Some special advice for children who, playing on the floor or on carpets or handling rag toys and stuffed animals, are more in contact with dust and therefore become the subjects most at risk.
If your child has an inseparable teddy bear, give the stuffed animal a special treatment every 10-15 days: put it in the freezer for 24 hours, then leave it at room temperature for about an hour and finally wash it delicately.
Low temperatures in fact kill dust mites which are subsequently removed by washing. (De-mite)
The same treatment can be periodically reserved for other objects that collect dust and therefore mites. Toys (preferably objects made of plastic or wood), books, magazines and various ornaments (all objects in which dust accumulates): keep them closed in drawers or wardrobes as much as possible.
A child with dust mite allergy must avoid jumping on the bed and "fighting" with pillows.
Furnish your child's bedroom with simple furniture, preferably with smooth surfaces and regular shapes, that can be easily cleaned thoroughly every day. Eliminate furniture padded with wool, feathers or plant materials and use suitable mattress covers and pillow covers.
Children should avoid sleeping in their parents' bedroom if the same preventive measures are not adopted in this room.
Do not expose your child to cigarette smoke, whether active or passive! In fact, passive smoking increases the risk of developing allergic diseases by 2-3 times compared to those who are not exposed to it.
When choosing a holiday location, avoid humid seaside areas and prefer high mountains because mites do not grow above 1500 metres!!
Studies and scientific researches
The Childhood Asthma Prevention Study (CAPS)
Seema Mihrshahi BSc (Hons), MPH a, Jennifer K. Peat BSc (Hons), PhD, Karen Webb PhD, MPH, Euan R. Tovey PhD, Guy B. Marks MBBS, PhD, Craig M. Mellis MD, MPH, Stephen R. Leeder MBBS, PhD and for the CAPS Team Controlled Clinical Trials, Volume 22, Issue 3, Pages 333-354 (April 2001)
Indoor allergen exposure is a risk factor for sensitization during the first three years of life Ulrich Wahn , Susanne Lau , Renate Bergmann , Michael Kulig , Johannes Forster , Karl Bergmann , Carl-Peter Bauer and Irene Guggenmoos-Holzmann The Journal of Allergy and Clinical Immunology, Volume 99, Issue 6, Pages 763-769 (June 1997)
Domestic control of house dust mite allergen in children’s beds Carl H. Vanlaar , Jennifer K. Peat , Guy B. Marks , Janet Rimmer and Euan R. Tovey Received 29 October 1999;accepted 31 January 2000. The Journal of Allergy and Clinical Immunology, Volume 105, Issue 6, Pages 1130-1133 (June 2000)
Biologic pollution in infant bedding in New Zealand: High allergen exposure during a vulnerable period
Gill Sawyer , Trudi Kemp , Robyn Shaw , Kathryn Patchett , Robert Siebers , Simon Lewis , Richard Beasley , Julian Crane and Penny Fitzharris The Journal of Allergy and Clinical Immunology, Volume 102, Issue 5, Pages 765-770 (November 1998)