Southridge Clinic

1. Use visual aids. You can use picture schedules, videos, social stories, and other visual aids to show your child what to expect.
2. Take your child for a practice visit. This can be the same as the orientation visit, or it can be a “dry run” of an appointment where the dentist doesn’t actually work on your child’s teeth yet.
3. Bring items to fulfill sensory needs. Bringing your child’s favorite fidgets and toys so they can play during the appointment will be helpful.
4. Reduce unnecessary stress before and after. Reduce demands by wearing comfortable clothes, getting lots of rest, eliminating unnecessary activities (like grocery shopping — order for pick up!), and doing the things that relax your child. Your child will be able to regulate better when every day stressors are kept at a minimum.

In a typical allergic reaction, your child’s body encounters an allergen (like pollen, dander, or pet hair) and sees it as a threat. Trying to protect itself, the immune system sends out a special protein called IgE antibodies to the mast cells in your child’s body. When your child comes in contact with the allergen again, those cells release chemicals (like histamines or eosinophils). The chemicals the antibodies release cause inflammation. That’s why your child’s nose gets stuffy and runny, or their skin breaks out in a rash when they come in contact with an allergen.

There are several types of allergies that children can have. Your child may experience one or more of these. While there are some rare ones out there, these are the most common types:

• Allergic Rhinitis: This is when your child has allergies to things like pollen, dust, or pet dander in the air.
• Food Allergies: Some children are allergic to certain foods like peanuts, milk, eggs, or fish. 
• Drug Allergies: Your child may be allergic to certain medicines. If they take a medicine they’re allergic to, they might get a rash, hives, or feel sick. 
• Insect Sting Allergies: If your child gets stung by a bee, wasp, or fire ant, they might have an allergic reaction. 
• Contact Allergies: Some people have a reaction when their skin touches certain things, like certain metals, latex, or plants (such as poison ivy). 
• Allergic Asthma: This is a specific subtype of asthma where asthma symptoms are triggered by things the person is allergic to, like pollen or pet dander. 

For more information on common allergies in children, check out our guide.

A Pediatric Gastroenterologist manages digestive health in children. This field covers the entire gastrointestinal (GI) tract including the hepatobiliary-pancreatic systems (think absorbing nutrients from our food, eliminating waste, etc.) and nutritional disorders (think obesity, malnutrition, etc.).