Can kids outgrow seasonal allergies?

[Anonymous]

Curious as to whether anyone knows whether kids who develop seasonal allergies very early in life (ages 3 or 4) can outgrow them as they get older.

Does anyone know?

[Anonymous]

Our allergist has told us that it is possible. On the other hand, you may also develop allergies later in life, which is a bummer. It's apparently always in flux.

We started allergy drops last year in January which were a life saver for my daughter. She had a much better allergy season while on the SLIT drops than in previous years. you can ask your allergists if they provide them.

My DD is 8 for reference.

[Anonymous]

Yes, they can outgrow them. They can also grow into them at any time, as children, teens, or adults.

[Anonymous]

Probably not completely

[Anonymous]

Two in our family did the allergy shots- a PITA, but it worked

[Anonymous]

I had terrible seasonal allergies (plus dust, mold, and cats) starting in early elementary school. I had twice weekly allergy shots from age 10 to 25. I stopped taking them when I moved overseas. Allergies continued and I would just live on claritin and flonase for 4 months out of the year. And then for no clear reason at the age of 39, most of my allergies just disappeared. I am 43 now, still no allergies. Even cats don't bother me. Immune systems are wild.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I had terrible seasonal allergies (plus dust, mold, and cats) starting in early elementary school. I had twice weekly allergy shots from age 10 to 25. I stopped taking them when I moved overseas. Allergies continued and I would just live on claritin and flonase for 4 months out of the year. And then for no clear reason at the age of 39, most of my allergies just disappeared. I am 43 now, still no allergies. Even cats don't bother me. Immune systems are wild.

odd that this coincided with Covid.

[Anonymous]

I had terrible allergies as a kid. I did allergy shots in the 80’s and 90’s that did not help. Better antihistamines came out in 1989 and beyond which helped, but my allergies got much better in my 20’s. Then they almost went away completely following two pregnancies in my 30’s. Now I sneeze sometimes, but I don’t get knocked by allergy season congestion that used to transition into sinus infections. I’m also no longer allergic to mosquito bites — also very helpful - no more softball sized welts. The immune system can change.

[Anonymous]

It seems my tween is suffering less than in years prior...

[Anonymous]

I definitely didn't but my mother did.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Curious as to whether anyone knows whether kids who develop seasonal allergies very early in life (ages 3 or 4) can outgrow them as they get older.

Does anyone know?

My kid was diagnosed with asthma as an infant, and seasonal allergies a few years later. We were told that both would likely get either better or worse at puberty. In our case, the answer was worse, although allergy shots are now helping.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Our allergist has told us that it is possible. On the other hand, you may also develop allergies later in life, which is a bummer. It's apparently always in flux.

We started allergy drops last year in January which were a life saver for my daughter. She had a much better allergy season while on the SLIT drops than in previous years. you can ask your allergists if they provide them.

My DD is 8 for reference.

Are there any downsides to these drops?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Our allergist has told us that it is possible. On the other hand, you may also develop allergies later in life, which is a bummer. It's apparently always in flux.

We started allergy drops last year in January which were a life saver for my daughter. She had a much better allergy season while on the SLIT drops than in previous years. you can ask your allergists if they provide them.

My DD is 8 for reference.

Are there any downsides to these drops?

Not PP, but a huge downside for us would have been cost compared to allergy shots because many (most?) insurances don't cover the because they aren't FDA approved.

[Anonymous]

Not for me, although as a 40-something I've noticed that the worst years for me were adolescence and young adulthood. Brutal. My young adult teen has had bad allergies every year since his early teens, I hope it will progressively get better for him as he ages. My second kid is a young teen and so far has reacted slightly less severely, so I suppose it varies in families.

You can mitigate a lot by tweaking your lifestyle, OP. My kids are allergic to pollen, dust mites and cats (they also have food allergies). We're a shoes off household, and they don't lie on their beds in their street clothes. They brush their hair carefully (can't wash hair every night). Year-round, their mattresses and pillows are encased in special anti-dust-mite covers. We have hardwood throughout and have gotten rid of all our carpets, haven of dust mites, pollen and dirt in general. We wear cozy shearling slippers inside the house when it's cold. The stuffed animals stay in the bedrooms and don't come downstairs. I vacuum often. We cannot open the windows in the spring, unless there's an intense downpour that clears the air of pollen. I bought an air filter instead, and older DS got the same for his dorm room, which he keeps very clean as well. DS also has severe ragweed allergies in the fall that trigger asthma attacks, so he has to be careful with that.

We still have to get the allergy shots for DS. Apparently the allergies can come back after a while, but it might be worth it.

[Anonymous]

Just do the shots. I had reactions to more than 1/3 of the 60 allergens from the skin prick test and after 4 years of shots my reaction to the constant barrage of pollen grass and mold in this region has dampened considerably. My kids have begun the shots as they reacted to 1 of the 2 dust mites most commonly found and part of the skin prick test. And with this warmer weather the outdoor allergens seem to be here most the year so there’s very little respite from them.