7 Natural SolutionsFor Seasonal Allergies

I couldn't wait for it to be here: Spring! Warmer weather, flowers blooming, trees blooming.... and New Jersey hit with what they're calling a Pollen Tsunami. For the last three weeks, at least one of my kids has been sneezing; their eyes water and get itchy. They are cranky and miserable. 

They're pretty, but their pollen causes suffering!

So, outside of giving them over-the-counter medications (which I'm not opposed to, but I don't want to reach for first), how can I help them?

1. Saline Solution – I buy a basic, generic saline solution for the nose and encourage them to use it. Irrigating the nose with salt water (JUST salt water – no decongestant) may help soothe upper respiratory allergies by removing irritants that become lodged in the nose and cause inflammation. Saline solutions can even wash away some of the inflammatory cells themselves. Tip: if you have multiple kids using multiple bottles of this stuff, label them. You don't want kids sharing this (ewwwww!).
   
   
   
   
2. Nightly Washing – Every night we wash our faces, but what about the pollen that collects in our hair and is deposited on our pillows? My kids take a baby wipe on nights they don't shower before bed and wipe down their hair.  And even I do this so I don't transfer pollen to my daughter's pillow when we cuddle. 
   
   
   
   
3. Close The Windows – Sure, it's lovely outside, but breezes carry pollen. We've turned on the
   air conditioner early in both the house and car.
   
   
   
   
   
4. Drink Lots Of Water – Keeping everything hydrated washes away irritants and helps our mucus membranes get rid of pollutants. 
   
   
   
   
5. Wash Your Pet – We have an indoor cat, so this isn't a problem for us, but friends who have dogs are giving their pooches nightly washes with water on a washcloth to remove pollen from their fur.
   
   
   
   
6. Mint Tea – The kids are drinking decaf (OMG, yes, DECAF) mint tea with breakfast to open up the airwaves.
   
   
   
   
7. Cold Tea Bags – Since we do drink a fair amount of tea, I keep a few used teabags in the fridge to sooth puffy eyes at night. The coldness feels really good on inflamed eyes. 
   
   
   
   
   
   
   

If the kids do need medication, the first thing I try is Hyland's 4 Kids Complete Allergy. This stuff is all-natural (or supposed to be) and doesn't make them sleepy. My daughter was on this for months last year and it was great. I like the fact that it doesn't last 24 hours because, honestly, her allergy symptoms only presented in the morning.  To learn more about Hyland's, click here.

 

Now, please note: I am not a doctor. I am a mom. These are remedies that work for me and my family. Please consult a doctor if you have any questions or if your child has severe allergies.

How do you cope during allergy season?

9 Home Remedies For Seasonal Allergies

Source: Pixabay

The faucet turned on at 5am. My nose started running and has not stopped all day. This is the time when “if it's growing, I'm a'blowin'” with seasonal allergies. I'm far from alone. 26 million Americans suffer from seasonal allergies (source). And the symptoms aren't just a an inconvenience. Studies have shown that during ragweed season, those of us who suffer experience physical and mental fatigue, making concentration hard and increasing irritability. We're prone to sadness and are up to 14 times more likely to experience migraines than those who don't have allergies. 

... “if it's growing, I'm a'blowin'” with seasonal allergies...

Mine flare up anytime the wind blows or we have wet weather. My 9-year old's have been acting up the last few weeks, but just in the morning. Sure, we could take over-the-counter medicines, but I noticed last year that Children's Claritin made my daughter CRANKY, and, honestly, I'd rather go with natural measures to control our allergy symptoms. Here's what I'm doing and what you might try if you're fighting seasonal allergies, too. (Please note that I am NOT a medical professional. This is just stuff that works for me and my family.)

1. Keep the windows shut. Yes, it's gorgeous out. Yes, it's cool. But open windows mean pollen sweeping through my house and my car. I'd rather run the air conditioner a little longer and keep allergens out.
   
   
2. Wash your hair or at least wipe it down with a baby wipe. Pollen gets all over your hair and transfers to your pillow at night. Wiping some of the residue out of your hair before bed can help control your nighttime sneezies.
   
   
3. Use a Neti pot or saline nasal solutions. Both will get the irritants out of your nose. Just be careful to use pure saline solutions – those with antihistamines can make you drowsy and cause other unwanted side effects. Besides, pure saline is far cheaper than the medicated stuff.
   
   
4. Take a few teaspoons or tablespoons of raw, local honey. Note: do not give babies under 12 months old since honey can contain the spores of a bacterium called Clostridium botulinum, which causes infant botulism. Since Lily is 9, we just put the honey in our tea.
   
   
5.  

   Add some spice to your food. Cinnamon supposedly eases breathing and hot spices will get the mucus flowing and get those allergens out of your body. Something as simple as adding red pepper to your pizza can be helpful.
   
   
6. Drink more water, tea and seltzer. Staying hydrated helps thin secretions so they're easier for your body to get rid of and helps with that dry, scratchy feeling. 
   
   
7. Eucalyptus and lavender oils. I put either one or the other on our pillows at night. The lavender calms us down and helps us breathe better while the eucalyptus stops our coughing. 
   
   
8. A cold compress on itchy eyes feels good and washing your eyes out with cool, clean water also washes the pollen out of them. 
   
   
9. Hyland's Complete Allergy 4 Kids is a homeopathic allergy formula for children and it's been working for Lily. It doesn't make her drowsy, works within 20 minutes of her taking it, and stops her nose from watering. 
   
   
   
   
   

Until the first frost comes or an asteroid wipes every bit of ragweed off the planet, I'll be dripping. Using the methods above will get me through the next few weeks. Here's to a ultra-brief allergy season!

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If you're interested, here are the links to the rest of the sources I used for this article.

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Thanks for reading!