What Medicine Can You Give a 10 Month Old with Seasonal Allergies?

Updated on October 01, 2010
J.D. asks from Albion, NE
21 answers

It seems like my son has seasonal allergies and I'm not sure what I can do to make him more comfortable. The doctor's office said to give him a 1/4 tsp of children's benadryl. When I went to do that I noticed the container says NOT to give Benadryl to children under 4 at all, and to only give it to children 4-6 under the supervision of a doctor. Since my baby is only 10 months old, it made me hesitate. The age Benadryl can be given under the supervision of a doctor doesn't start until 4 years old. So is it safe to give him Benadryl? Is there a better alternative? Just thought I should add my son is small for his age and only weighs 18 pounds.

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J.S.

answers from Dallas on

Saline Nasal Spray, Bulb Nose Sucker, Cold Mist Humidifer, Elevate the head of his bed (mattress), warm bath, and lots of fluids. This will also work if he gets a cold.

4 moms found this helpful
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M.P.

answers from Chicago on

I wouldn't do meds for a baby. Diet can usually help allergies. Eliminate dairy and wheat and give fish oil and you should see a huge improvement. Meds are the easy fix and yet doesn't really get to the bottom of the problem, it just treats the symptoms.

1 mom found this helpful

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J.O.

answers from Chicago on

Your child is under dr supervision. He told you give a 1/4 teaspoon so it is safe to do so.
J.

3 moms found this helpful
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R.A.

answers from Minneapolis on

Has your son seen an allergist?
I have no concern about giving a small dose of Benadryl to a 10 month old when it's recommended by a physician (my son had an allergic reaction to sesame, that's what I was instructed to do in case he gets another mild reaction). What Im more concerned about is the fact that your son has seasonal allergies at such a young age. Usually, seasonal allergies don't develop until the child is at least 2 or 3, because he needs time to be exposed to the pollens. I was concerned about my son having seasonal allergies and mentionned it to my allergist, and that's what he answered (and it wasn't the first time I heard that)
So, Benadryl might help with the symptoms, but I would suggest looking into what causes them a little more

1 mom found this helpful
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K.H.

answers from Minneapolis on

FOLLOW YOUR DRS.ADVICE...i give my dogs benadryl for allergies-works great-zero side affects...

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H.M.

answers from Omaha on

Your doctor knows better than ANYONE on here. Sure they might be able to tell you what they have done for their child but your child is an individual as is someone elses. If you don't trust your doctor to give you accurate information then go see another to get a second opinion. But never take medical advice from anyone other than a doctor. You could put your child in harms way. All anyone here can do is tell you what they did.

Not to mention if they gave you advice and it killed your child they are liable!

Not to mention all warnings on medicines is to cover their bums so that if your child died you couldn't sue them. Look at infants Tylenol even. It tells you to consult a physician before giving to them if I remember correct.

I also have a 10 month old but he's only 16 pounds and he has allergies. I'm opting not to medicate because again I was told Benadryl was the only option. Well it is even used as a sedative. Look at any Tylenol PM or one of those medicines. The sedative is Benadryl. So we are going the route of nasal aspirator and saline. But this is MY child. Consult your physician.

And never take medical advice off a board. Go to your doctor.

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A.C.

answers from Columbus on

Don't give your baby anything for allergies or colds unless it's prescribed by the pediatrician. Call your dr. and have the baby evaluated before you give anything!

L.S.

answers from Philadelphia on

The meds are fine for now, since he is too young to have honey... but once he can safely have honey, I would find a local place and start him on a honey regimen.

It works wonders... but it has to be local honey... It gives the local pollens in tiny doses until the body finally creates a resistance to them, so the seasonal allergies will diminish eventually...

It could save your little guy from years and years of taking medicine to control allergies!

Talk to your Doc about when it is safe to give him honey first. :-)

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S.K.

answers from Seattle on

My now 23 month old daugther also gets really bad allergies - nights are so hard and she can hardly breathe. Starting at 6 months her pediatrician said we could give her Benadryl but I was so worried about giving such strong medicine to a little baby so I didn't. We tried everything else (humidifier, nose bulb, saline spray) and those helped a little but only for an hour or two. well long story short i made her suffer for almost two years and finally last week it was so bad where she couldn't even breathe and was crying all the time so I did give her 3/4 tsp benadryl. (she is 22 pounds). believe me, I was nervous the whole night. nervous she's have some weird reaction, that she would never wake up, that she'd be permanently damaged. but i have to say it worked wonders. she slept great and wasn't groggy in the morning and didn't even sleep longer than usual. i gave her to her for two nights and then went back to the saline, etc (I didn't want to give her the benadryl for too many nights in a row). i totally understand how you would be nervous. i still am a bit and wouldn't want to use it a lot but on those nights when they just can't breathe and you have tried everything else, it definitely is something to consider. good luck!

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J.J.

answers from Omaha on

Clearly if your doctor told you to give it to your son then that is considered "under the supervision of a doctor".
I have 5 kids and I'm a registered nurse. All of my children have allergies and couple of them have asthma. I've given them all benedryl from time to time when they were babies. It sure beats them getting sinus infection and drainage and ear infections. It helps them sleep better too when they are stuffy.
The reason it has been marked unsafe is because there are some folks out there who don't have commen sense and were using it as a sleep aid and giving to many doses. Occasional benedryl isn't going to hurt your baby at all.

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A.R.

answers from Omaha on

My son is on the generic brand of zyrtec via doctor's orders.

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A.H.

answers from Omaha on

If your doctor's office says it is ok, then you should be fine. My son is almost 3 and has had sinus allergies since 6 months old. He takes 1/2 teaspoon of zyrtec when his allergies kick up. My doctor has also given permission to give triaminic cough syrup when he develops a cough. The dosages are pretty conservative, so as long as you follow your doctor's recommendations, you should be safe to use it. Good luck!

A.

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M.J.

answers from Dubuque on

My daughter is taking 1/2 teaspoon a day of Zyrtec for what is yet to be decided. One day they say allergies, the next day adnoids. Either way they will not help her aside from saying take Zyrtec daily because she is only 21 months old. They basically said deal with it until she is 3 and then they will remove her adnoids.

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R.B.

answers from New York on

If your doctor says its ok then it should be fine. I have given benadryl to my daughter dozens of times. The only thing is it will make him sleepy. I would ask if you can give him childrens claratin.

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E.B.

answers from Duluth on

I've also heard that babies cannot have seasonal allergies because they need to first be exposed to the pollens--so it takes at least a year to get those allergies. I would think Benadryl is safe, especially if confirmed by your doc, but I would be concerned about the allergies--I suppose if it's to something like molds, they were perhaps present when he was a newborn, but that sounds like a lifetime of huge allergy issues, if they're cropping up now; an allergist might have some good suggestions to make him not-so-miserable.

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B.

answers from Augusta on

yep it's safe.
My daughter was prescribed liquid Zyrtec when she was that young.

M.P.

answers from Provo on

I give my son (11 months) 1/4 dose for the lowest dosage that it says on the bottle and it saves our day from the watery eyes and boggers. My son is very large and so he could technically take 30 lbs dosage but I decided to give him less. Go with what your doc says.

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R.K.

answers from Boston on

benadryl your ped gave you the dose of 1/4 tsp based on his weight

J.S.

answers from Minneapolis on

We diffuse 100% natural products in our home. They are completely safe for newborns to adult when used in a sensible manner. Let me know if you'd like more options.

We quit using Benadryl around here. It masks causes, makes kids drowsy, and is basically a drug that is something we do not want to use on an intermittent or regular basis. We found an even more effective, completely safe approach, and the added benefits are amazing!

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D.W.

answers from Indianapolis on

Yes, Benadryl is safe for a child that age - just follow the recommended dosage from your pediatrician/pharmacist, and you'll be fine. We had to give it to our son when he was 6 months old. Until they're around 4-6 years, always confirm the dosage......even with things like Flintstone vitamins. Our pediatrician still has our kids (2 and 4) on 1/2 vitamin/day.

As for what you can use, you really need to talk to your pediatrician and never randomly get something over the counter. Many of the pharmaceutical companies have done extensive clinical studies to have FDA approval at different ages. Not all have done them, so depending on what their allergy symptoms are, there will be different medications and recommendations.

Good luck - I'd feel very comfortable with your physician's dosing recommendation.

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K.P.

answers from New York on

My son has terrible seasonal allergies and our doctor has pretty much said that there is little you can do about it. We make sure that his room is super clean to reduce the other allergens and keep the humidifier running when he's congested- lots of steam baths to break-up the congestion and frequently change his sheets- pollen gets locked in the fabric.

If you doctor says it's okay, then it probably is. Mine is ultra conservative and doesn't do OTC for children under 2 unless there is a fever involved!

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