Seasonal allergies in toddler

[Chinese Pistache]

My poor allergic baby: As if her food allergies weren't bad enough. It seems that she's got some environmental allergies, too. We've been inside all week because the kids have been sick. Well, yesterday, we spent sometime outside for the first time and now, her nose has been running non-stop (clear) and her eyes are watering. She's so miserable and she's having a hard time nursing due to her congestion. The only other time this has happened was when we went out of town to visit grandma in a humid climate (we live in a dry one).

I hate the thought of medication, but dd is so miserable. She is worn out and just having an awful time. What are my options? What is the most safe? What should I avoid? Dd is almost 17 mths, btw.

[Caden's Mom]

DS's allergist prescribed him Claritin for his eczema, which it does seem to help and its a 24hr one so there is no need for multi doses. I rarely give it to him though since I think it makes him hyper. I wish I had a natural solution, but I'm pretty new at the natural cure game.

[thepeach80]

Evan was on zyrtec and Singulair. He was on 2 meds b/c 1 wasn't strong enough. He was 16mos when he started. AJ however was fine on just claritin. Evan is starting up again though so I'm not sure what it is now since it's snowing here now.

[cat19]

For my older son, we do daily Zyrtec when his seasonal allergies are at their worst (pollen season mostly) and a nasal spray (Rhinocort) almost year round. It's not my ideal to do daily meds, but it seemed worse to me for him to suffer perpetual sinus problems including misery and recurring sinus infections. And I worried that the constant aggravation to his respitory system, untreated, might leave him more at risk for developing asthma.

[cat19]

Also--we tried Claritin but on my son it definitely seemed to make him manic. For us, it wasn't worth the cheaper med, though Zyrtec is way more expensive.