Stuffy Three Year Old

I was just wondering who told you he could not have allergies that early? My daughter has had allergies since she was 6 months old. Both Zyrtec and Clarytin are approved for children as young as 2years. Good luck.

No offense, but it sounds like you need a new doctor or go see an allergist. All three of my children have had allergies since they were toddlers..environmental, seasonal and some food. The right medicine can and does make a difference in their lives. Uncontrolled allergies can have lots of downstream consequences..medical, developmental and social.

We found out Zyrtec works for none of my kids...but Allegra is great.

We just moved here and have been told Mark Ebadi is one of the best allergists in the area.

Good luck! It is tough have allergic kids.....

With my first child I was told she could not have allergies before the age of two. With my son, I had a kid that was sick all the time. This doctor told me it was seasonal allergies, prescribed zyrtec, and we resumed normal life with a much happier baby!! He was only six months at the time. I would get a second opinion.

That is ridiculous the doc said you cant do anything.. seasonal allergies can be treated with zyrtec liquid and three year olds CAN take it. Both of my children have been on it since they were two.

Do you have an air purifier in your home? What type of cleaners are you using? Just curious!

Hi S.,
My son was your sons age when I was told to take him off of dairy. What a difference! We started with chocolate soy milk and slowly started adding regular soy until he was used to it. He drank the soy for close to 2 years, we would try cow milk every so often and he would get congested again. Around 6 or 7 milk didn't seem to affect him the same and he is back to drinking cows milk but also doesn't mind soy. We used silk brand at first as his favorite but also found kirkland soy milk at costco that doesn't have to be refrigerated until after it is opened and comes in smaller containers and he and I both like the flavor better.

Worth a try with your son.

Good luck,
SarahMM

My son has had similar problems. His nose is usually a dry stuffy in the morning. the doctor told me to clean his nose wiht the sailine drop before going to bed...also recomended putting a little tiny bit of Vasaline wiht a q-tip on the inside of his nose, just enough to coat the delicate area inside his nose. He is now 8 years old and still has the occasional stuffness, but it happens a lot less often. I would also suggest you ask your pediatrician to refer you to a pediatric allergist. My son was not 3 yet when he was tested for his allergies. Best of Luck to you and your little guy!

Yeah, that's bunk about no allergies. My DS1 got allergy testing right about when he turned 3... positives to some foods, trees, grass and weeds.

He used to wake up crying and sniffing at about 5 every morning. Ugh, it was miserable for all of us. The allergist gave us a nasal spray (Nasacort... it's a mild steroid) and the problem went away literally overnight. My son's seasonal allergies haven't been too bad so far; we only had to give him add'l allergy medicine for about a week this summer.

Definitely get a new allergist. www.coloradoallergy.com has been great for us. We see Dr. Olson in Lakewood.

Best of luck and don't let the doctors BS you. Trust the mama instinct.

LOL! Allergies or irritants? It's semantics. And actually, if children can't have allergies at 3, then why are several brands of allergy medications specifically marketed for children 2 and above? I would talk to an allergist, they are more likely to have accurate, up-to-date information. If you are worried about the humidifier, turn it down and open the windows during the days to dry his room out. It should not be putting so much moisture in the air to make things damp and steamy, just enough to moisten the air a bit. I am going to take my daughter to an accupunturist. (The don't use needles for little ones, just little stickers with balls to apply pressure.) I have heard that allergies, asthma and exczema are especially responsive to accupuncture/accupressure.

If you son is having an especially bad time, you should be able to give him Benadryl or Loratadine to control it. I would guess that the best thing you can do is try to figure out what he is allergic to, and avoid it as much as possible. A reputable allergist will order a blood test for allergies. Scratch tests are often inaccurate.

Best of luck,
S.

Nasal rinses have helped our son tremendously, and I made it through allergy season pregnant this year without taking anything and without being miserable with them. We use Neil-Med positive pressure nasal rinses. It's a plastic bottle with mix that you can buy at Walgreens and other pharmacies. Also, both are boys are on Nasonex and Allegra seasonally. They started at ages 1 and 3 for both and those have helped tremendously. Get in with an allergist. They will be able to help so much! Everything we do was recommended by our doctors at National Jewish. If they don't know allergies, no one does. You can do the nasal rinses without a prescription, so they might be a good place to start.

Hi S.,

I have 3 daughters and 2 of them have suffered with "seasonal" allergies for all of their lives. They are now 7 and 10. My pediatrition perscribed a medication called Rhynatan, or Phenchlor Tanate. It works really well for stuffy noses, all kinds. Zyrtec works great for allergies too. You can get it over the counter now. If you have given him anything in that past that worked, I would give it to him. I know now with all the recalls, they don't like anyone to give anything to their kids. But it sure is miserable.

Also, use a steamer not a cool mist, they work better. I have used an essential oil called Eucalyptus Radiata, it's really good for allergies and keeping the airways open. You may have to dilute it with vegetable oil. But on my 10 year old, it works so good. She has been using it since she was 5.

Good luck to you.

Both my children have seasonal allergies and were both diagnosed before they were even 2 years old. Doctors are hesitant, but when all signs point to that, they prescribed Zyrtec, which is now sold over the counter. I would try that and see if it helps. Good luck!

My son has allergies--has since birth and he's now four. There is a natural anti-histamine you can give him with no side effects. It's called quercetin and nettles. Quercetin is a bioflavonoid found in onions that is a natural anti-histamine. Don't remember exactly what the nettle herb does but it also helps. I found it in liquid form at vitamin cottage. Works just as well as benadryl.

Hope this helps!
J.

my 2 yr old takes singulair for allergies. it helps a lot. before he was taking it, he was complaining that his nose hurt and he woke up crying a lot. it started when it was still cold out, so at first i thought his nose was just chapped or stuffy from a cold. but when the symptoms continued into warmer weather and the rest of us started sneezing a lot, we went to the doctor to see if it was seasonal allergies. i'd just go to a different doctor to get a prescription for allergies if i were you. after all, isn't fall a time that a lot of irritants are released in the air with harvesting? good luck.

Kids can and do have allergies very young. My NOW 3 year old has had allergies since he was very young. My 10 month old son has an allergy to milk.

Have you taken him to an actual allergist? If you are in the Orem/Provo area, I recommend Evan Matheson (he's brilliant):
Provo Allergy & Asthma Clinic
745 N 500 W, Provo Allery & Asthma Clinic
Provo, UT 84601
Phone: ###-###-####

As for my 3 year old, I give him Benadryl because it works quickly. However, infants as young as 6 months can take Zyrtec. It comes in liquid form. It's good for inside and outside allergies.

We had to remove ALL the carpet in the bedrooms. Everything got painted with low VOC paint, and we have removable rugs that can be sprayed with allergen killer and also washed (outside with a hose and then sprayed with allergen killer). Anyway, our 4 kids all have asthma as a result (or part and parcel of) their allergies.

Whomever told you that small children don't get allergies is terribly, terribly uninformed. If it's a DOCTOR, you should fire him/her and get someone who has read something in the past 10 years about pet dander, mold, peanut sensitivity, grass (most common trigger), and dust mites.

If you need more advice about how to handle dust mites and pet dander, you can send me a private message. We deal with it daily. The quickest, most effective treatment is to
1. Remove your carpets and switch to something that can be mopped.
2. Mop with a steamer (We use the hoover steam mop---it's awesome)
3. Wash your sheets in the hottest water you can (we've switched to all white sheets and add a bit of real chlorine bleach).
4. Wash your sheets, PILLOWS, BLANKETS often. If you want to salvage what you have, put pillows into the freezer (in a plastic bag) for 24 hours. Then wash. If it doesn't wash, GET RID OF IT. This includes stuffed animals. GUND washes.
5. Always use WET towels, Clorox wipes, etc. to dust. Don't stir the dust into the air.
6. We got rid of bathroom rugs because they needed to be washed ALL the time. You can use teak, but we just put a towel down on the floor and then wash it. It gets washed VERY often, and there's nowhere for dust mites, pet dander, body flaking (which is an asthma irritant) to collect.

Hope that helps!

S.,
I am a working mother of 2 my son will be 3 in Nov and my daughter is 18m. My daughter who has major allergies or "sensativities" is sensative to dairy products and has seasonal allergies. She takes both zertek and cingular granuals daily. My son who's "sensativities" never came back positive was stuffy most if not all of his life until I took the family off of milk. Because she could not drink it the entire family drinks Rice milk because soy is also another sensativity. After switching him to rice milk I noticed a huge change in his sinuses. He doesn't wake up in the middle of the night not being able to breath or have the constantly stuffiness. He may not be "sensative" to dairy but maybe in larger quanteties between milk, cheese, yogurt, eggs and other items it just makes him stuffy. I would look at what he seems to eat the most of.

Good luck,
N.

I have a son that is almost 2.5. We have been told by doctors since he was two that it is ok to use Loratidin (Claritin) for kids. It is for allergies and helps with sinus congestion. It works for 24 hours. Make sure you find the children's version.

I do not think two or three is too young to show signs of allergies.

I'm actually surprised that your doctor won't give him medication for seasonal allergies. My little boy was having problems as well, as my husband has really bad seasonal allergies. It started for him the exact time my husbands started acting up in the spring. My little boy will be two next week and he's been taking childrens zyrtec afor at least six months now, if not longer. It has helped so much and releived his symptoms. My neighbor has a little boy that will be one this month and her pediatrician said he most likely has seasonal allergies as well, he just told her that he couldn't have any medicaion until he turned one but he'll get on it as soon as he turns one. Good luck and I hope he finds releif soon!

Does your house smell like mold or musty at all? I have no allergies all my life but recently realized if I am in a place that even smells moldy my sinuses go crazy. If I go outside it goes away within 10 minutes. I have heard of people being affected for years by mold in their house and it making them very sick without them even knowing? Just a thought since that is all my expereince with allergies has been!

Have you tried children's claritin syrup? It is a 24 hour non-drowsy medication that sometimes works better for my daughter than benadryl and without the sleepiness. Your pediatrician can give you the exact dose, based on his weight. It can be used for kids as young as 15 months I believe. And as for allergies, my nephew has had severe allergies since birth and has been actually tested by an allergist to prove it:)

I was told by my doctor to give my girls (5,3) childrens claritin everyday. I first tested this by taking it myself. I have a runny nose during certain times of the year and NO allergies. It actually worked. Check with your doctor, but it worked for me and my girls. Good luck!

My three year old has seasonal allergies and her dr. put her on children's zyrtec, which has worked great! I think it's available over the counter, now. It might be worth a try.
(Our pediatrician didn't have any trouble with the idea of a young child having allergies)

I have had extreme allergies my whole life. I was diagnosed with allergies and eczema at the tender age of 3 months. I can't believe the doctor says that a child cannot be diagnosed that young. I am now 45 and still suffer endlessly. There is not much that can be done for your child however, so the saline spray, humidifiers, bathing before bed each night are the best things you can do for him. Make certain that you use allergy prevention type pillows, soaps, laundry detergent etc.. As he gets a little older they will likely agree that he indeed has allergies and may start shot treatments for him, but even with those, I was still miserable through most of my childhood. I've just learned to live with my issues and try to avoid taking too many medications now that I am older. Good luck to you.

S.,

One of the other mom's made mention of the consumption of dairy causing stuffy noses. I'd agree with her line of thinking. My youngest daughter was always waking up plugged and after waking her nose would run and her eyes would water. Some days she just looked awful and while over the counter drugs made her feel better, I needed to find what was causing the problem. At the suggestion of my daycare provider, I took her off just drinking milk. That being said she still had cheese with her meals and yogurt no more than 3 times a week. I switched her to Silk and with amazing results. In just a few days she was breathing on her own without the use of medications and her eyes cleared up, she looked so much better. It's less expensive than trying lots of different medicines and if your little guy can benefit, then it's totally worth it!

I have been told by our previous pediatrician (only because we moved out of state; we really liked her) that my children had developed allergies while they were less than 6 months old. She also informed me that allergies can turn into asthma. We have had to use claritin during the evening for seasonal allergies. My children have also been on nebulizers before they were old enought to take the claritin to help with the stuffiness. They would get so bad I was afraid that they would stop breathing in the evening. Now I am not a doctor but both of these have helped. I believe your son is old enough to take claritin and they can also prescribe nasal sprays if that is necessary. My daughter was prescribed Nasonex by and ENT specialist because of enlarged tonsils which made it difficult to breathe through her mouth. You may want to have a second opinion and research the medicine to see if that is a route you may want to go. I wish you luck;I know how frustrating the situation can be.

M.

My kids always had runny noses or stuffy noses, I went to a natural doctor and got some echanacea (sp) drops for them. They work! No more snot, no more stuffy noses, ect. Try it, it works!

What is with some Doctors? I was told the same thing about my little guy 15 years ago, and magically I took him to an allergist, he was treated and we were fine. Get another opinion. I personally think Drs err on the side of caution these days, even when the symptoms have been there for a long time. Good Luck!

Hey S.!
Hope you are finding some relief for your 3-year old. So hard to see them uncomfortable!

I would strongly suggest a high quality air PURIFIER...not a filter but a purifier. My daughter suffered from allergies very early on in her life. The medications did relieve her allergy symptoms but created other side effects. If you can forego the medication route, do it. We brought in an air purifier and I am happy to say, she is no longer on ANY medication. Plus, the whole family is feeling better!

Don't forget to supplement his little immune system with flora and essential fatty acids.

Please don't hesitate to contact me for further information!
Many blessings,
A.

Perhaps you could ask for a referral to an ENT? He could possibly have a structural reason for the stuffiness. Is he OK the rest of the day, and just stuffy in the morning? If so, maybe there is an allergen in his bedding, mattress, etc. Good luck!

There are things they can do for seasonal allergies. Both of my kids have had them on and off especially in the spring.
You can get OTC stuff or they can give you Zyrtec in kid form via a prescription.
We are going through this with my four year old that has had a chronic stuffy nose for two years now. We removed his adnoids and had ear tubes put in due to ear infections early on(which he has had no more infections). His adnoids were large and it seemed to help a lot however there is still continues and right now they have him on Nasonex.
The Nasonex has worked a lot but there is still a problem as he still seems to breathe through his mouth at night.
We have another visit to the ENT in a few weeks to do a recheck on things.

Saline is the best thing you can do at night and during the day, we do it in the mornings and before bed. A humidifier is perfect but you do have to clean it out with bleach every few days. If you live in a dry area it will not cause mold.
You can have your air quality in your home tested, which we did and it wasn't internal in the house causing issues.
I would talk to them about OTC or prescription allergy stuff if you think it may be allergies.
If not have them visit whether he could have enlarged adnoids and check his tonsils. An ENT is the best to see not a regular Dr about all this too.
Make sure he does saline before bed.
My son has this issue still but the Nasonex did a HUGE improvement!

my son is exactly the same way..we just started him with the netty pot..he is 9 so is a little more able to deal with that thing but another friends son is 3 and also does the netty pot for his constant stuffyness..it really works..my son is psyched to do it now because he sees the difference...good luck..J.

My son was stuffed up and still sounds stuffed up to this day, he is 4 years old and when he was 2 I finally had enough with my current doctor dismissing his chronic ear infections and his stuffy nose and I took him else where. I was referred to an ear, nose and throat doctor whom at first glance new that my son needed his adenoids out and tubes in his ears. She explained that he had a lot of fluid and his adenoids where huge, she drained them and took them out and while he was still stuffy, because my 3 year old DID have allergies, he was not half as stuffy as he was before. I was later prescribed 3 different things for him including Claritin and Flonase to help with his seasonal allergies, because like my doctor said, there is nothing I can do about seasonal allergies because the allergens are going to be there no matter what, but that she is prescribing stuff to take the ‘edge’ off. But honestly the best thing I feel that we were able to do for him is have his adenoids out. Does he snore? Because children that young usually do not snore unless there is blockage (adenoids), also another way we knew that he had a problem is he could barley smell stuff or eat with his mouth closed because he couldn’t breath. Hope this helps :)

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S. J

I know he was tested for allergies but I would highly suggest taking him off dairy. I have a friend who's kids have been stuffy/runny since birth (all three) and she refuses to even deal with the dairy thing because it's a pain. I know it is because I had to do it with my son. Just my two cents.
SAHM of 2 boys

Hi S.~ my son had the same thing and he is 2. His doctor at National Jewish prescribed Nasonex. I don't have allergies and hate the idea of giving it to him but it really has made a difference. Although your son may be too young to test positive to a skin test for environmental allergies he can still be affected by them. We tried the generic brand of Zyrtec syrup that you can get at Target but I don't think it helped as much. We tried everything else before the Nasonex. We give him his spray at night so I don't see any side effects other than an occasional bloody nose right after the spray. I found that my pediatric was less concerned about his allergies (he has food too) and asthma than his allergist. If you want his to take some type of medicine then I would push the doctor. What is the worse that can happen? It doesn't work then you stop, right? Good luck!

It might take a little work to get a three year old to use one, but have you ever tried a Nettie pot? It's a way of daily flushing out your sinuses with luke warm salt water to eliminate mucous. Here'a link to a demo: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=t8KOsNtpV8w

Good luck!

our pediatrition told me it is "bubkis" his word that little kids don't get allergies. they do. some docs don't like to do testing this young because the kids change so much still. my dd is 2.5 and has seasonal allergies. She has childrens claritin that she uses daily during the spring and summer. We are dealing with alfalfa cuttings right now so she uses it for that. some days she doesn't need it as much but every day with stuffiness is not fair to your boy! and it can cause sinus problems down the road. I know, I never got treated as a child and had to have surgery on my sinuses when I was in my early 20's because the sinuses were so inflamed from all the allergies my body had been trying to fight for so long without aid.
you can get the children's clairitin OTC. trust your instincts mom know best anyway...and if you are needing a doc to talk to about it and yours won't listen, find another one. Good luck!

Hi S., I would suggest getting a second opinion from a pediatritian or if you already see one then from a different one. My three year old daughter has the same problem and nour Dr. said she has allergies (mostly seasonal) and he put her on Singular and then when it gets bad during the day she takes Zyrtec too. The Singular she takes at night and it definetly helps with the morning stuffiness Good Luck!

My oldest son gets seasnoal allergies, but not strong enough to need medication. He also had this problem when he was younger, We found that he was sensitive to the dry air in our house. to find out if this is your childs problem try puting a humidifyer in his room for a week, If he improves you may want to look into getting a humidifyer installed on your furnace, This will also help bring down the dust and allergines in the air. Also air purifyers do this even better.

Go to a natural or internest doctor and see what they say. I say always try to solve a problem without medication first because they always have a "side effect". His immune system could just need a big boost. Does he take vitamin C? I believe that most things can be cured with what you eat and the rest with supplements and herbs.

Hi S.,
I would go to a different doctor and get another opinion. Like the other mom's have said there could be a number of things wrong here. But for the time being I would try the new children's Zyrtec. Its worked pretty well for my kids and my Dr has said it was fine for them from my 2yr old to my oldest at 8yrs old. I am happy with the results so you might try starting with that until you can see another Dr. Good Luck!

C.

You can have allergies that young. Believe me I know from first hand experience.

I was born with asthma and all sorts of things would trigger it. When I say trigger it, I don't mean just having trouble breathing, I mean it shut down my breathing and would put me in the hospital. I had allergy tests done when I was 2 and had to go in twice a week for 3 years for allergy shots. I am happy to report now that there are very few things that I am still allergic to.

When my son goes for expended periods of time with a stuffy nose, we give him childrens Zyrtec. It works like a charms and doesn't knock him on his butt like Benedryl.

Good luck

Hi S., Want to know what I would do? GET A SECOND OPINION!! My daughter was 3 and ended up in the hospital with severe asthma caused by ALLERGIES, so no 3 is NOT too young. My grandson was only 2 when diagnosed with allergy related asthma...again 3 is NOT too young. Please seek another opinion! Good luck and my heart goes out to your son, I know first, second and third hand how horrible that stuffed up feeling is!

I would keep using that humidifier, mold isn't much of an issue in such a dry climate...

My daughter had allergies that young so surprised to hear that. We use Herbal Vapor Rub from Arbonne every night so they don't wake up stuffy. You can also use every morning. Definately avoid Vicks Vapor Rub as very harmful ingredients in it.

I would have a Bio Scan done from a Natural Doctor to see what his allergy trigger is. It works better than prick test to show allergies and not painful to the child.

If he is only stuffy in the mornings, make sure you don't have stuffed animals in the bed and wash his sheets a lot to keep dust/dander at bay.

Good Luck.