Managing Your Child's Pollen Allergy

It is officially allergy season, and we have been getting lots of questions about how to manage your child's pollen allergy. If your child is sensitive to pollen, there are multiple ways to limit the impact.

One of the first things to do is to keep an eye on the news and local weather for pollen counts. When pollen counts are high, try to plan a day of indoor activities instead. If your child needs to be outdoors on a day with a high pollen count, be sure to take additional measures to limit their allergies from flaring up.

Once your child is back indoors, be sure they wash their hands and face to avoid getting pollen in their eyes or nose. If possible, fresh clothing can also limit how much pollen your child is in contact with. Ideally, a shower followed by fresh clothing is best to get the pollen off of them entirely. Remember to ensure that your child washes their hair, where pollen can tend to cling and stick around.

While it is tempting to leave your home's doors and windows open this time of year, it's best to keep them shut to avoid letting pollen in. This goes for when you're in the car as well.

If your child is struggling with pollen allergies, our Washington University Children’s After Hours locations provide convenient medical care for your child’s illnesses and injuries as a faster alternative to ERs when your pediatrician’s office is closed.

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