Allergies & Cures

When it comes to the health of your new baby, there is no length you won't go to if it means protecting that child.  One of the most difficult enemies of the health of your newborn is infant allergies.  It makes sense to do all you can to prevent allergies from making the first years of your little one's life difficult.  

When you begin to notice symptoms that are sometimes associated with infant allergies, there are two difficult priorities.  Do you focus mostly on finding if the problem is an allergy and if so, what is causing the allergy?  Or do you take action immediately to eliminate the cause of the allergy knowing that you are doing so without a firm diagnosis on what the problem is?  

The answer is yes to both priorities.  Yes, you do set out to find out what it is that is making your little one miserable.  But diagnosing an allergy can be a long and involved process and the potential that the first diagnosis may not be correct is real.  That doesn't mean that your child's pediatrician or allergist is not competent.  Infant allergies are difficult to sort out sometimes.

But it is important to get that process started to realize a permanent solution to your little one's problems.  But you must also mount a second line of attack on those allergic symptoms by setting out to eliminate the cause of the allergic reaction before you know exactly what your baby is allergic to.  There are specific allergens that are well known to cause problems in babies that you can begin to eliminate from your home environment to see if that helps with the problem.  For example, in the kitchen, you can eliminate peanuts, milk, shellfish and even bananas and see if that helps the allergic reactions to go away.

Similarly, there may be allergens lurking in the nursery that deserve some special attention because they may be quietly attacking your child while she sleeps creating a host of allergic problems that remain mysterious because they are so much the natural part of the baby's room.  A good example is the bedding that you use in the crib.  The fabric content may contain an allergen that otherwise would be a perfectly fine component of nursery linens.  If there is a history of allergies to certain fabrics, it is worth examining the blankets, pillowcases and sheets to see if that may be a suspect in the hunt for the allergen that is bothering your baby.

If the fabric is not necessarily the problem, the cleaning materials used to keep the baby's room germ free could also be causing allergic problems in the child.  That list could include the detergent and fabric softener used to wash the baby's sheets and clothing or the other cleaners used to wipe down the play areas of the changing table.  These are potential allergen sources particularly if the allergic reaction your baby is suffering from is topical such as a skin rash.

On the other side of the spectrum, there may be sources of dust or dust mites that could be introducing allergy symptoms into your baby's life.  Old stuffed animals that may have been around for a while can pick up dust mites that live inside that animal.  This is particularly true if you gave the baby an "heirloom" stuffed animal that may have been one of yours from your childhood.  The sentimental value of that toy is priceless.  But if that teddy bear brought with it potential allergens, it should not be sleeping with your baby.

Event the air that circulates in the baby's room could be carrying allergens.  It is easy enough to have replace your air filters, have the air ducts of your house cleaned and to buy an air purifier to run in the baby's room to take out of the air any possible sources of allergic reaction that your baby might be going through.

All of these potential allergy sources could be lurking in the baby's room.  Even if the baby has not been born yet, it is not too soon to take a look at doing a sweep of the future nursery with an eye for removing any potential allergens before that precious infant moves in there to stay.  A little precaution like that can result in a much more peaceful and healthy place for your baby to spend the first months and years of her life in your home.