With hay fever season in full swing, many of us are suffering from runny noses and itchy eyes at the moment - but how can you tell if your baby might have allergies of their own?
With lots of allergies out there that all present themselves in different ways, it can be difficult to spot whether your child might be allergic to something - particularly when they’re too young to communicate their discomfort. It’s also not always easy to distinguish the symptoms from a cold or fever.
From certain foods to pets and dust mites, there are several things in your home that could be causing your baby to have an allergic reaction. While allergies can range in their severity and might not even be immediately obvious, it’s still important to know what to look out for.
Here are five of the most common signs that your baby could have an allergy.
Runny noses and coughs
Whether it’s cold season or hay fever season, it can often be all too easy to brush off those sniffles and tickly throats. But a persistent runny nose or cough could be a sign of something bigger at play.
“Certain allergies can result in upper respiratory tract symptoms, such as nasal itching, sneezing, runny nose or congestion, and lower respiratory tract symptoms, including cough, wheezing or shortness of breath,” explains paediatrician Dr Sanjay Mehta.
And it’s not always easy to tell the difference between a cold and an allergic reaction. Dr Mehta adds: “Allergic reactions usually happen within a few minutes of exposure to a trigger, although appreciably the trigger is not always obvious.
“Often, fevers during an infection can be a giveaway too, but it is worth noting that the absence of a fever does not exclude a cold. Clear and thin nasal discharge can occur with both, whilst thick nasal secretions usually only occur with infections.”
Itching
Itching is another tell-tale sign that your baby could have an allergy - but this symptom can be tricky to spot, as where and how the itch presents can vary depending on the allergen. This can particularly be the case with food allergies, explains George Du Toit, a professor of paediatric allergy at King’s College London and consultant at Guy’s and St Thomas’ hospital.
“With an itch induced by food, the child will typically not like eating the food as their mouth will itch," Du Toit explains. "An allergic itch will typically come after exposure to an allergen. Young babies are more commonly allergic to food, rather than to air allergens such as pollen or dust mites."
“Air allergies usually take slightly longer to develop, typically presenting at two to four years of age," Du Toit adds. "Children with air allergies tend to scratch more after allergen exposure, such as over the pollen season or after exposure to house dust mite.”
Red, weepy eyes
This symptom can be another one that’s difficult to look out for with teary babies. But if your child’s eyes seem to be red, itchy and uncomfortable, this could be due to an allergy.
“Allergies to pollen and dust mites can give rise to allergic rhinoconjunctivitis,” explains Du Toit, also known as hay fever. “Upon exposure, such as when petting a cat, the infant may develop red, itchy swollen eyes and swollen eyelids.”
Wheezing
Shortness of breath and wheezing can be a scary thing for a parent to witness, and if you spot this symptom in your baby you should seek immediate medical advice as they might need urgent attention. In some cases, wheezing could indicate an allergy.
“Wheezing is a high-pitch whistle sound released on expiration and not on inspiration. Wheezing in children can be acute, intermittent, or chronic,” says Du Toit.
“Acute wheezing can develop after exposure to a food allergen, or from an air allergen such as exposure to a cat. As well as wheezing, the child may experience sneezing and other respiratory symptoms.”
Eczema
Eczema in children is a common problem, with one in five kids suffering from it according to the National Eczema Society. It results in the skin becoming very dry, cracked and inflamed, which can cause a lot of discomfort for the person affected.
It’s not always known why some people develop eczema, but in some cases it can be an early sign that a child is predisposed to allergies. “Eczema is caused by abnormalities in the outer skin layer and is connected to allergic conditions, such as hay-fever and asthma,” Dr Mehta explains.
“It can often be incorrectly attributed to foods, but can actually also be precipitated by irritants, humidity, changes in temperature, stress and infection.”
If you think your baby might have any of these symptoms, speak to your GP. A skin prick test is often the next step, where a small amount of the suspected allergen is pricked into the skin with a needle, to help figure out exactly what they are allergic to.
