Healthy + Happy
Spring Fever ©ISTOCKPHOTO.COM / PORTISHEAD1
Help your kids manage the seasonal sniffles with expert tips to keep allergy misery at bay.
easonal allergies can interfere with your kids’ sleep, decrease concentration and generally make them completely miserable. And it all starts earlier than you think, with tree pollen the main offender in the spring. “Pollen comes out as soon as the ground thaws, which is typically by the end of March and beginning of April in this area,” says allergist Satya Narisety, MD, clinical assistant professor at Rutgers New Jersey Medical School. “The height of the season continues into May. But your child doesn’t have to suffer if you take a proactive approach.” Here’s what you can do to help your child feel better:
KNOW THE SIGNS Do the sniffles mean your kid has allergies or could it be
APRIL / MAY 2021 | NEW JERSEY FAMILY
By Arricca Elin SanSone
COVID? “There’s some overlap of symptoms between allergies and COVID, but there are a few identifying features,” says Narisety. While both conditions may involve a runny nose, COVID may also include a fever, cough, shortness of breath, body aches and loss of taste or smell. But nausea and diarrhea are other COVID signs which are not symptoms of allergies. On the other hand, typical allergy symptoms include a runny or itchy nose or mouth, itchy skin, stuffy nose, puffy eyes and sometimes a cough or mild loss of taste or smell. But one of the telltale signs of allergies is itchy, watery eyes, which isn’t a COVID symptom. Another sign you’re dealing with allergies? If your child always gets the sniffles this time of year, says Narisety. If your
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