Change in the season is always accompanied by coughing and sneezing. As the allergens increase, the symptoms worsen. If you notice your little one having a runny nose or watery eyes, it’s time to visit the pediatrician. But, before you make an appointment with the doctor, there are some over the counter medications that provide allergy relief for kids. There are several kids allergy medicine that is quite effective and does not require any prescription.

Oral Medications (Antihistamines)
Oral medications work well for itching and dripping nose. They work great to give relief to kids with allergies. However, these do not prove useful if your child has a stuffy nose or has congestion in his/her chest. Some of the effective medicines to kids suffering from allergies are as follows.

• Zyrtec
  Zyrtec is quite effective and provides fast relief for kids suffering from allergies. If your child is uneasy and is facing a lot of trouble, then Zyrtec is the solution. This medicine is safe for infants over 6 months, however, it can cause a little drowsiness. It is best to check with your pediatrician before giving the kids any medication.
• Claritin
  This medicine does not get the kids drowsy and takes 3 hours to provide relief to kids suffering from allergy.
• Allegra
  This medicine has made its way in every household’s medical kit. Best suited for kids above 12 years of age, Allegra doesn’t cause any drowsiness and provides temporary relief to kids with allergy.
• Benadryl
  It is the most commonly used medicine to treat kids suffering from allergies. Benadryl can be given every 4-6 hours and can cause drowsiness.

Eye drops
The eye drops provide the best allergy relief to kids, especially when your little one has watery and itchy eyes. The best amongst the lot are:

• Visine-A/ Opcon-A
  Economical, Visine A can be given every 4 hours and provides allergy relief to kids with redness and itchy eyes.
• Zatidor
  This eye drop is a combination of an antihistamine and mast cell stabilizer which should be given twice daily to ensure relief.

Nasal Sprays
Several over-the-counter nasal sprays have a small amount of steroids that help in decreasing swelling and other symptoms of allergy. Nasal sprays are best for stuffy nose and congestion. They are best in case of persistent allergies and can be used for up to 2 weeks for symptom relief.

• Flonase
  Alcohol-free, Flonase Sensimyst can be given to kids above 2 years. This one is scent free and also proves beneficial for allergic eye symptoms.
• Nasacort OTC
  This nasal spray is also alcohol and scent free and has more systemic absorption.
• Rhinocort
  This one’s quite similar to Nasocort OTC when it comes to allergy relief for kids.
• NasalCrom
  A mast cell stabilizer, NasalCrom is not a steroid. It is the best allergy relief medicine for kids and for parents who do not want to inject steroids. This needs a proper administration with 4 doses to ensure timely relief.