For Pet Allergies

Move pets out. Kids can be allergic to dander, the dead skin from your pets. Cats, in particular, cause some of the worst problems because they lick themselves so often, says Dr. Friday, and when the saliva dries, the allergens from the saliva become airborne.

''Ideally, family pets such as cats and dogs should live outside,'' says Dr. Williams. If your pet can't live outside, you should consider finding it a new home.

Ban pets from bedrooms. If moving a pet outside isn't practical and your family can't bear to give up the animal, put some limits on its territory. It's most important to keep the pet out of the child's bedroom, says Jonathan Becker, M.D., a pediatrician and senior research fellow at the University of Washington in Seattle.

''Pets such as hamsters, guinea pigs and gerbils should be removed from the bedroom, too, because their droppings can get mold or fungi growing in them, which some kids are also allergic to,'' says Dr. Friday. ''Even birds can pose a problem for allergic kids, because the flapping of their wings releases a fine powder of bird allergen into the air.''

Wash your cat. ''Preliminary research suggests that if you wash your cat every week for at least eight weeks with plain water or shampoo and water, you remove the surface allergens that come from its saliva. Unfortunately, you really must wash the animal every week--forever--to get continued benefit from this treatment,'' says Dr. Shapiro.

The problem is that it's difficult to get most adult cats to endure one bath, let alone a bath once a week. You'll have the most success with cat washing if you start when your pet is just a kitten.