Almost 4 Year Old with Chronic Stuffy Nose

I would try cutting out dairy. There's more and more research showing that kids will environmental allergies are also frequently sensitive to dairy. Perhaps not allergic, but react enough to swell mucus membranes and cause stuffiness. And all that can lead to ear infections and increased sickness.

I urge you to get her to an ENT who will do a nasal endoscopy and see what her structure looks like. If they still don't know from looking, an MRI will shed better light on it. My child had a concha bullosa and thickened cilia skin. Knowledge is power. Without knowing what is wrong, you don't know what your options are.

Good luck,
Dawn

Claritin. It's a miricle worker. I get allergies every year. So does my son. He used to get ear infections every Spring until I realized that he had allergies and started treating them.

Go dairy free ! Factory farmed cows do not graze on grass anymore. Sadly, cows are administered so many drugs and no grass ! A website that will explain it well: Notmilk.com

Also, almost 90% of the soy in our country is genetically modified. Allergies and asthma have skyrocketed since the mid-90's. That's when soy was "changed" by the Monsanto Corp. There are several people in Connecticut working endlessly to get genetically modified/engineered foods labeled. Soy is in baby formula and sooo many processed foods in the grocery store. See OCA.com for more information.

I dry swiffer my floors every other day. I switched to green cleaners and scent/fragrance free laundry detergent. We bought an organic matress, too. It has helped.

Maybe it's time to seek out an ENT to rule out anything serious that the ped cannot help out with.

It's will be more to do with your child's make up your child will probably need to have their adenoids or tonsils removed also there tubes in their nose canal may need cleaned and chiseled this will cure your little ones symptons

The two things that helped my son were, 1) getting him off all dairy (incl. baked goods with milk or butter), since a dairy sensitivity causes chronic congestion and ear infections, and 2) making him smoothies with local honey. Honey from nearby bees will acclimate your daughter to the pollen in your area. I know it sounds suspect, but it really worked for my son.

And I know the dairy thing sounds hard to do, but honestly, it's gotten my son onto a really healthy diet, since cutting out dairy means cutting out most highly processed foods. You might just try it for a week and see if it helps.

Sounds like her adnoids need to come out! I have twins and both girls had chronic runny noses for the forst 2 years of their lives. I was embarressed because people would comment about it. Bacteria lives in large adnoids and "festers" in there which causes thick, digusting snot. Sounds so gross- but as soon as those adnoids were out- problem solved. Both twins also had ear tubes put in when they removed the adnoids and that helped with ear infections greatly. One of the girls eventually needed her tonsils out as well, but a few years later. Adnoid removal works wonders. Not to put a child through removal (surgery) but think of how miserable she is dealing with all of this sickness. Good luck and schedule asap with an ENT.

Have her adenoids (and tonsils) been checked out?
Swollen adenoids can cause a lot of mouth breathing - they can't get air through the nose.
When my son's tonsils swelled to the point where they were almost touching across the back of his throat (they were not infected - no fever), they became an obstruction which was interfering with his breathing and swallowing.
The ENT we went to tried shrinking them with steroids, but as soon as we finished they swelled right back up again.
We had his tonsils and adenoids out soon as he turned 4 and he could BREATHE!
And swallow and sleep without snoring up a storm.
It was the best thing we ever did.

My littlest was sick from November to April last year. The medicine never got all the infection out so we tried an antibiotic shot and that worked. That's if it's an infection.
If its just allergies... Welcome to life sucks with allergies... Sometimes. Just keep doing what your doing. Make sure the windows are shut. Run the air conditioner with a clean filter. I change my filters every month (vs. every 3) in the winter. Make sure your using filters with allergen help it really makes a difference. DONT let her outside when grass is being mowed (it kicks up all the pollen on the ground). If it a really bad day and she is just miserable, shut the doors and windows. Keep the outside out and away from her as much as possible. Rent a movie and just chill with your girl. Good luck!

One more thing:
Take the occasional listen to her chest and back, put your ear right on her. Make sure there's no wheezing. Intake and outtake of air. If you do start hearing wheezing call your doctor. Once you hear the wheezing things can go from bad to serious quickly.
Good luck!

My son was diagnosed with reactive airway disorder (which can turn into asthma later in life if he doesn't outgrow it) at 14 or 15 months. He is now 4. I have often wondered if he also has allergies because while he hasn't had a lot of ear infections or strep, it seems like we deal with sinus congestion all the time. Especially, when we change seasons. I guarantee on the first nice day of Spring, playing in the yard for the afternoon, he will have that barky cough that night and it will last several days. We will do this off and on for months. A few months ago I got so concerned because he just walked around gasping like Darth Vader, even during the daytime and seemed fatigued. I took him to an ENT and had a sinus and chest x-ray done. He had enlarged adenoids. His tonsils looked fine. ( I am wondering though since your daughter has chronic strep and ear infections if this might be something you need to look into.) We were worried about sleep apnea too. We had his adenoids removed and it has been a night and day difference. No sinus congestion. We have been outside a lot in this beautiful spring weather too! He sleeps so quiet at night now. I used to be able to stand at his bedroom door at night and hear him breathing. Now I have to get right up next to his nose and mouth to make sure he is still breathing!
At any rate, this is what I would suggest you investigate now. If this wasn't something the ENT thought was the problem we would have done the allergy testing, so since you have done that and haven't solved your problem I would get her tonsils and adenoids checked out. Good luck!
A.

It is Spring.
And this is the time, that allergies appear or get worse.
Because of all the pollen and things in the air. Of which, occurs during Spring.
It is seasonal.
Also, pollens can also adhere to clothing. And can be invisible to the naked eye. So wash her clothing or change her into something else, once she gets home.

Try "Little Noses." It is a nasal decongestant, for kids.
You can find it at probably any drugstore.
It helps a lot.

And, get an air purifier, for her room, or for the house.

And the chiropractor does not seem to help at all.
So stop doing that.