It can be difficult to ascertain if your very young child has asthma, so it’s important to watch for symptoms, note when they occur, and report those to PediatriCare of Northern Virginia. Our offices treat asthma. An asthma attack in a young child can be quite frightening, and the immediate care for a child’s asthma attack can prevent a life threatening situation.
Does My Child Have Asthma?
Young children and toddlers can’t often tell you what hurts, but parents can observe symptoms and react accordingly. A young child with asthma will exhibit many symptoms and their frequency and recurrence will give you the answer to this question.
When children are young, a head or chest cold can inflame their small bronchial tubes making them smaller, and leading to some of these symptoms:
- Frequent head and chest colds
- Coughing especially at night and a cough that lingers
- A wheezing or whistling sound especially when breathing out
- Fast breathing that causes the skin around ribs and neck to pull in or retract
- Symptoms show up around smoke, strong odors, or around allergens
Preparations For An Asthma Attack
Six million children in the US have this chronic lung disease known as asthma, and knowing what to do during an attack is crucial. How you treat an attack depends on the severity and frequency of the symptoms.
For fast relief from an attack, always have the child’s inhaler with you. An attack can flare up at any time. In general, you want to prevent any inflammation of the airways and prevent any attacks in the long term by taking daily medications.
Children can use both an inhaler and an inhaler with a spacer which makes sure all the medication reaches the lungs. In addition, a nebulizer uses a compressor tubing and a mask to deliver the proper meds.
Teach Your Child What To Do
If your young one is old enough to recognize the symptoms, they can learn to use their inhaler by themselves. Help them understand that at the first sign of a problem, especially wheezing, they should begin treatment. The sooner they begin treatment, the sooner they will feel better.
Provide Information For All Caregivers
Be sure your child’s school teachers, coaches, and the school nurse are all aware of the situation. Give them extra medication to keep on hand in case of an emergency. Help them understand that at the first sign of wheezing or shortness of breath, your child needs an inhaler with a spacer so they receive 2 times the amount of medication into their lungs.
Stay Calm
Have an action plan in place, and follow all the steps.
As always, if your child is showing symptoms of asthma, please call PediatriCare of Northern Virginia at (703) 330-3939 or request an appointment online for an evaluation