Wolfie is 2.5 years old, in the middle of potty training, and a spring allergy tyke, like me and his pop. Pop and I take steamy hot showers every morning, Wolfie a bath at night.
Wolfie’s been on Claritin for a few weeks and he is just suddenly in the last couple of days massively moody and mood-swingy. I mean seriously, like me on a bad day and I don’t like my bad days. And it’s only getting worse. I’ve done some online searches, and it sounds like the Claritin.
So the detox begins tonight.
Alternatives? Bath in the morning and at night, with lots of steam and my handy old veggie steamer steaming up the place? What do you do or use? I take a hot shower every morning and do some afternoon dosing with steamy hot chocolate (steam + caffination).
I feel so bad that I did this to him with the Claritin. It’s the only change; he’ll just be sitting there and burst into tears and not be able to tell us why. He’ll be horrible about wanting to be dropped of to day care and picked back up, it’s tough on us watching and trying to deal with him, but it’s got to be oodles tougher on him. The best we can get out of him is “I’m crying because I don’t know the words” (which is what we taught him about why babies cry more than kids or adults)
I doubt if it is the Claritin- it’s mroe likely the weather or the allergies themselves. But saline nasal spray helps, as well as HEPA air filters and cleaners around the house. Next, be sure to wash his plush toys often- they are a haven for dust mites. Be sure all detergent used is “free and clear”.
Shower is likely better for cleaning his little nose out. Have him get into the shower with you.
And, if it gets worse, or symptoms continue, see your Pediatrician.
He’s been ‘sick’ a lot the month of Feb - the dr had suggested the nightly teaspoon of Children’s Claritin when we realized it was allergies.
Our usual allergy routine is as follows:
Monthly changing of sticky whole-house air filters in the central unit.
He has a HEPPA filter air scrubber in his room.
The rugs are vacuumed weekly with our Dyson.
Sheets, pillows, blankets are washed weekly (don’t yet have a clothesline for a UV treatment).
Fan is dusted often.
Curtains are washed often.
All cleaning soaps are non-dye, no perfumes.
Soft toys are also treated to the washings (and we have darn few) or whatever dustmite-fights we can do.
His pop and I both have allergies, so we do this for us, too. We can shower in the morning, kiddo won’t go anywhere near showers, hence the bath tub and the veggie steamer to steam up the room.
We have a cool mist humidifier that we use when he is sick, but not nightly.
I know, it’s an imposition (especially for a cheese addict like me) but it helped me a whole lot. Give it a go and see if it helps. Try it for a week: if it works, you have your answer, and if not you haven’t lost much.
Awww … poor little guy. Allergies suck - I have had hay fever my whole life, so I can sympathize.
There are “natural” remedies that friends swear by, like stinging nettles, milk thistle (I think), or unpasteurized honey (but I wouldn’t recommend giving that to a little one).
Last year I was pregnant so didn’t take ANY medication, and had the most symptomless allergy season of my life. Not sure if it was the pregnancy / hormones or if it was the lack of “rebound” from allergy meds - one friend swears that if you can get through the first few weeks of the season without any meds, you will be fine.
Have you considered allergy shots for him or is he too young?
I have a saline mist that helps, a nasal spray for bad days, and eye drops that help relieve symptoms as well.
Good luck … it really sounds like you are doing pretty much everything you can.
It’s my understanding that an allergist can only test for and diagnose the allergens. In terms of treatment, I don’t think an allergist can recommend anything much different than what is already in the thread.
I could be totally wrong, but this is what doctors have told me all my life.
My daughter just turned two, and she is periodically seriously mood-swingy and clingy. We went through a couple of weeks of total trauma at daycare dropoff, and then one day she started leaving me without a backwards glance. Are you sure it’s not just normal toddler weirdness?
I did think it might have been normal moodiness except that it’s all the time, non stop, except for small bright moments. What I’d consider telling a friend “seek treatment” and I don’t usually make that advice lightly, and am even more reluctant to consider mental help for myself if I were that bad. But I’m also seeing it from the outside for the first time.
The milk is a toughy, but we can try. I’ll look over the menu at school for feasablity. One of my friends also suggested local honey - and at 2.5 he is, I think, in decent health enough to be okay with it (the general guidelines state not in the first year).
From what I’ve been told by several doctors is that he’s still too young for testing, and they are hwo suggested the Claritin.
No, for gods sake, no. No honey. It’s just sugar, with impurities- and the impurities can only hurt, not help. It’s made from* pollen* for gods sake, which your child is seemingly allergic to!
However: "
Monthly changing of sticky whole-house air filters in the central unit.
He has a HEPPA filter air scrubber in his room.
The rugs are vacuumed weekly with our Dyson.
Sheets, pillows, blankets are washed weekly (don’t yet have a clothesline for a UV treatment).
Fan is dusted often.
Curtains are washed often.
All cleaning soaps are non-dye, no perfumes.
Soft toys are also treated to the washings (and we have darn few) or whatever dustmite-fights we can do."- you have my sincere admiration.
Try the saline nasal spray. They make some with menthol & eucalyptus in it, which I enjoy, but maybe not for him. Other than that, I’m stumped. But no honey.
Please go back to your pediatrician ASAP.
I am going to close this thread because it is the policy of the SDMB not to allow threads which seek medical advice.
