If your toddler is sniffling, sneezing, coughing, or has watery eyes, it's hard to tell whether he has seasonal allergies or just a common cold. However, there are several specific telltale signs that you'll only find if allergies are the culprit. If you notice one or more of them, you can ask his doctor for further diagnosis.
Perpetual Cold
Colds usually only last for about a week to 10 days, while allergies continue for the length of the season. So if it seems like your toddler always has a cold, it's more likely to be allergies. The symptoms appear similar, including a nose that's often running or stuffy, a lot of sneezing, an itchy nose or throat, and a dry cough. This is known as "allergic rhinitis," and according to KidsHealth, part of the non-profit Nemours Foundation, it occurs in 15 to 20 percent of Americans. If your child has nasal congestion, she'll probably also breathe through her mouth, or find it difficult to catch her breath.
Allergic Salute
What doctors call "the allergic salute" is a child's tendency to wiggle, wipe or push his nose up almost constantly, in an effort to stop post-nasal drip and relieve discomfort and itch.
Clear Mucous
If your toddler has allergies, the mucous that drains from his nose will be clear and thin. If he has a cold, however, the mucous is more likely to be thick, and yellow or green in color.
Itchy Eyes, Skin or Shiners
Allergies may cause your child to have itchy, red, watery eyes, which is called "allergic conjunctivitis." It can also make the skin under her eyes look dark, blue or purple, which is commonly known as "allergic shiners." If she has irritated skin, or breaks out in a red, itchy rash, that could also be a sign of an allergy.
Infection Prone
Children who have nasal allergies are also more prone to getting ear infections, sinus infections, or asthma. If you find your child wheezing or fighting to catch his breath, the allergy may have progressed to asthma; his doctor should be consulted as soon as possible to make the diagnosis and recommend treatment.
Age
Everybody who's allergic has an allergen threshold that needs to be met before the reaction surfaces, and the body launches its defense. Toddlers of any age can become allergic to something like pet dander or dust mites, especially if it runs in the family, but it may take several months before symptoms show up. Seasonal allergies take even longer, because exposure to each type of pollen only happens for a few weeks out of every year. So if your toddler is allergic to grass or pollen, you probably won't know it until he's 3 or 4 years old.
