by Danielle Friedl

Created on: July 09, 2008

The sad truth is there are many babies out there today that actually DO require allergy medications within months of their birth. There is a dramatic rise in the incidence of allergies from lethal to just plain irritating when compared to days gone by. The jury seems to still be out as to why this rise has occurred but until we know and can prevent them we should use the medications we have to keep our babies healthy.

Unfortunately allergies are very real and a lot more than just bothersome to some infants. It has only been in the last couple of decades that allergies have even been acknowledged, studied and treated. When our parents were young they simply had a 'spring cold' every April and a 'fall cold' when the leaves began to hit the ground in September. While some would argue that the introduction of allergy medications actually causes stronger allergies to other things, they overlook the children who have truly fatal allergic reactions. I don't think these parents would think twice about giving their 6 month old prescribed allergy medicine if it was warranted.

It seems a bit odd to be giving a small infant daily medications for an allergy, however this is no different than a child who was born with medical problems and is being treated with medicines. An allergy can be just as dangerous as any other medical condition if left untreated. Some would argue that introducing daily medications at such a young age would cause damage to internal organs and perhaps give them a lesser quality of life. Those same people may be surprised to hear about the young infant who can scarcely breathe at night despite being rocked in an upright position for hours on end. What kind of quality of life is this?

In addition to aiding a baby in living more peacefully, allergy medications can stave off infection. It's no big secret that allergies that get out of hand and are not treated can turn into a sinus infection or worse. With tiny immune systems that are probably already suppressed from constantly fighting off histamines, the baby is open to all manner of infection. The so-called damage that is being done to internal organs because of daily allergy medication seems small in comparison to multiple trips to the pediatrician for antibiotics for never-ending sinus, ear and lung infections. And as every parent should know a small baby with an infection and a high fever is far more dangerous and life-threatening than taking allergy medications to prevent these infections from ever happening.

We all want to be great parents and do what's best for our child. There is so much being studied and learned every day for the betterment of our lives. In the case of the possible harm an allergy medicine could do in the long run to a baby it's another matter of the benefits outweighing the risks. And in the rough and tumble world of parenthood - we've always got our eye on the risks and how to avoid them.

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