Will Zyrtec or Claritin help my child’s sneezing, runny nose or itchy eyes?

The children’s allergy products covered here are labeled to temporarily relieve sneezing, a runny nose, itchy or watery eyes, and itching in the nose or throat when these symptoms come from hay fever or other upper respiratory allergies. A runny nose by itself does not establish that a child has allergies.

In this guide

What the allergy labels cover

The four Zyrtec products shown contain cetirizine: syrup at 1 mg/mL, grape chewables at 2.5 mg or 10 mg per tablet, and citrus Dissolve Tabs at 10 mg per tablet. Each lists those same four allergy symptom groups. Children’s Claritin grape liquid contains loratadine 5 mg per 5 mL and lists the same symptom groups. Matching Uses does not make their directions interchangeable.

Sources

Why the cause of the symptoms matters

Colds and allergies can both cause a runny nose and sneezing. The American Academy of Pediatrics describes itchy, watery eyes and repeated bursts of sneezing as clues that can point toward allergies. These clues are not a diagnosis; ask the child’s clinician if the cause is unclear or symptoms persist.

Sources

AAP: colds and allergies

Read the exact product’s age limits

The syrup and 2.5 mg Zyrtec chewable labels say to ask a doctor under age 2. The 10 mg chewable and Dissolve Tabs say to ask a doctor under age 6. Claritin liquid says to ask a doctor under age 2. These age boundaries still matter when a symptom appears in Uses.

What about a store-brand bottle?

The specific Equate dye-free grape, CVS bubble gum and Walgreens grape cetirizine 1 mg/mL liquids in the reference library also list those allergy symptoms. Read the source for the exact package; these are reference-only products and are not bottles supported by the calculator.

Sources

See the 5 product labels covered in this guide