It’s the time of year for seasonal allergies. It’s also still, unfortunately, the time of year for “colds.” Although it may be intuitive for many parents to decipher the causes of symptoms in their child during the month of May, some of us have a hard time determining what’s causing our children to wipe their nose! In general, it’s time unfolding that helps us know if our children are beginning to suffer from allergies as opposed to another cold. If steady,unwavering symptoms of runny nose, coughing, sneezing, and/or  itchy eyes persist longer than a week this time of year, allergies to pollens are likely be blame –with one caveat– if your child is a toddler seasonal allergies are far less likely.

Read the full post on SeattleMamaDoc.com. Dr. Swanson’s article originally appeared in Is It Allergies Or Is It “A Cold?”

 

Wendy Sue L. Swanson, MD, MBE

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Wendy Sue Swanson, M.D.

KnowYourOTCs.org Blogger Ambassador and Medical Adviser

Wendy Sue Swanson, MD, MBE, FAAP, is a pediatrician, mother to two young boys, and the author of the Seattle Children’s Hospital Seattle Mama Doc Blog, the first pediatrician-authored blog for a major children's hospital. She is regularly quoted as an expert for The New York Times, USA Today, and the TODAY show. She works diligently to offer parents relevant, practical, and timely health information, and she believes that a growing community of online physicians can empower parents and patients to make informed decisions based on science. Her book, Mama Doc Medicine, was recognized as a Gold Award Recipient by the Mom’s Choice Awards. Dr. Swanson is also the founder and executive director of Digital Health at Seattle Children’s. She is an executive committee member of the American Academy of Pediatrics Council on Communications and Media and is on the boards of both Parents magazine and the Mayo Clinic Center for Social Media. A practicing pediatrician with The Everett Clinic, Dr. Swanson is also an advocate on the topic of vaccines and was named a CDC Childhood Immunization Champion in 2012. She was named to TIME Magazine's Best Twitter Feeds of 2013. She can be found on Twitter (@SeattleMamaDoc) and Facebook.