If Orange County mom Linda Marienoff Coss had not been so alert, her trip to the children’s museum might have turned into a trip to the emergency room. In the museum, she says, “there was a mock archaeological dig where kids could pretend to look for dinosaur bones. The dirt didn’t look normal. Luckily I didn’t allow my son to play in it. As it turned out, it was all walnut shells, which my son is very allergic to.”

Vacaville mother Teri Greene says when she took her son Rick, then five, to a party, he “started coughing and wheezing. At first we didn’t know what was causing it, but it was the smoke from the barbeque.” Since Rick was five months old, he has been sensitive to smoke, dust, and intense cold or heat. “It has been a learning process,” Greene says.

Like Coss and Greene, many parents have had to learn about things that trigger allergic reactions. The most common are mildew, mold, dust, pollen, pet dander, and certain foods.

Warning signs

“If the child is suffering from a constant dry cough, runny nose, or has itchy eyes, itchy ears, or a tickly throat, they may be showing signs of an allergy,” says Leslie Seltzer, family nurse practitioner at a Gardena community clinic. “Asthma causes wheezing and difficulty breathing. They are two different diseases, but they are often closely related.”

Common allergy symptoms include:

• The allergic shiner: Dark circles under the eyes—may be caused by a lack of oxygen or contact with allergy triggers.
• The allergic salute: Results from constant rubbing of nose in an upward motion.
• Mouth breathing: A sign that the nose is stuffed up. More severe symptoms may be caused by asthma.
• Noticeable wheezing: Child may be breathless during activities or want to rest often. (see http://www.4children.org/issues/2004/
  november_december/breathing_easier/).

Greene, whose son suffers from both allergies and asthma, warns parents that, “the symptoms you are told about may not be the only symptoms your child has. The key is to compare past episodes with new ones. You learn to hear when the child’s cough sounds really bad and to be aware that this time might be a serious episode.”

First steps

Dr. Michael Welch, co-director of the Allergy and Asthma Medical Group and Research Center in San Diego, says “When a child first shows signs of allergies, try over-the-counter medicines. If that doesn’t alleviate the problem, or if those make the child sleepy, take him or her to the doctor. Get them medical attention, because it is treatable!”

He notes that untreated allergies can lead to more serious problems, like asthma, which can be life-threatening if not controlled. “Many kids in the inner cities have a high rate of cockroach allergies, which can cause asthma and (irritation of the nose),” he says. “The best thing to do is talk with the landlord about exterminating the roaches. Don’t let your kids just deal with it. Allergies and asthma are serious business.”

Reducing triggers

Dozens of California organizations help parents deal with children’s allergies. Some send community health workers to visit homes. “We look for allergy triggers like carpeting, pets, and plants,” says Felicia Jones, asthma coordinator of Healthy African American Families, based in Los Angeles. “We help parents with how to cut down on these triggers, like keeping the child out of the room for 45 minutes after vacuuming, and changing the vacuum bag regularly. It is very important to cut down on dust”—so vacuuming every week is a must.

Fighting dust: To reduce dust, says Irene Mineses, a community health worker at the Long Beach Alliance for Children with Asthma, “we encourage washing stuffed animals in hot water every two weeks. Also, keeping a child’s bed area free of dust is very important. Pillow and mattress covers are easy to find and are a great benefit to the child.”

Cleaning carefully: Los Angeles mother Elizabeth Hernandez has found relief for her two-month-old daughter’s skin allergies with routine cleaning and common materials. “I dust more often and wash her sheets daily with Ivory non-scented detergent,” she says. “I also use hydrogen peroxide.” Or clean with vinegar, not bleach or other strong chemicals.

Reducing smoke: “Avoid smoking in the house or car,” says Dorothy Vura-Weiss, assistant health officer at the San Mateo County Health Department. If you do smoke, “remove that clothing before coming in contact with the child.”

Dealing with pollen and weather: Greene taught her son a few tips for controlling asthma outdoors. “If it is really windy outside while he’s at school, I tell him to either go to the library or to play on the other side of buildings to block the wind. If he is outside in the cold, he knows to breathe into his jacket or gloves. That way he avoids the trigger and still feels normal. It just looks like he’s trying to stay warm.” Greene’s son also takes medication to reduce allergic reactions.

More tips:

• Avoid outdoor activities between 5 and 10 a.m. when pollen counts are highest.
• Check the pollen count in the local weather report or on-line at www.pollen.com.
• Save outdoor activities for wet afternoons when pollen counts are lowest.
• Have your child shower after being outside on high-pollen days.
• Dry clothes indoors, to reduce pollen collection.

Choosing food: Stockton mom Alison Willy deals with her daughter’s food allergies with time-tested solutions. “Avoidance is the best method,” she says. “We buy organic produce when we can and grow our own summer vegetables.”

Staying alert: “Trust your instincts and ask a lot of questions,” says Willy. “The solution that is right for you and your child is just as likely to come from a stranger as from your doctor.”

“The key,” says Greene, “is really figuring out what your child’s triggers are and how to cope with them in a realistic way without your child feeling deprived.”

Allergy resources for parents

Online:

• www.calasthma.org Information and links to regional asthma coalitions across California  
• www.kidswithfoodallergies.org
• www.allergysupport.org
• www.pollen.com

Organizations:

• Healthy African American Families, 323-292-2002
• Community Action to Fight Asthma (27 regional asthma coalitions), 510-302-3365
• National Latino Research Center, 760-750-3500

Extra resources from the Children’s Advocate bulletin

• Allergy & Asthma Network Mothers of Asthmatics offers information about asthma and allergies, including food allergies, legal resources, news, medical information, tips for dealing with allergies at child care and in school, tips for reducing triggers at home, and other resources. Online at http://www.aanma.org/

• Asthma and Allergies, from the American Academy of Pediatrics, offers information on common childhood allergies, reducing allergy triggers, and issues related to asthma. Online at http://www.aap.org/healthtopics/asthma.cfm

• Allergy Information, from the American Lung Association, discusses allergens, allergy triggers, ways to control asthma and allergies, tips for controlling dust, and ways for parents to tell when their child has allergies and when they have a cold. Online at http://www.lungusa.org/

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Extra resources from the Children’s Advocate bulletin (updated 4-08)

• Allergy Guide, from Kaboose, provides information on allergies, including symptoms and ways to avoid allergy triggers.

• Exposure to Maternal Distress in Early Life Is Associated with an Increased Risk of Childhood Asthma, from the January 2008 issue of the American Journal of Respiratory and Critical Care Medicine, finds that children may have a higher risk of developing asthma if their mothers are under long-term stress.

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