Curses you, Oak Tree!
I used to think that trimming my kids’ toe nails was the worst recurrent mommy-chore ever. My kids would (and still will) kick and fight which only makes the task worse. The clipper is a potential weapon in my hand, and one bad turn, goodbye some skin. This chore always has to wait until the kids are in deep, deep, super deep delta wave sleep. I creep quietly into their bedroom with flashlight and nail clipper in hand.
I tell you. I live with dramatic Liliputs.
Well…behold the nasal spray canister, the child torture device that truly embodies “This hurts me more than it hurts you.” Oh, how they hate thee. Thanks to the (overly) reproductive male oak parts, our house and everything else outdoors are covered in this disgusting layer of yellow pollen, thick enough for me to write, “Curses!” in the filth. I thought cedar season was bad, but oak is making itself more of a nuisance with my children. They sound like Darth Vader. It’s just sad.
Benedryl and Claritin are not enough. The cold mist humidifier is not enough. I had to break out the nasal spray which really is more helpful than anything else, and it required some wrestling moves to pin them down. It’s a good thing I trimmed toe nails the night before, or I’m sure the little guy would have retaliated with a quick swipe of his talon to get away from me.
I’m looking forward to summer when the excruciating heat and voluntary watering restrictions leave us in an allergy-free zone of brown vegetation.
Do you have any natural remedy suggestions for treating children with allergies? Please don’t say Neti pot. 
The monkeys would revolt.
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When my son was 1yo we knew we had to use the nasal spray(it’s safer than drugs…i’m a pharmacist, I should know). So instead of fighting him, I waited till we were playing and I picked it up and sprayed it IN MY OWN NOSE. He is a mimic-er and I knew it. I put it down. My wife sat down and did it to herself too. He couldn’t resist….he picked it up and did it to himself. We ignored him, so he did it again. For the next months, whenever he needed it, we would sit and do it to ourselves and eachother, and he was always in. Now he is 4 and if he wakes up at night with a kinda dry but clogged nasal…he does it while we sleep….