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At Home Treatments You Can Use When Your Baby has an Allergy |
 When parents begin to realize their infant is suffering from allergies, there are two levels of shock. The first level is the natural concern and emotional issues that come when you know your baby is suffering and you just want to make it stop. The second level is when you begin to try to determine what is causing your baby's allergy and then to learn what to do about it. It is common to diagnose that the symptoms that your infant is exhibiting are the result of a baby allergy. But it is not always easy to figure out what is causing the problem.
Consultation with the baby's pediatrician is always a good idea. But unlike his or her ability to give you immediate prescriptions for other ailments your baby is going through, the little one's doctor may not know what to do about an infant allergy right away. The process of putting the child through extensive allergy testing is hard decision to make. But while you go through that dialog with the baby's doctors, you need ways to cope with the problem at home right away. Here are a few suggestions.
First of all, before investing time, money and further unpleasantness for your baby in allergy tests, you can do some simple testing at home to find out what is causing the allergy. Many times the allergen can be surfaced with some simple and safe tests you can do at home without the guidance of medical experts. If these can work to pinpoint what is making your baby suffer, it is just a matter of getting that irritant out of the home and away from your baby and you will made a big step toward keeping allergy symptoms from victimizing your infant.
The type of allergy problem the baby is having is a big clue. If the problem is in how the baby digests food, that points to a food allergy. If the child is having an allergy rash, that could still be a food allergy or it might be a contact allergy that is caused by something in the environment such as the baby's clothing, the family pet or even something as simple as the fabric softener you are using to wash her sheets.
Finding out what is causing the allergy is a process of elimination. Start with known allergens. For a food allergy, eliminate milk, eggs, seafood, peanuts and any other known allergens that commonly set off allergic reactions in people. Don't forget to review any allergies mom and dad have or that exist in the family history including allergies the grandparents have. Those allergies may have been passed on to the baby.
To narrow down the search for an allergen to a specific cause, simply eliminate just that one thing from the diet and see if the allergy clears up. If the allergy goes away, then introduce that specific food to the baby's diet in a small quantity to see if it sets off the allergic reaction. If it does, you have your culprit and with it, a course of action to eliminate that allergen from the baby's life. You can use the same system to test for allergic rashes by changing fabric types in baby's clothes, cleaning materials or other aspects of the baby's environment.
There are also some treatments you can keep on hand and ready to turn to if an allergic reaction occurs and you just want to eliminate the suffering of your child. For example, if the allergy problem results in a stuffed up nose or breathing problems, putting some eucalyptus in boiling water and allow that steam to fill the room where your child is can reduce the severity of the allergic reaction significantly. Olbas oil is another substitute for the eucalyptus. The use of humidifiers or vaporizers to put soothing medication into the air of your baby's room are also good short-term ways to reduce the suffering of a baby with allergy problems.
For allergy problems that result in a rash, use a different type of topical treatment than you would apply for diaper rash. Use products that are high in oils in their ingredients list. In fact, if you avoid harsh commercial treatments or creams and use natural topical treatments like olive oil, cocoa butter, aloe or rosewater, those are very effective at reducing the itchiness of the allergy rash and doing so naturally. If you do use a cream that if produced for treating rashes in babies, be sure there are no perfumes or other synthetic ingredients in the treatment.
While many of these treatments are home remedies, they can be effective at giving mom and dad a route to go to keep your baby more comfortable while you do all you can to diagnose the baby's allergy problem and find a permanent solution. And if just one of these home remedies stops the crying and allows baby to rest, smile, play and then rest, its worth trying them as long as the home remedies you use are natural and safe to use on your precious baby.
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