Looking for Parenting Tips and Ideas to Help with Your Child's Asthma?
Our family has been through it, so here are some of our best parenting tips for dealing with asthma without letting it control our lives. When your child is newly diagnosed with asthma, it's a scary experience. We all want the best for our children - and the best does not include this chronic condition. But that doesn't mean it's the end of the world. I remember where I was and what I was doing when I received word that my little son had had a severe asthma attack. The first thing I felt was anguish for his struggle to breathe, followed quickly by the guilt of knowing I hadn't been with him. Once the worst was over, our pediatrician graciously called from her home to reassure me about his progress. Her words never left me: "He is going to be fine. You will get through this. He will have a normal life." Parenting Tips: In the Beginning
So here's what I think is important for parents of the newly diagnosed asthma patient to know: - Don't panic. It might take a while, but you will learn to manage the asthma and keep it under control.
- Keep in close contact with your doctor to monitor your child's progress.
- Research all medications prescribed to your child.
- Be diligent about maintenance medications - they will keep your child from suffering asthma attacks.
- Learn your child's
triggers
and rid your home of them. Our son's triggers include colds/viruses, allergies, and some
household cleaning chemicals
. Select and follow a good
nutrition program
to keep your child's body and immune system built up. This will help him fight off infections, and deal with the steroids he will most likely be taking.
Parenting Tips: Symptoms
- Make your child, even the very young, aware of his/her asthma symptoms when they occur.
- Talk about what it felt like before the symptoms got bad and help your child learn to recognize the earliest signs.
- Teach your child to ask for help before an asthma attack strikes.
Parenting Tips: Medications
- Establish a routine for taking maintenance medications, especially if you have to use a nebulizer.
- Set a specific time, place, and process for doing the treatment so that it becomes a routine part of life instead of a dreaded task. The routine for our son's daily meds took place in the evening after his bath with a special family reading time.
- If using a nebulizer, pick a cool mask that your child thinks is fun to use.
- If your child uses an inhaler, be sure he is using it correctly and inhaling the medication. If not, consider using a spacer (or chamber) with a mask. It will keep the medicine concentrated around the mouth a few second longer so it's easier to inhale.
Parenting Tips: School
- Meet with the teachers and school nurse to make sure they are able to recognize your child's specific asthma symptoms.
- If your child has triggers that might be present in the school, make the nurse and teacher aware. Teach your child to stay away from these triggers.
- Always leave an emergency inhaler with the school nurse, just in case.
- Train your child to ask for his inhaler if he thinks he needs it, even if it's at an inconvenient time. Some kids are shy about interrupting the teacher or speaking up during a quiet activity. They need to know that it's okay to be 'rude' once in a while if breathing problems are starting.
Parenting Tips: During an Asthma Attack
- If you think your child is having trouble, don't hesitate to give the rescue medicine prescribed for him or her.
- If your child's symptoms do not improve after giving the rescue medicine, call the doctor or go to the ER.
- If your child's lips suddenly look blue or grayish, go to the ER right away.
- If you see retraction (sucking in the chest or neck while trying to breathe), go to the ER right away.
- If your child has trouble talking, go to the ER right away.
Parenting Tips:
Indoor Air Quality
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