Allergic Children - 5 Common Allergens That Trigger Pediatric Allergies

Allergies, or the body's overreaction to a substance that it mistakenly views as dangerous, can trigger allergic reactions in children that range from mild to life threatening. A specific protein is usually at the root of the problem even though the triggers may vary. Here are 5 common allergy triggers to which your child is most often exposed, and some tips for managing them.

Food - An increasing number of children have allergies that are food related and the most common foods seem to be peanuts, tree nuts, wheat, eggs, milk, cheese, crab, lobster, fish, and soybeans. With such a wide variety of possible products, one of the best ways to determine which foods cause problems is to keep a food diary. Then should an allergic reaction occur, you have a record of what was eaten and can better pinpoint the food that may possibly be causing a problem for your child.

Try avoiding the suspect food and make a note if there is no further occurrence. If there is another occurrence, continue on by eliminating other foods that may possibly contain the allergen. Involve your pediatrician in the process, and get advice for developing an emergency plan should you need it.

Pet Dander - 80 million American homes have pets as part of the family. Is there any wonder that pet dander is a common allergy trigger for children? Dander is invisible to the human eye and the protein in the dander can also be found in the pet's saliva, and urine. Pet hair can also attract dander which is sticky, and so just rubbing a pet's coat can cause a reaction.

If your pet pre-dates your child and there is a problem try bathing your pet to get rid of the dander, but consult your vet first. Make your child's room off limits to the pet, wash clothes and linens frequently to remove any dander that might have found its way into the room. Use a high efficiency particle arresting air purifier to provide an extra layer of protection against airborne dander that often attaches to other airborne pollutants in your home.

Environment - Seasonal allergies to tree, grass, and weed pollen are tough to avoid, particularly during the peak of the season. Curtail outdoor activities on dry windy days when pollen is more able to spread. Plan outdoor activities for days when the pollen count is low, and if possible avoid the outdoors during early morning hours when pollen counts are generally higher.

Keep your child's school informed of allergies, write a note on days when it is not advisable for your child to be outdoors, and if necessary get a note from a doctor to have on file should questions arise. Make sure all of your child's care givers have emergency contact numbers, and a clear procedure to follow should an emergency arise.

Insect Sting - Wasps, Yellow Jackets, Hornets, Black Flies and other insects can pose a serious threat to those who are allergic. Symptoms that often indicate your child's body is in overdrive are extended swelling, dizziness, weakness, vomiting, and headache. Should these symptoms occur, seek immediate medical attention. Afterwards, make a follow up appointment with your pediatrician, and ask about an Epipen that could be used in emergencies to counteract the severe and sometimes life threatening symptoms.

If in fact your child does have a sting allergy, find out all you can about the insect, when and where it is most prevalent, and help your child avoid places and activities that might expose your child to it.

Household - Pollutants such as household dust, dust mites, mold and mildew spores, pollen, bacteria, and viruses are present in the cleanest of homes. They are a constant aggravation and irritation to an allergic child. Many of these irritants are too small to be seen, but your child's body knows they are there and produces histamines as a reaction which often presents as a runny nose, congestion, sneezing, coughing, dark smudges under the eyes, and an overall lack of energy.

One of the best ways to combat these invisible airborne triggers is to constantly eliminate them with a high efficiency particle arresting (HEPA) air purifier that, by definition, can remove sub micron particles as small as .3 microns. And even though you may not be able to see the difference, your child's body will feel the difference.

An excellent HEPA air purifier to remove allergens from your child's air is offered by PurerAir.com-- the Baby's Breath Purifier See it now at http://purerair.com/babys_breath.html

10 Common Excuses For Giving A Pet Away - How To Re-Think These Excuses

Many years ago, when I was a teenager, I accompanied my mother to take one of our beautiful cats, along with her litter of kittens, to "the pound." I don't know why we didn't simply have the cat spade; but the image of dropping our pets off at the pound and the knowledge that they were very likely "put down" has haunted me my entire life. Fifty years later, people are still taking their beloved family pet to the local shelter or, worse, dumping their pet somewhere to fend for itself. This abandonment always comes with excuses. Shelter workers hear an unending list of reasons why a family needs to give up their family pet.

It doesn't take too much thought to realize that these excuses are indicative of incorrect thinking. As a society, we have been taught to consider a pet as property to be disposed of when we are finished with it. I once read a statistic that the average length of time people keep pets (cats and dogs) is 19 months. I suspect that with the downturn in the economy, that time period is even shorter. However, if we would consider how we deal with problem situations in terms of our children, we could find similar solutions for our pets. A change in societal attitude could make an amazing difference in the number of homeless animals each year.

10 Common Excuses For Dumping a Pet:

(1) The new apartment doesn't allow pets.

(2) We are too busy to give him the time he needs.

(3) He is too active.

(4) I am getting married.

(5) He has become too aggressive.

(6) We can't afford him.

(7) We don't have room.

(8) He isn't house-broken.

(9) He barks too much.

(10) He has medical issues.

Now, let's associate each excuse with a child rather than a pet.

(1) There are many adult-only apartments. When we have children, we simply skip those apartments and look only at ones that accept children. Yes, there are apartments that do not allow pets; but there are apartments that do. Keep looking.

(2) We would never allow "busy" to force us to give up a child. We make time adjustments for our children and we can do the same for our pet.

(3) Just like we deal with active children, we can deal with active pets. Sometimes pairing an active child with an active pet is a solution for both. Consider, too, that a child will be active for many years. A pet will become old and inactive before our child ever leaves home. Persevere.

(4) Any children we already have when we get married become "step-children." We don't eliminate our children, we incorporate them into our new family. We can do likewise with pets.

(5) Aggressive? Welcome to the world with teenagers! In reality, there are training methods and medications that are very effective with pets. While we might WANT to dump an aggressive teen, we know he/she is our responsibility. The same is true for our pet.

(6) Money can certainly become problematic--especially when the economy drops as it has in the past few years. With our families, we seek out help to get us through the rough times. There are, in fact, organizations whose purpose is to help provide financial help with pets. No one wants a flood of homeless pets. Help is available.

(7) When we don't have room for that next baby, we either get a bigger place to live or we make whatever adjustments to our current home we need to make. Our pets deserve no less.

(8) Babies aren't house-broken either; but we don't dump them. We wait for a little maturity and then we train them.

(9) Barking is a behavior which can be extinguished. It might actually be easier to eliminate severe barking that it is to eliminate the tantrums and screaming of many children.

(10) Medical issues? Do I even need to say that we don't give up a child because of medical issues? We treat medical problems. We do not abandon either a child or a pet.

Yes, I know that pets are not children. However, anyone who is not willing to give a pet a lifetime commitment is not ready for a pet. That is OK! It is better to postpone getting a pet, that to abandon one that has done nothing worse than to give love and devotion.

Anyone who does not believe dogs feel sadness and fear needs to walk through an animal shelter and look into the eyes of the dogs there. The pain and fear they have experienced and the hope they feel as you walk by are evident in their eyes.

Just as I know that dogs are not children, I also understand that sometimes bad things happen. Sometimes, we are given no choice but to find a different home for our family pet. I just adopted a Sheltie that came to me from just such a situation. However, it is important to understand that when faced with such a problem, the solution lies with a No Kill shelter or No Kill rescue group. Abandoning a pet where its life is in danger is never acceptable.

Shirley Slick, "The Slick Tips Lady," is a retired high school math teacher and a life-long animal lover. In addition to her goals about mathematics education, she is equally concerned about puppy-mills, the dog rescue industry, and designer dogs. For more information about these topics, or tips about donating to rescues, visit her website at http://slicktipsaboutdogrescues.com/

10 Common Excuses For Giving A Pet Away - How To Re-Think These Excuses

Many years ago, when I was a teenager, I accompanied my mother to take one of our beautiful cats, along with her litter of kittens, to "the pound." I don't know why we didn't simply have the cat spade; but the image of dropping our pets off at the pound and the knowledge that they were very likely "put down" has haunted me my entire life. Fifty years later, people are still taking their beloved family pet to the local shelter or, worse, dumping their pet somewhere to fend for itself. This abandonment always comes with excuses. Shelter workers hear an unending list of reasons why a family needs to give up their family pet.

It doesn't take too much thought to realize that these excuses are indicative of incorrect thinking. As a society, we have been taught to consider a pet as property to be disposed of when we are finished with it. I once read a statistic that the average length of time people keep pets (cats and dogs) is 19 months. I suspect that with the downturn in the economy, that time period is even shorter. However, if we would consider how we deal with problem situations in terms of our children, we could find similar solutions for our pets. A change in societal attitude could make an amazing difference in the number of homeless animals each year.

10 Common Excuses For Dumping a Pet:

(1) The new apartment doesn't allow pets.

(2) We are too busy to give him the time he needs.

(3) He is too active.

(4) I am getting married.

(5) He has become too aggressive.

(6) We can't afford him.

(7) We don't have room.

(8) He isn't house-broken.

(9) He barks too much.

(10) He has medical issues.

Now, let's associate each excuse with a child rather than a pet.

(1) There are many adult-only apartments. When we have children, we simply skip those apartments and look only at ones that accept children. Yes, there are apartments that do not allow pets; but there are apartments that do. Keep looking.

(2) We would never allow "busy" to force us to give up a child. We make time adjustments for our children and we can do the same for our pet.

(3) Just like we deal with active children, we can deal with active pets. Sometimes pairing an active child with an active pet is a solution for both. Consider, too, that a child will be active for many years. A pet will become old and inactive before our child ever leaves home. Persevere.

(4) Any children we already have when we get married become "step-children." We don't eliminate our children, we incorporate them into our new family. We can do likewise with pets.

(5) Aggressive? Welcome to the world with teenagers! In reality, there are training methods and medications that are very effective with pets. While we might WANT to dump an aggressive teen, we know he/she is our responsibility. The same is true for our pet.

(6) Money can certainly become problematic--especially when the economy drops as it has in the past few years. With our families, we seek out help to get us through the rough times. There are, in fact, organizations whose purpose is to help provide financial help with pets. No one wants a flood of homeless pets. Help is available.

(7) When we don't have room for that next baby, we either get a bigger place to live or we make whatever adjustments to our current home we need to make. Our pets deserve no less.

(8) Babies aren't house-broken either; but we don't dump them. We wait for a little maturity and then we train them.

(9) Barking is a behavior which can be extinguished. It might actually be easier to eliminate severe barking that it is to eliminate the tantrums and screaming of many children.

(10) Medical issues? Do I even need to say that we don't give up a child because of medical issues? We treat medical problems. We do not abandon either a child or a pet.

Yes, I know that pets are not children. However, anyone who is not willing to give a pet a lifetime commitment is not ready for a pet. That is OK! It is better to postpone getting a pet, that to abandon one that has done nothing worse than to give love and devotion.

Anyone who does not believe dogs feel sadness and fear needs to walk through an animal shelter and look into the eyes of the dogs there. The pain and fear they have experienced and the hope they feel as you walk by are evident in their eyes.

Just as I know that dogs are not children, I also understand that sometimes bad things happen. Sometimes, we are given no choice but to find a different home for our family pet. I just adopted a Sheltie that came to me from just such a situation. However, it is important to understand that when faced with such a problem, the solution lies with a No Kill shelter or No Kill rescue group. Abandoning a pet where its life is in danger is never acceptable.

Shirley Slick, "The Slick Tips Lady," is a retired high school math teacher and a life-long animal lover. In addition to her goals about mathematics education, she is equally concerned about puppy-mills, the dog rescue industry, and designer dogs. For more information about these topics, or tips about donating to rescues, visit her website at http://slicktipsaboutdogrescues.com/