Having allergic rhinitis, known as hay fever, is no fun. It is especially sad when you see your child or children suffering from its effects. Here are some ways you can help protect your child so they have a chance of enjoying their days during hay fever season instead of feeling miserable from hay fever.

Use an Air Filter at Home

Even if your child’s outdoor environment cannot be controlled, you can make things easier for him (her) at home. By using a high-quality air filter, you can remove many allergy triggers from your home. This will help your child to feel better while there, and give them a higher quality of sleep at night.

Use Proper Supplements

If your child suffers from hay fever, you may wish to consider purchasing probiotic supplements for him, since so much of our immune system is linked with our digestion. Vitamin C reduces inflammation and therefore symptoms of hay fever. Omega-3 fatty acids are another must-have for children who are dealing with hay fever, as this supplement also has anti-inflammatory effects.

Prioritize Healthy Living Habits

There are many things you can do to modify your living habits which will create an environment that helps fight hay fever. Stress causes hay fever symptoms to flare up, so staying de-stressed is important arsenal in the fight against hay fever.

Talk to your child and find out what is on his mind. Make sure he sticks to a general schedule so that he can get enough sleep. Include plenty of daily exercise, while avoiding the allergens that bother him the most.

Ensure that your child has enough free time, and is not being burdened with too busy of a schedule. Encourage him to drink plenty of water as well.

Clean Up the Diet

Diet plays a huge role in the fight against hay fever. You may want to temporarily consider cutting out foods that cause inflammation and aggravate hay fever. These inflammatory foods include refined sugar, refined grains, dairy, bad fats and processed foods in general.

Sugar in particular is an enemy to those who deal with hay fever, as it is highly inflammatory and impairs the immune system when it is eaten. Focus on providing your child with an array of foods that will feed the body and mind, and that will keep inflammation in check.

Vitamin C is found in abundance in a wide variety of fruits and vegetables, and fights inflammation well as mentioned above. Citrus fruits and bell peppers are some of the best ways to get a good dose of vitamin C. Incorporate foods that contain the bioflavonoid quercetin, which reduces the release of histamine in a person’s body. Quercetin can be found in onions, apples, peppers, tomatoes and berries.

Also, be sure to target any foods that your child is intolerant to, as the body has a more difficult time dealing with hay fever when it is already trying to deal with foods that are difficult for it to handle.

There are many ways to help your child deal with hay fever. The ways listed above require no medication and have been shown to be helpful in preventing hay fever from worsening, at times eliminating it altogether. Doing your best as a parent to clear up your child’s hay fever symptoms is essential to help him live a healthy and enjoyable life through all the seasons.