The smells of autumn leaves, smoke coming from the fire, and pumpkin spice are delights for many. But for some children, these can trigger seasonal allergies. At the same time, the colder weather also brings in viruses like the common cold.
Rainilda Valencia, MD, Deepika Saini, MD, FAAP, and our pediatric team at Valencia Pediatrics in Victorville, California, can help you determine if your child has seasonal fall allergies or a cold. Keep reading to discover which is more likely.
Just like springtime, autumn brings a change of seasons. The cooling weather makes some allergens more common outside, while indoor allergies get triggered by spending more time indoors.
Outdoors, ragweed pollen in plants that bloom in early fall is the most common cause. Some children also have reactions to mold that thrives in damp, wet, cooling weather.
As everyone moves indoors, gets closer together, and turns on the heat for the first time, allergies, such as dust and animal dander, can suddenly arise again. Your child can also be exposed to new irritants at their school.
Common fall allergy symptoms include:
Some children may also wheeze or have difficulty breathing through a blocked nose.
At the same time fall allergies start, the common cold also becomes more prevalent. Colder air and people being in closer quarters indoors make it easier for viruses like colds to circulate.
Symptoms of the common cold overlap with fall allergies. They include:
Sometimes, but not always, children with colds have a low-grade fever.
It’s not always easy to tell the difference between allergies and a minor virus like the common cold. Sometimes you can tell what’s making your child feel unwell by considering a few things, such as:
Many signs of allergies and colds are the same, but not all overlap. Children with colds may have a fever, an aching body, and nasal discharge that looks thick and colored. These aren’t common seasonal allergy symptoms.
Children who have seasonal allergies tend to develop itchy, watery eyes, and their nasal discharge is thin and colorless. Children with colds are unlikely to have these symptoms.
Colds are shorter in duration than seasonal allergies, with each illness lasting around 1-2 weeks. Allergies can last all season when the trigger is constantly present, like pollen, or they may come on abruptly when your child is exposed to a specific allergen.
If your child has a history of experiencing symptoms that last throughout the fall, there’s a good chance they have seasonal allergies that occur every year. More erratic minor illnesses that last for shorter durations are most often colds.
If you’re unsure if your child has fall allergies or a cold, our team can help. When we suspect allergies, we recommend that your child come in for allergy testing, a safe and effective way to determine what allergens are bothering your child.
Whether your child has a cold or allergies, symptom relief can help them get through their day more comfortably. Children with colds benefit from lots of fluids, rest, and pain relief medication like acetaminophen (Tylenol®). Call us for advice if they’re not recovering after two weeks.
Allergy medication and changing your home environment can help your child with fall allergies. Consider staying inside and closing windows on days with high pollen or mold counts and keeping your home and other environments your child is regularly exposed to clean and allergy-free.
Our team can help understand what’s causing your child’s discomfort and develop an effective treatment plan. Contact us to take the first step in helping your child feel better.
