Search Results for: allergies
Is It A Cold Or Allergies?
“Tissue mommy! I need a tissue!!” Your child comes running at you, with double-barreled boogies from both nostrils. Ugh. It’s definitely that time of the year! But, come late winter/early spring, it can be tough to know if it’s due to a cold, or allergies. Which is why I’m always being asked by moms around…
Signs of Allergies to Infant Formula
If you introduce infant formula to your baby, you’ll probably want to be on the alert for signs of an allergy, especially if allergies run in your–or the baby’s father’s–family. Most infant formula includes cow’s milk or soy products in the ingredients. In cases of infant formula allergies, cow’s milk protein is the most common allergen. Still, allergies to formula are not all that common; according to the U.S. Department of Agriculture, less than 3% of babies in the United States have an allergy to milk protein. Since half of the babies who are sensitive to cow’s milk protein also turn out to react badly to soy, soy-based formula is not necessarily the solution if your baby does turn out to have a dairy allergy. Check with your baby’s physician before switching to a hypoallegenic formula. It may reassure you to know that there’s good chance your baby will outgrow an allergy to infant formula within a few years.
Common Winter Allergies
The common cold often strikes in winter. Before you reach for the cold medicine, you might want to consider whether your runny nose, scratchy throat and watery eyes might be symptoms of winter allergies. While spring and fall months often bring an increase in allergy symptoms for people with pollen allergies, symptoms may be worse during the winter for those with other allergies.
Christmas Tree Allergies
To many families, the holiday season is not complete without a decorated tree twinkling in the window. Each year, U.S. tree farmers sell an estimated 25 to 30 million pine and fir trees, according to the National Christmas Tree Association. For people with Christmas tree allergies, this abundance of pine and fir needles can make allergy symptoms difficult to control during holiday festivities.
How to Prevent Allergies in Babies
Food allergies seem like a common occurrence, but they actually only affect 6 percent of children in the United States, according to BabyCenter. Many times, your child has a food intolerance that she will grow out of that is not a full-blown food allergy. Still, it’s important to monitor your baby closely to look for the signs of food allergies. Delaying certain foods until your baby is a certain age may also help prevent allergies, both now and later in life.