Parenting during the Allergy Season

Each week in Moms Talk, our Moms Council of experts and smart moms take your questions, give advice and share solutions.

Moms, dads, grandparents and the diverse families who make up our community will have a new resource for questions about local neighborhood schools, the best pediatricians, 24-hour pharmacies and the thousands of other issues that arise while raising children.

Moms Talk will also be the place to drop in for a talk about the latest parenting hot topic. So grab a cup of coffee and settle in as we start the conversation today with a question: How do you deal with your child's allergies during pollen season?

Jan Katz-Kellogg: Thankfully, my 15-year-old son has no allergies we know of. If parents of toddlers are reading this, they may be able to relate to, or benefit from, a situation we went through years ago.

When my son was 2 1/2 years old,  we went through a very rough six-month period, healthwise. His pediatrician was trying to pinpoint the source of his sudden, alarming breathing problems and bouts with really bad colds. At the time, the pediatrician said allergy testing couldn't be done until he was at least three.

From March until September, in between albuterol breathing treatments, steroids, antibiotics and general misery for my son, we worked with and monitored a list of foods that could be possible sources. Foods didn't seem to be the problem. At home, he played outside with no symptoms. It seemed like these "colds" happened about once a month.  I would notice the tell-tale flushed little face after picking him up from day care and could almost predict the course it would take. I slowly realized the source had to be at the school.

I began asking if there were any other parents having the same problem and to my surprise, there were a few others. With the day care center's help, we discovered that the children's reactions happened right after the lawn service came and treated/fertilized the grass. It was the treatments that were causing the problem!

Our kids were rolling around in fresh lawn chemicals after the monthly treatment, and a few were having reactions afterwards. It was an easy thing to fix with the lawn company-the treatment itself was adjusted, but most importantly, it was done on a Friday afternoon, allowing the treatment to dry (at least 24 hours as instructed)and be absorbed by the the earth before children played in the grass.

To be fair, these lawn treatments are considered safe for general use and people don't normally go rolling around on the grass after service. Still it was a wake-up call and made me much more diligent of everything my son came in contact with. He's never had that type of "cold" again, knock on wood!

Kim Koch: The best way is avoidance of allergen. We have a poodle that has been a hypoallergenic friend to us for many years. With food allergies, read ALL labels, keep an epipen on hand and don't hesitate to seek medical help. If it is a life-threatening food allergy in your child, make sure you have a 504 http://specialchildren.about.com/od/504s/f/504faq1.htm and a plan of action with your school.

Seasonal allergies can be made milder by staying indoors and filtering the air inside your home. Using the air conditioner in the early spring can really help with this. Work with your doctor to get a regiment that works. That means everything from allergy meds, to sinus cleansing and breathing in steam during peak times. If your child is asthmatic, make sure to have plenty of inhalers and such on hand, in case one goes missing.