Although there are always exceptions, it is rare in children to have a lot of inhalant allergies. The younger the child the more likely ingestants such as milk are the allergic culprits. As they get older inhalants become more prominent, and severely allergic kids seem more likely to develop reactive airways or asthma. This progression is often termed the “allergic march”. Most would agree that early and aggressive treatment is beneficial in preventing this progression.

You can also reduce the risk of sinus infections for your child by reducing exposure to known allergens and pollutants such as tobacco smoke, reducing his/her time at day care, and treating stomach acid reflux disease.

Parents should know that breast-feeding is generally protective of allergy. When this is not possible efforts should be made to wean/supplement with extensively hydrolyzed hypoallergenic protein hydrolysate. Most importantly, the infant should have at least a six month delay in consuming solid foods; should be between six and 12 months old before consuming cow’s milk and dairy and products; be between 12-24 months old before being offered eggs, and be between 24-28 months of age before peanut, tree nut, and seafood is introduced. If the infant continues to struggle they should probably be tested for other ingestant allergies such as egg and soy.

Based on what we find we can help with avoidance, pharmicotherapy, or immunotherapy (such as allergy drops). See our allergy section.