Advances in Mental Health

If you suspect that your child is having an allergic reaction to your pets, the weather, food, or an unknown cause, it's a good idea to come up with a plan for what to do next. While a family practitioner, such as Expresscare Plus, can help recommend an allergy specialist that works with children, it can be helpful to decide if this is really necessary before arranging an appointment.

By doing all of the following before making an appointment, you can be sure that your child's allergies are taken care of.

Keep a Log Of Their Symptoms

The easiest way to ensure that your doctor will be able to help your child is by beginning to track their symptoms. A lot of people forget about the importance of tracking what kind of reactions their child is having when they're occurring.

While this may not be an option for extremely young children, it's best to ask your child how they're feeling and to describe it so that you can jot it down in a notepad with the date included. If your child is younger, you'll need to assess what their symptoms are yourself and keep note of them to present to an allergy specialist.

Track When They Experience a Reaction

Figuring out the cause for allergies is especially important since there is a wide range of things that could be causing them. Food, pets, dust, medication, and other sources can all be triggers for allergies. This is why you need to track when your child is experiencing a reaction.

Attempt to Isolate the Cause

Once you've successfully tracked what could be causing the allergic reaction in your child, it's a good idea to try and isolate the cause to see if their condition improves. For example, if you suspect that your child is having a reaction to pet dander, try to keep them away and wait to see if the symptoms alleviate.

Try Over-the-Counter Allergy Medication

Medication designed to treat allergies can be an effective way to help your child feel better, but you'll need to take care to choose medication that is safe for children.

While over-the-counter medication can be effective at reducing the effects of allergies, it may not be enough if your child is having trouble breathing or has developed a rash. If the allergies have reached a point of being severe, you'll need to make an appointment with your doctor right away for more effective treatments such as nasal sprays or allergy shots.