Once you know what your child is allergic to, common food allergies for example, the next step is to limit their exposure to their allergy triggers, this should reduce their chances of developing the symptoms, and however, you will need to take a sensible approach, getting advice from your child's allergy consultant or GP.
If your child has common food allergies, you will need to avoid all contact with the culprit foods, the same goers for latex allergy and drug allergies, but if your child is allergic to air born allergens, e.g. pollen or house dust mites, it is virtually impossible to achieve complete avoidance and you should not turn your home into a sterile environment.
If you find that some of the avoidance measures are not working, especially in relation to house dust mites, then there may be no point in continuing with all of them, even if you do follow the allergy prevention steps, it doesn't necessarily mean that your child's symptoms will completely disappear.
House dust mites are tiny insects that thrive in warm, humid conditions, especially centrally heated homes, the mites are particularly common in beds, carpets, soft furnishings and even your child's cuddly toys, in fact anywhere that collects dust
Your child isn't actually allergic to the mite themselves but to the mites' droppings, the allergy can trigger flare-ups of rhinitis, asthma and eczema, especially in the autumn and winter months when house dust mites are at their highest level due to central heating.
Take action
Replace your carpets with a hard flooring that doesn't have any cracks or grooves for dust to collect
Dust your surfaces regularly with a slightly damp cloth as this will stop the dust becoming airborne, don't forget to wipe your child's toys too
Buy your child a high bed instead of one near the carpet
Use a wooden slatted bed with a big gap underneath for vacuuming
Vacuum regularly, every day if possible, Asthma UK suggests using a vacuum cleaner with good suction and a filtered exhaust that doesn't scatter dust, look for products with high efficiency particulate air( HEPA) filters
Use zip-up anti-allergy barrier covering on bedding, pillows, duvets, mattresses and cushions.
Wash your child's bedding regularly, Asthma UK recommends as hot wash( at 60c) once a week
Don't keep cuddly toys on your child's bed, Asthma UK suggests that parents put soft toys into bags in the freezer for a minimum of six hours every one to two weeks to kill house dust mites, alternatively, you can wash the toys at 60c
Avoid dust traps like cushions and dried flowers
Air your house every day to keep it cool and dry, use a dehumidifier to dry out the air, as this makes it more difficult for house dust mites to survive
Clean your soft furnishing with Anti-house dust mite chemicals, professional dust mite removal systems advertise their services through the yellow pages, although they may be quite expensive.
Pollen
According to the National Pollen and Aerobiology Unit (NPARU), grass pollen affects about 95% of all hayfever sufferers and birch tree pollen affects about 20%, oak tree, plane tree and nettle pollen are also common hayfever triggers.
Different pollens are higher at certain times of the year, if you know which pollen your child is allergic to, see the calendar on the NPARU website to check when your child is most likely to be affected, some people are allergic to more than one type of pollen, so they suffer from symptoms over a longer period
Hayfever tends to be worse in built-up areas because air pollution alters pollen so that it is more likely to trigger an allergic reaction.
Take action
Don't stop your child playing outside- it's healthy for children to have fresh air, however, don't let them out when the pollen counts are high, check the pollen forecasts on the TV, in newspapers or on the internet. Pollen levels tend to be highest in the early morning( 7-10am) and late afternoon(4-7pm)
Grow insect- pollinated plants( usually with brightly coloured flowers) in your garden and replace your lawn with paving
As soon as your child comes indoors, give them a shower and wash their hair and clothes.
Give your child some wraparound sunglasses to wear as these will stop pollen flying into their eyes, look for British Standard BSEN to ensure the sunglasses offer a safe level of ultraviolet (UV) protection
Keep your doors and windows closed, mow the lawn when your child isn't at home and don't let your child play outside for the rest of the day
Keep your car windows closed, some cars can be fitted with pollen filters
Avoid drying clothes outside
Brush or wash your cat or dog when they come indoors as they can carry pollen in their fur
Smear petroleum jelly inside and under your child's nose to trap pollen, this can also soothe any sore skin caused by a constant runny nose
If your child likes playing sports, avoid grassy areas and play on hard surfaces or Astroturf instead
Once your child has been diagnosed with common food allergies or any other allergy, you should try to limit their exposure to any known triggers.
If your child has common food allergies, you will need to avoid all contact with the culprit foods, the same goers for latex allergy and drug allergies, but if your child is allergic to air born allergens, e.g. pollen or house dust mites, it is virtually impossible to achieve complete avoidance and you should not turn your home into a sterile environment.
If you find that some of the avoidance measures are not working, especially in relation to house dust mites, then there may be no point in continuing with all of them, even if you do follow the allergy prevention steps, it doesn't necessarily mean that your child's symptoms will completely disappear.
House dust mites are tiny insects that thrive in warm, humid conditions, especially centrally heated homes, the mites are particularly common in beds, carpets, soft furnishings and even your child's cuddly toys, in fact anywhere that collects dust
Your child isn't actually allergic to the mite themselves but to the mites' droppings, the allergy can trigger flare-ups of rhinitis, asthma and eczema, especially in the autumn and winter months when house dust mites are at their highest level due to central heating.
Take action
Replace your carpets with a hard flooring that doesn't have any cracks or grooves for dust to collect
Dust your surfaces regularly with a slightly damp cloth as this will stop the dust becoming airborne, don't forget to wipe your child's toys too
Buy your child a high bed instead of one near the carpet
Use a wooden slatted bed with a big gap underneath for vacuuming
Vacuum regularly, every day if possible, Asthma UK suggests using a vacuum cleaner with good suction and a filtered exhaust that doesn't scatter dust, look for products with high efficiency particulate air( HEPA) filters
Use zip-up anti-allergy barrier covering on bedding, pillows, duvets, mattresses and cushions.
Wash your child's bedding regularly, Asthma UK recommends as hot wash( at 60c) once a week
Don't keep cuddly toys on your child's bed, Asthma UK suggests that parents put soft toys into bags in the freezer for a minimum of six hours every one to two weeks to kill house dust mites, alternatively, you can wash the toys at 60c
Avoid dust traps like cushions and dried flowers
Air your house every day to keep it cool and dry, use a dehumidifier to dry out the air, as this makes it more difficult for house dust mites to survive
Clean your soft furnishing with Anti-house dust mite chemicals, professional dust mite removal systems advertise their services through the yellow pages, although they may be quite expensive.
Pollen
According to the National Pollen and Aerobiology Unit (NPARU), grass pollen affects about 95% of all hayfever sufferers and birch tree pollen affects about 20%, oak tree, plane tree and nettle pollen are also common hayfever triggers.
Different pollens are higher at certain times of the year, if you know which pollen your child is allergic to, see the calendar on the NPARU website to check when your child is most likely to be affected, some people are allergic to more than one type of pollen, so they suffer from symptoms over a longer period
Hayfever tends to be worse in built-up areas because air pollution alters pollen so that it is more likely to trigger an allergic reaction.
Take action
Don't stop your child playing outside- it's healthy for children to have fresh air, however, don't let them out when the pollen counts are high, check the pollen forecasts on the TV, in newspapers or on the internet. Pollen levels tend to be highest in the early morning( 7-10am) and late afternoon(4-7pm)
Grow insect- pollinated plants( usually with brightly coloured flowers) in your garden and replace your lawn with paving
As soon as your child comes indoors, give them a shower and wash their hair and clothes.
Give your child some wraparound sunglasses to wear as these will stop pollen flying into their eyes, look for British Standard BSEN to ensure the sunglasses offer a safe level of ultraviolet (UV) protection
Keep your doors and windows closed, mow the lawn when your child isn't at home and don't let your child play outside for the rest of the day
Keep your car windows closed, some cars can be fitted with pollen filters
Avoid drying clothes outside
Brush or wash your cat or dog when they come indoors as they can carry pollen in their fur
Smear petroleum jelly inside and under your child's nose to trap pollen, this can also soothe any sore skin caused by a constant runny nose
If your child likes playing sports, avoid grassy areas and play on hard surfaces or Astroturf instead
Once your child has been diagnosed with common food allergies or any other allergy, you should try to limit their exposure to any known triggers.
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