Keeping the Christmas Tree Allergens in Check

There are holiday gifts and holiday cards but have you ever heard of the holiday allergy? 

Yes, it’s kind of a ‘grinchly’ thing to say but when the Christmas tree is set up in the home a segment of the population seems to experience a rise in allergic symptoms like itchy watery eyes, coughing, and the sniffles.

It’s hard to tell exactly what the source of the problem is but when it comes to both real and artificial trees the two most probable culprits are mold and dust.

For real trees mold is simply a part of nature and it’s very unlikely that during the time they are cut, stored and purchased that mold will just go away. Even if the mold level is low on the day a tree enters a home it could grow dramatically throughout the following few weeks.

Combine mold growth with the fact the tree is sitting in the center of an enclosed home and you have what could be a nightmare for people with allergic sensitivities.

When an artificial tree is being used allergies could be from mold but the deciding factor is usually dust related and directly connected to where the tree came from and how it was stored.

As we all know dust allergies are extremely common and no matter how well a home is kept once a tree that’s been sitting in the basement or attic for the last eleven months gets brought upstairs its prime material for an allergy attack.

Le Top "Santa's Helper" Collection Dress

That said, the best way to try and preempt issues from mold and dust on both real and artificial trees is before bringing them into the house hose them down well outside and let them dry in the sun. It may not remove mold permanently but will significantly reduce spores and wash away dust.

Le Top "Elves" Collection

That way when the family and friends are gathered for pictures and the kids are dressed up in Le Top’s elves or Santa’s little helper outfits playing around the tree everyone will breathe easier enjoying the time together.  

Finally, if you are worried about pollen check with the seller as to the variety of trees available since most blossom other times of the year and shouldn’t cause concern. Aside from pollen additional rare allergies that arise around Christmas from the tree are connected to sap and to pine itself.

Jakob Barry writes for Networx.com. He covers various home improvement topics including house remodeling and custom woodworking.

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A-choo! What is it that comes out of your mouth when you sneeze???

With spring coming soon that means allergies and lots of sneezing (well, for me at least). I was wondering…how fast and what is it that comes out of your mouth and nose with you sneeze? According to KidsHealth.org, it is 100 mph! I thought this could be a fun fact to tell your kids.

What is a sneeze?
A sneeze is your body’s way of getting something irritating out of your nose.  Your nose feels a tickle and the sneeze center in your brain responds by coordinating muscles in your belly, chest, and diaphragm to ah-ah-ah-choo! Mucus containing the foreign particles or irratants is expelled and cleanes the nasal cavity. Oh, and don’t forget the eyelid muscles! Did you know that you always close your eyes when you sneeze?

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The Itchy & Scratchy Survival Guide

Like clockwork, it’s “that” time of year again – allergy season.  Let’s see…chronic runny nose, hacking cough, itchy and watery eyes, and scratchy throat – check, check and CHECK.  I was endowed with the hand-me-down symptom from my parents – hay fever.  Seasonal allergies growing up were never fun, but fortunately I learned some useful tricks and tips to help ward off pollen, and keep my sneezing, itchy/watery eyes, and overall allergy misery to a minimum.

Many researchers don’t fully know why some people are highly allergic and others are symptom-free (a.k.a. scot-free!), or why some things set-off allergies while others don’t. I have learned over the years that common nasal type allergies can occur in spring and carry on through fall (when ragweed pollinates).

I am no doc, but for a kid growing up with seasonal allergies, experts (and I) offer these tips to breathe a sigh of relief: 

1. Check the pollen count.  Let’s get real, pollen is everywhere and practically invisible; it comes from grasses, trees, weeds and flowers.  Usually your local TV and radio news stations will announce the amount of pollen in the air or just hop on the computer and go to www.pollen.com to find out pollen levels.
2. Plan your outdoor time wisely.  It is unpractical to try and keep your child indoors, but try to have he or she avoid days outside when it is windy and a high pollen count.  In the springtime, pollen counts are usually the highest in the early morning.  If you walk your pet in the morning, please remember they are a pollen-carrier too and try to walk your pet later in the morning if possible.
3. Change your babe into clean clothes.  If your kid does play outside, try to change his or her clothes when coming inside the house to avoid the pollen sticking to his or her clothes that can trigger allergy symptoms.  Also, if you are a fan of hang drying your child’s clothes, try to avoid it in the springtime and early fall and opt to use an electric dyer.
4. Keep the windows closed.  It is best to try and keep the windows in both your home and car closed, especially on the days that the news forecasts medium to high pollen levels.
5. Use the air conditioner.  Fans in my opinion blow and circulate pollen.  Using an air conditioner not only filters the air, but also cools down any temperature relieving hot/burning and itchy eyes. 
6. Bath time!  Try to set your child’s bath time just before he or she goes to bed. This helps to wash pollen off that could make for a sneezy night! (A bath before bed especially helps with kiddies with long hair that might pick up pollen during the day).

The information on this blog site is designed for educational purposes only. It is not intended to be a substitute for informed medical advice or care. You should not use this information to diagnose or treat any health problems or illnesses without consulting your pediatrician or family doctor. Please consult a doctor with any questions or concerns you might have regarding you or your child’s condition.

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Oh, They Grow Up So Fast…

Hey batter, batter, batter...

Faith (of Klassy Kids in Waldorf, MD) really knows how to make my day. I just sat down to my computer to go through the lot of emails flooding my inbox this morning (combined with a sinus headache from our lovely allergy season), and hers was the first one I opened. She attached pictures of my favorite le•top and rabbit moon model, Trey, from Mother’s Day! “He loves to play ball”, she captioned, and it really shows. I started cracking up when I opened the second picture. Trey’s facial expression is priceless, he really looks like he is about to throw a tricky slider and strike out batter #1 “Daddy”. I reminisced about the first pictures I received from Faith when Trey was born (not too hard, since they are posted just to the right of my screen), and marveled at how amazing it is to watch a child grow up. Trey is not even two years old yet, and he is already getting “So BIG!”  They grow fast, don’t they…!?!

OK, now of course, I have to talk about the clothes! 🙂 Trey is wearing (and expertly modeling, I must say!) the striped Submarine collection shirt and terry short (shown below) from rabbit moon. Click on the image to see the entire Submarine collection and use the store locator to find a rabbit moon retailer near you (if you don’t live near Klassy Kids!).

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