Allergies don’t go away, says Virant. “But the effect of year-round allergy tends to improve with growth.” As children get bigger, their symptoms may lessen as their airways increase in size, or at the very least, not get any worse. If the child has a year-round allergy (i.e. pet dander or dust), chances are his symptoms will remain static. “With year-round allergies, you have a little bit of exposure all the time, and you can do something to reduce the exposure at least to some degree,” says Virant.

Allergens such as pollen and grass, however, that cause seasonal allergies, are hard to avoid. “Over time that seasonal allergy will get worse,” Virant explains.

Now for some good news – children may get a break from their allergies during puberty. “Often people with allergies and asthma have a honeymoon period when they’re an adolescent,” says Virant. There’s no concrete explanation for this, he says, “but presumably there may be some hormonal factors that seem to have a real leveling effect on allergies and asthma.” Unfortunately, though, the allergies will often return after this honeymoon, sometimes bringing new ones with them.