If a cold seems to linger for more than a week, it's time to suspect something more. Signs of allergy in children are not always so easy to detect. They may have different reactions to allergens than an adult would. Sometimes they will display all of these symptoms. For air borne allergies the symptoms are runny nose, sneezing, stuffed nose, itchy watery eyes, lethargy, fatigue and asthma.
Air borne allergens are mold, pollen, animal dander, perfumes and colognes, and dust mites.
If your child is allergic to dust mites make sure you keep the child's bedroom as dust free as possible. Dust covers on mattresses and pillows will reduce symptoms. If you have pets and you child is allergic to them, either find a new home for the pet, or use allergen reducing rinses for them after bathing the pet. Keep all pets out of the child's bedroom. Another good way to reduce allergens is to purchase an air cleaner for your child's bedroom and for the common areas of the home.