Allergies have psychological repercussions on children who suffer from them. We explain how to help your toddler learn to live with his illness and feel good about himself.
Table of contents
- Some tips to help your child live better with his allergy
- Don’t overreact; it’s essential
- Allergy and psychology
- Empowering the allergic child
Some tips to help your child live better with his allergy
According to recent research, nearly 70% of parents find that allergies impact their children’s quality of life. Frustration, isolation, fear, it’s far from easy to bear. It must be said that seeing your child suffer an asthma attack can be impressive. But as Aurore Lamouroux-Delay, head of the Marseille Asthma School, points out: “Contrary to popular belief, allergic children are not by nature more psychologically sensitive or more emotionally fragile than others. It is the fluctuating nature of these chronic diseases, the alternation between times of crisis, unpredictable acute episodes, and times “like everyone else” that influences the image that children have of themselves. “
Don’t overreact; it’s essential
Asthma attacks or allergic reactions are impressive, and can even be life-threatening. As a result, there is a dramatization of the symptom. This feeling of not being in control, of always having to be on guard, is distressing for children and for parents, who live in fear. The consequence is a tendency to overprotect their little one. They are prevented from running, from doing sports, from going out because of pollen, from going to the birthdays of the friend who has a cat. This is exactly what should be avoided, as it may increase their feeling of being marginalized by their allergy.
Allergy and psychology
How to protect and reassure without being alarming? That’s the challenge! While it is important not to overdramatize, it is nevertheless necessary to make the child aware of what he or she is suffering from and to help him, or her become familiar with the disease. To avoid anxiety, it is important to answer his questions and to talk about him without taboos. We can use books as support for discussions; we can invent stories to get the message across. Therapeutic education requires simple words. It is better to start with their expressions and ask them to verbalize their symptoms and emotions: “What is wrong with you? Does it hurt anywhere? How does it feel when you are embarrassed?” Then your explanations can come.
In her excellent book “Les allergies” (ed. Gallimard Jeunesse/Giboulées/Mine de rien), Dr. Catherine Dolto explains it clearly: “Allergies are when our body gets angry. It doesn’t accept something we breathe, eat or touch. So it reacts more or less strongly: you get a very bad cold, asthma, spots, rashes. It’s annoying because you have to look for the “allergen,” which causes the allergy and fight it. This can take a long time. Then, you are desensitized, and you get better. Otherwise, you have to be careful with certain foods and products that you know can make you sick. It takes courage, the strength of character, but family and friends are there to help.”
Empowering the allergic child
From the age of 2-3, a toddler can learn to be careful. Once the allergist has determined what must be avoided absolutely, it is necessary to be firm: “This is forbidden for you because it is dangerous!” And if he asks the question: “Can I die if I eat this?”, it is better not to evade, tell him that it can happen, but that it is not systematic. The more informed and serene the parents are about the disease, the more serene the children will be. The fact of having eczema, of not eating the same thing as the others, excludes from the group. At this age, it is very important to be like everyone else. Parents have a job of revaluing the child: “You are special, but you can play, eat, run with the others!” It is also important that he speaks spontaneously to his friends. Asthma can be frightening, eczema can be disgusting… To help them deal with rejection reactions, they must explain that it is not contagious, that it is not because they touch it that they will catch their eczema. If the allergy is well understood, well accepted and well-controlled, the child lives well with his or her illness and enjoys his or her childhood in peace.
Conclusion
Some allergy symptoms may appear to be minor annoyances, but if you’ve ever watched your child battle with respiratory allergies, you know they’re not. While proper allergy management and treatment are essential, your child’s allergy symptoms may flare up at any time. Consider these easy, relaxing therapies to aid your child if this is the case.