sunny day is when we get really stuffy and wheezy, but the itchy eyes and sneezes are the same day.
Cut grass, day old cut grass, windy days, fresh rain and crop harvesting all make us worse.

Sometimes it can be worse on windy days because it blows the pollen about a bit more.

Ds gets wheezy and sneezy and a bit of a cough. I am the same but with intensely itchy and runny eyes.

If it's a grass pollen allergy then yes any grass cutting will make it worse and the longer the grass the worse it gets.
As pp posters said piraton (sp) liquid is great for kids but your pharmacist can sell you a cheaper generic version which will be the same medication.
Some people especially children feel drowsy when they take antihistamines (even the none drowsy version)

I thought that humid days with lots of cloud cover were worse for hay fever as the clouds trap the pollen down near the ground?

Anyway, Not sure what active ingredient the kids piriton contains but DH and I both do best with different ingredients. He has better results with loratidine and I with cetirazine. So I think it's worth trying different things (but check with pharmacist that they're suitable for kids)

Yes. Her allergist has her take adult doses of two medications every day year round to help keep it in check because she also has asthma.

One of mine does. I don’t suffer and neither do any of my family so I didn’t spot it. I took him to the GPS when he was two because he had a cold that was off/on for weeks

He’s only really started in the last couple of weeks, which is normal for him. I call it the summer sneezies and he gives me the look (he’s 16). Sneezing, coughing and itchy eyes, at its worst he looks like he’s gone ten rounds with Mike Tyson. Fortunately he doesn’t have asthma which can be more serious.

I had liquid ceitrizine on prescription for him when he was younger. I buy tablet version in Boots now. Piriton didn’t do much for him.

And I also don’t dry anything of his outside on the line, clothes, bedding, towels etc. Not sure if this makes a difference but it can’t make it worse.

My DS and I both get hayfever, he started at 18months old but the GP wouldn't believe me as he was 'too young'.

My DD had hayfever before she was 1 (August birthday), and my doctor also told me they don't get hayfever that young. It wasn't bad enough to need medicating or taking to the doctor (I just mentioned it in passing), but it was quite clearly hayfever, as I was mopping her nose on the same days I was mopping mine!

Try piraton chlorphenamine maleate as can be given more than once a day depending on how bad symptoms are. Def worth a dose in the morning and evening when it tends to be worse. Different pollen affect people at different times of the year so you may find once birch tree season is over that the symptoms improve. May also be worth exploring whether there could be any allergy to others in the family eg) Apple and pear are in the birch tree family. It doesn’t mean you’re allergic to them all but something to be mindful of

Piriton *

Yes. Benadryl/Piriton syrup for the younger one and Benadryl tablets for me and the teen.

DS1 has always been susceptible, but has also had history of food allergies.
DS2 not so apparent, but can sometimes need his inhaler.

I feel the pollen from the start of March to late summer. I'm having an unusually good year this year and suspect that reduced air pollution has helped.
I struggle most if the nearest fields have rapeseed. It made me dry gag when I was pregnant.

It does sound like it could be hayfever. I would point out that different pollen affects people differently. My daughter and I react to tree pollen with sore throats, tiredness and sneezing. Grass pollen makes us cough, sneeze, itchy eyes and wheezy. My sons symptoms don't start until grass pollen counts are really high.

My daughter takes cetirizine (brand label Benadryl). We use this as it's non drowsy. Piriton made her a zombie.

We get ours through minor ailments at the chemist (in Scotland) but you buy it in places like Tesco/Asda.

DS, 9, does.He takes Cetirizine daily (Piriton is really drowsy) also he was prescribed Avamys nasal spray. It is tree pollen at the moment with grass pollen starting soon. As others have said, some things that help are not drying clothes outside, also shower and wash hair when coming from outside to remove the pollen. A trick is to put Vaseline around the nostrils and especially below them so pollen gets trapped in it and doesn't end up in the nose so much.

There are 2 drugs, cetirizine and loratadine, they are very similar but they work differently for everyone, loratadine didn't work for my son. Om the days with high pollen count he also has headaches, which is common with hayfever.

@lanthanum
My DD had hayfever before she was 1 (August birthday), and my doctor also told me they don't get hayfever that young. It wasn't bad enough to need medicating or taking to the doctor (I just mentioned it in passing), but it was quite clearly hayfever, as I was mopping her nose on the same days I was mopping mine!

This exactly!

DS was only tiny his first summer, so hayfever wasn't noticable, but by his second it was obvious. He's allergic to all the same things as me, so was symptomatic at the same times! Luckily we had Piriton for his severe eczema prescribed, so used that for hayfever too. Proved a point and he was finally diagnosed at 2 and a half.
Also had the same battle for his asthma (not that they often all come together or anything )
DS is now 12 and we are nicely medicated on tablets and inhalers etc.

During hay fever season we all get more ear wax!! Coincidence I know not!!
Itchy ears and more wax!!.

Tree pollen + rain = pollen fireworks.
Rain only helps to ‘kill’ the grass pollen.

Both (tree and grass) pollen count high in the mornings and in the evenings.

Second not drying washing outside but also wash her hair before bedtime.

Also look into this, she might react during hayfever season and actually have hayfever symptoms as well as itching in the mouth.
acaai.org/allergies/types/food-allergies/types-food-allergy/oral-allergy-syndrome

Thanks everyone for your advice and tips! Much appreciated!