Non-food allergies in babies, children and teenagers

Many children are allergic to ordinary things in our homes and environment, like dust mites, grass, weed or tree pollens, insects and pets. Some children have less common allergies to things like medicines, latex (rubber products) or chemicals.

If you think your child might have allergies, talk to your GP. Your GP might order an initial blood test and refer you to an allergy and immunology specialist or paediatrician for allergy tests.

Children might have reactions to some food additives and chemicals used to make products like carpet glue, dyes and solvents. These aren’t allergies, and they usually don’t result in severe reactions.

Mild or moderate allergic reaction symptoms

Symptoms of a mild or moderate allergic reaction usually include one or more of the following:

rash, hives or welts
swelling of the face, eyes or lips
tingling or itchy mouth
eczema, hay fever or asthma – these symptoms might be worse than usual
stomach pain, vomiting or diarrhoea.

If you think your child is having a mild to moderate allergic reaction, you can give your child a dose of non-drowsy antihistamine. Your pharmacist or GP can advise you on the most appropriate brand for your child.

Mild to moderate allergic reactions are much more common than severe allergic reactions. Also, deaths from severe allergic reactions are rare. They tend to happen because of a delay in giving life-saving medicine to the person having the reaction.

Severe allergic reaction or anaphylaxis symptoms

A severe allergic reaction is called anaphylaxis. Symptoms might include one or more of the following:

difficulty or noisy breathing
tongue swelling
throat swelling or tightness
difficulty talking or a hoarse voice
a wheeze or persistent cough
persistent dizziness or fainting
paleness and floppiness (in young children)

After insect stings or bites, anaphylaxis symptoms might also include severe stomach pain or vomiting.

Anaphylaxis is a life-threatening allergic reaction and needs urgent medical attention. If your child is having an anaphylactic reaction, first lay your child flat or keep them sitting. Don’t let your child stand or walk around. Next use an adrenaline injector like EpiPen or Anapen if one is available. Then call an ambulance – phone 000.

Chemical allergies

Chemicals in common items like metal jewellery, clothing dye, adhesive dressings and glues can cause allergic reactions of the skin. This is called contact dermatitis. Your child might also react to creams, ointments or sunscreen.

These reactions usually aren’t life-threatening.

If your family has a history of sensitive skin, you could try using hypoallergenic products on your child’s skin. It’s a good idea to try products on a small area of skin first.

Keep your house as ‘smell free’ as possible by minimising the use of perfumed cleaning products or air fresheners. These can irritate your child’s skin and nose.

Dust mite allergy

Dust mites live in almost every Australian home. They live in warm, dark places like mattresses, pillows, soft toys, soft furnishings and carpet.

The usual symptoms of dust mite allergy include runny nose, sneezing, itching, puffy and/or watery eyes, eczema and asthma. Also, if your child’s nose gets blocked, they might snore.

Dust mite allergies aren’t seasonal – they happen throughout the year.

Prevention

It’s best to focus on reducing the dust mites in your child’s bed and bedroom. Here’s how:

Wash sheets and pillowcases every week in water at least 60°C.
Cover your child’s mattress and pillow with a dust mite cover, which will keep dust mites away from your child when they’re sleeping.
Wash blankets, doonas and dust mite covers every 2 months in hot water.
Remove sheepskin and woollen underlays from the bed.
Remove all soft toys from the bed and bedroom. Or wash them weekly in eucalyptus oil or put them in a freezer for 24 hours.

And here are ways to reduce dust mites in other areas of your home:

Remove clutter and keep your home as clean as possible.
Keep curtains open in bedrooms to let natural light in where possible.
Vacuum carpets weekly using a good vacuum cleaner with a HEPA filter.
Keep humidity levels low by using kitchen and bathroom exhaust fans. Keep windows open.
Try not to have high pile rugs in your home.
Try not to cover furniture with cloth. For example, avoid draping rugs and throws over a couch.

Grass, weed and tree pollen allergies

Allergies to pollens from grasses, weeds and trees are common. These allergies usually cause hay fever symptoms, which sometimes include runny, itchy eyes and nose, sneezing and a blocked nose.

These allergies tend to be worse in the spring and summer months, when grasses, trees and other plants are flowering.

Some children can develop skin rashes after touching grass, or their eczema might get worse. This is usually because their skin is irritated by contact with the grass. It’s probably not an allergic reaction.

Prevention

It’s best to reduce your child’s exposure to pollens from grasses, weeds and trees. Here’s how:

Monitor the pollen forecast for days with high pollen counts.
Stay inside on days with high pollen counts and windy days. Also stay inside when there are thunderstorms.
Keep windows and doors shut on days with high pollen counts and windy days.
Avoid activities that expose your child to pollens – for example, mowing grass.
Get your child to have a bath or shower after playing outside, especially if your child feels itchy.

Insect allergies

Insect stings and bites are common, especially if your child spends a lot of time outdoors.

Reactions to insect stings and bites

The symptoms of a reaction to an insect sting or bite are usually a:

sharp, temporary stinging pain where your child has been bitten or stung
white mark surrounded by a small, inflamed area.

The inflamed area might look pink or red on light skin or purple, dark brown or grey on dark skin.

The pain usually disappears within a few hours.

Children might get swelling, welts or hives after insect bites. Swelling can sometimes increase for a couple of days.

A very small number of children have anaphylaxis after insect stings or bites.

Treatment for most insect stings and bites

Remove the insect carefully while wearing gloves. If there’s a sting, scrape it off carefully. Avoid grabbing or squeezing the sting, because this will inject extra venom into the sting site.
Wash the sting or bite site with water.
Put a cold pack on the sting or bite site to reduce swelling.
Give your child a dose of antihistamine if the area is very itchy.
Give your child paracetamol or ibuprofen in recommended doses to ease pain and swelling.

If your child is vomiting after an insect sting or bite or they have other symptoms of anaphylaxis, lay your child flat, give them an adrenaline injector if available, and call an ambulance – phone 000.

Prevention

Encourage your child to wear shoes, and light-coloured, long shirts and pants when they’re outside and there are more insects around. They should also wear gloves if they’re gardening.
Avoid putting perfumed products on your child when they’re going outside.
Avoid areas where insects are very active – for example, near beehives or around swimming pools.
Be careful when drinking from open soft drink cans if you’re outside. Wasps or bees could crawl inside.
Consider hiring a professional to remove insect nests around your home.

If your child is at risk of anaphylaxis from insect stings, your allergy and immunology specialist might talk with you about allergen immunotherapy. This treatment typically takes 3-5 years but usually works well to reduce risk of anaphylaxis.

Latex allergy

A latex allergy could be the problem if your child develops skin discolouration and a rash or swelling after contact with a product that contains latex. These products include balloons, rubber gloves, baby bottle teats or dummies.

If your child has a latex allergy, you need to tell medical, dental and other health professionals who see your child. They must avoid using latex products around your child.

Some people have an anaphylactic reaction to latex. If your child experiences any of the signs and symptoms of anaphylaxis, lay your child flat, give them an adrenaline injector (if available) and call an ambulance – phone 000.

Medicine allergies

Your child might develop a rash or swelling when taking prescription medicines like antibiotics. This might be because they have an allergy to the medicine. Sometimes rashes and swelling might be caused by an underlying infection rather than an allergy.

If your child has diarrhoea or vomiting many hours or days after taking medicine, it’s probably not an allergic reaction. It’s more likely to be an illness or a side effect of the medicine.

Local reactions to vaccinations at the site where the vaccine is injected are common and usually include pain, skin discolouration and swelling. Your child might also get a mild fever. True allergic reactions to vaccines aren’t common.

If your child has a reaction to a medicine, it’s best to talk with your GP.

Pet allergies

Children can become allergic to the hair, dander and saliva of cats, dogs, horses, rabbits and other animals.

Allergies to animals usually cause symptoms like itchy skin, hives, an itchy, runny nose and itchy eyes. They can also make your child’s hay fever, asthma or eczema worse.

Prevention

If your family pet is the problem, the best way for your child to avoid contact is to keep the animal outside. Don’t let the animal sleep on your child’s bed or in your child’s bedroom.

If your child has reactions to other people’s pets, you could give your child a dose of antihistamine 30-60 minutes before the visit to the pets’ homes. Your child should also avoid touching the animal that they react to. This might be enough to keep symptoms under control.

If your child changes their clothes and has a shower as soon as they get home, this might also stop the allergen from continuing to cause symptoms.