5 Signs Your Child's "Springtime Cold" is Really a Seasonal Allergy

Spring is here, and with it can come endless rounds of sniffles, especially for children. When your child’s cold isn’t getting better, those symptoms could actually be seasonal allergies. 

During the spring months, family practice doctor Jean Welsh, MD, of Primary & Alternative Medical Center in Silver Spring, Maryland, finds that a case of the sniffles can often mean your child has seasonal allergies. 

What are seasonal allergies? 

Allergies are a reaction that occurs when your child is exposed to a substance that their body sees as foreign or unwanted, even though the substance is usually harmless. You can be allergic to almost anything, including food, animal dander, medicine, and dust.

Seasonal allergies are allergic reactions to common triggers outdoors during that period. Spring is a typical time for seasonal allergies to pollen, insects, and spores that are common outside.

Seasonal allergies aren’t usually life-threatening. However, without treatment, they can leave your child feeling miserable with a runny nose, watery eyes, itching, and sneezing for months every year.

5 signs your child has seasonal allergies

Colds and seasonal allergies have similar symptoms, including a stuffy nose, sneezing, coughing, and tiredness. However, there are some key differences between the common cold and allergies. 

There’s a good chance your child has seasonal allergies if:

1. They’ve felt unwell for weeks

Children with a cold usually recover within 10-14 days, while seasonal allergies last for the entire season. If your child’s symptoms go on much longer than two weeks with no sign of recovery, they likely have seasonal allergies. 

2. They have watery eyes

Watery eyes that won’t go away are a classic sign your child has seasonal allergies. It’s unusual for children with the common cold to experience this symptom.

3. They have a thin, clear nasal discharge

Children with the common cold often have a thick or yellowish discharge. Nasal discharge from seasonal allergies is always thin and clear.

4. They get symptoms at the same time every year

You can catch the common cold at any time of year. If your child has seasonal allergies, they typically start getting symptoms around the start of the season annually.

5. They respond to over-the-counter allergy medication 

If your child is one or older and has seasonal allergies, they usually start to improve within 1-2 days of starting a child-safe over-the-counter antihistamine.  Antihistamines won’t harm a child with the common cold but also won’t help them get better.

Treating seasonal allergies

Our team diagnoses your child with allergies and helps determine the most likely trigger. Seasonal allergies aren’t curable. However, we can help reduce or eliminate symptoms to make your child more comfortable. 

Treatments we often recommend for seasonal allergies like pollen include:

• Staying indoors as much as possible 
• Taking prescription or over-the-counter allergy medication
• Using over-the-counter pain relief medication to relieve symptoms
• Changing clothes after your child has been outdoors

Alternatively, if your child has a cold or another virus, our team also offers care advice and symptom relief to help them feel better quickly. 

Seasonal allergies are no fun, but a correct diagnosis is the first step to getting your child treatment that keeps them from feeling miserable for months. 

If you think your child might have allergies, contact us for diagnosis and treatment.