'I never wanted her to feel the way I did.' 17 parents told us how they manage their kids’ allergies.

I remember when I was 8 months pregnant with my daughter, Nia, and had mustered up the courage and energy for a road trip with my hubby. After an hour in the car, we headed to Geelong for a nice day out together before the baby came. As soon as I got out of the car, I was hit by what felt like the biggest gust of wind.

To this day, I can still feel the force. 

Within mere moments, my eyes became puffy, my ears began to itch, tears were streaming down my face, I started sneezing, and then my face just became so itchy. I had absolutely no idea what had happened to me; I was a mess.

I was 30 years old and had never experienced such a thing. When Nia was born, and being the young, wild, and free (and oblivious to allergies) parents that we were, we had no idea what we were about to experience. Nia was just like me – when she was 1.5 years old, I saw the first hay fever symptoms, and I was transported back to that one time. I never wanted her to feel the way I did.

So helpless and so desperate for relief. Hubby and I did some heavy late-night googling into seasonal allergies and discovered quite a lot, including a few child-friendly relief options at the good ol' Chemist Warehouse. 

For when kids’ allergies strike, Zyrtec is a fast-acting allergy relief and a useful management option that helps parents to get ahead of seasonal hay fever allergies caused by pollen and all year around allergens like dust, pet dander and mould.

Image: Supplied. 

The range is fast-acting, offering 12-hour relief from hay fever and allergy symptoms, which helps kids get back to being themselves again. So you can say goodbye to runny and itchy noses, sneezing, watery eyes, and those pesky skin rashes.

There’s a wide range including Chewables for kids aged six plus and Liquids for those aged one and above. Both products are sucrose, gluten, and dye-free, and are available in grape and new bubblegum flavoured liquid, which is a great incentive for fussy little ones.

I put out a few posts on my socials and asked a few of my parent friends and followers what they do to manage their kids’ allergies, here’s what they said...

Seasonal allergy tips

"My wife and I make sure we check the pollen count before going outdoors. We both have a pollen app on our phones and makes pollen count checking a breeze (pun intended!)." – Leo

"Our kids are still little and often their hands end up in their mouths, eyes, and noses! We often go straight to the bathroom to wash hands and faces after we’ve had a play outside. We have a song we sing, and we make it a fun thing to do together instead of a forced task." – Vick

"We avoid taking the family outdoors on windy days – especially mid mornings as the pollen count is usually highest then." – Kate

"We have five kids, and all five of them including my wife and I are seasonal allergy sufferers. I read somewhere many years ago that this stuff was genetic! We have a gardener we pay who comes and maintains our lawns, removes all the leaves, etc and they usually come when we are not home." – Chris

"In the car, we keep the windows closed and switch the aircon to the recirculate setting." – Amelia

"I’ve taught my daughter just like us humans, her most loved soft toys that spend a lot of time outdoors with her, and being dragged around all types of floors, also enjoy having a shower. It used to break her heart when we put them in the washing machine, now that she’s a little older, she understands much better and puts them in the washing machine herself and tells us it’s their time for a bath! We do this periodically every few weeks." – Melanie

"We bathe our pets when they go outdoors with us and also have a strict rule that they are not allowed in the bedrooms upstairs." – Pietro

Image: Supplied. 

Year round allergy tips

"We have an air purifier at home to help eliminate dust and other allergens in the house." – Marlyn

"We switched to anti-allergen pillows, and mattress protectors. The ones we have are also waterproof, so it's a win-win." – Sean 

"We switched to low toxic products at home and no artificial fragrances, including my perfume. We also stopped parking in underground car parks because of the fumes." – Mel

"My wife really wanted a robot vacuum, and we finally got one, and it’s made a huge impact! We only now vacuum (turn on our Betty) at night once the kids are asleep. It’s quiet and collects an unbelievable amount of dust." – Neil 

"I wash all our bed linen weekly. I also use a dryer instead of air drying or hanging outdoors." – Sandreen

"We limit the number of soft toys in the kids’ bedrooms." – Christina

"We put all our sons’ soft toys in the dryer every week for about 15 minutes to kill the bad stuff with the high heat. Especially if he has them in his bed." – Allan

"My husband used to surprise me with flowers when it was just us two, after our first baby, he had to stop as it used to make him so unwell. It wasn’t until we realised that he was reacting to the flowers that we put two and two together. He now surprises me with ice cream." – Lisa

Image: Supplied. 

"We’ve stopped using and buying mainstream washing detergents and powders and now make our own home-made laundry detergent. This has also been an environmental choice, and much cheaper too!" – Aida

"It’s been six years since I used any products in our home or on my body that have fragrance. The kids’ eyes used to puff up the moment they smelt any type of spray in the house. Such sensitive souls." – Julia

For fast-acting relief from hay fever and allergy symptoms check out Zyrtec Kids at your local pharmacy. Available in a wide range including grape-flavoured Chewables, grape-flavoured Liquid, and a new, kid-friendly bubblegum flavour. 

Zyrtec Kids Liquid is suitable for children aged 1 and older, and Zyrtec Kids Chewables are suitable for children aged 6 and older. Always read the label and follow the directions for use.

Feature Image: Supplied/Mamamia.