How to take care of an Asthmatic baby?
Attention! This Article is dedicated to those parents who’s children are suffering from Asthma.
How to take care of an Asthmatic baby?
It is not really easy to take care of an Asthmatic baby. The reasons why babies could develop Asthma is if they had caught a flu or cold and or influenza which caused them lungs inflammation. The main reason why children develop Asthma quicker than adults is that they are not able to blow off their nose. Unconsciously they swallow their secretions instead of coughing and spitting it out. Those secretions once entered into the lungs of the baby and children will cause lungs infection and Asthma.
Babies could develop Asthma more quicker than adults do because their lungs are not as resistible against microbes, viruses and infections as compared to adult’s.
Following are Symptoms of Asthma:
- Coughing along with a strange noise coming out of their chest.
- Difficulty breathing (if under Asthma attack), shortness in breathing.
- Inflammation in the lungs which causes the upper part of their chest to be swollen.
- Nausea or vomiting in the worst cases.
- Fiver and chest pain.
- Possibility of an abdominal pain in the upper abdominal part near the lungs area.
- Lack of apatite and possibility of lack of sleep as Asthmatic kids may find it difficult to fall asleep due to breathing problems.
Medications:
You need to have the pumps for Asthma handy and on you all the time. We never know when we may need it. Even though they seem to be fine, they may suddenly seem suffocated or experience sudden difficulty to breath and immediately need their pumps. Once you realize that your baby has slight symptoms, do not wait for long. Just give their pumps as soon as you can and possibly have access to it. That’s why I insist you have their pumps on you all the time so that you give them right on the time to prevent them having an Asthma attack.
What would you do in cases of severe Asthma attacks?
Under each attack they will immediately need their blue pump called (Ventolin). You could give 2 to 3 puffs of the blue pumps within every 4 to 6 hours but if you feel they are in need of even more, that is the time you immediately re-consult a doctor. All the medications must be given as directed by doctors and nurses and it is extremely important not to miss it.
After each attack, they will have to take another pump called Flovent as per the recommendation of doctors. This pump is orange color in most cases but there are also red color. In each color the dosages of the medication is different. There are more stronger ones and also less stronger ones. It also depend on how old your child is. The more severe the Asthma, the stronger the medication (Hydrocortisone) in it and of course depending how old.
In severe cases during an Asthma attack, doctors may give Hydrocortisone syrup by mouth to your baby, immediately during the consultation. If the Asthma attack is extremely severe, doctors will put oxygen to your baby’s mouth in order to help them with breathing. Oxygen facilitate their breathing process and will safe their life by not allowing them to lose control and faint due to trouble in breathing.
You could watch their stomach while they breath to differentiate wither or not they are under Asthma attack. An Asthmatic baby uses their upper abdominal muscles to breath. They put too much pressure in the mentioned part to breath. Some babies also have their chest swollen if they are under Asthma attack and you will notice a strange noise during their inhalation and exhalation while breathing.
Once your baby experience an Asthma attack, depending to the severity doctors will suggest to take their pumps regularly for the prescribed duration. It is very important to complete the duration because doing so will allow your child a have the recommended dose in the proper duration to relieve them and protect them against the attack.
How to help your Asthmatic child during their physical activities?
When an Asthmatic baby grows older, you may need to watch him/her during the physical activities and sports. Nurses suggest to give your child a puff or two of their pump (Ventolin, blue color) right before they begin any sport. You may also do so during other physical activities.
If your child refuses to do an sport, listen to him/ her and trust. Most of the time they are correct and know their own body strength and capabilities. If they feel too tired to walk, do not force them either.
Sleep time cautions for an Asthmatic baby:
You may have to watch them during night time, in the times they suffer from influenza or any other health problems because they may experience shortness in breathing during night time.
Most of the times your child wake up with coughs and difficulty breathing. Make sure to have their pumps handy so that they can reach, if old enough and are able to take it by themselves. If they are babies, obviously we would be doing it by ourselves. Their might be nights when you may remain sleepless all night to take care of the baby. Specially if they have caught a cold or flu.
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Are there any cure for Asthma?
Unfortunately there is no cure for Asthma through any medications. Medications such as pumps could control Asthma attacks but it is not the cure. Some children could have it for life, while some could have it until they are older enough. When older, their body is stronger enough and their immune system becomes more stronger and resistible against diseases which can then better fight any diseases including Asthma. Again it depends on the person and child. Each child and body is different.
Some people we know have it for life now but some other people we know were cured naturally as they grew older. The necessary thing is that you really have to respect the quantity of the doses of medications and for sure their durations to prevent you from an attack. Some doctors say that if a person do not have an Asthma attach for 3 years now, chances are they are cured from Asthma.
As Asthma is a chronic disease it could get worse even after 3 years if you are suffering from another bad flu (rheum). In order to help your child for the complete recovery from Asthma, you need to have them educated with what they have as a disease and how to prevent it. It is important that your children know how to use their medication because they should be able to use it at your absence.
Precautions for not having an Asthma attack which eventually may help in cure of Asthma:
- Vacuuming your house more often to keep it clean and free of dust and dirt.
This Chronic disease (Asthma) has no cure but sure has control. - Disinfecting your house with 90% water contained 10% Javel or Bleach in it.
- Washing your baby's clothes with hot water for 60 minutes and leave it twice for rinses.
- Dry their clothes in hot temperature for at least 45 minutes so that the clothes are completely dry.
- Use unscented and Hypoallergenic fabric softener and liquid soap for their laundry.
- Wash their clothes separately and dry separately to insure better cleanliness. Doing so will prevent contact with another possible bacteria which could cause contamination in their clothes and results in worsening of their Asthma.
- Use a special cloth for their pillows and mattresses which are specially produced and fabricated to protect against the bed bugs and do not allow the dust from the mattress to enter your child's respiratory system.
- In most cases the nurses will give you the name of the mattress protection case which you could buy from the pharmacy. If not the pharmacist will be able to help you as well if you ask.
- By any means, they must not be near to animals. If your baby has Asthma, the first question doctors will ask you is if there are any animals at your house.
- Carpet is also something which you have to eliminate using if your baby is Asthmatic if it is possible. If not you will definitely have to pass vacuum-cleaner more frequently than normal.
Children who have Asthma will develop some seasonal allergies as well because their respiratory systems are very weak and have less resistance against dust and bacteria or microbes floating in the air.
There are some over the counter medications for allergies. In most cases doctors recommend allergy medications specially for children because some of those medications may have some side effects such as head ache and reduce in apatite. Some of them makes your child fussy or moody. Therefore, you may have to seek the doctor's help in this case.
If you would like to prevent your baby from Asthma attacks, you would need to install air filters into their room and or at the house so that they breath fresh and clean air. Installing or just putting an air filter into the Asthmatic baby's room could help him enormously with having the best quality sleep. It also helps with seasonal allergies as well as facilitates breathing, specially during the night time.
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I thank you very much for reading through the article. I hope I could have passed my 12 years of experience as an Asthmatic baby's mother to you. I know that I am not a doctor. The things I have mentioned to you is what I have been living and facing each day of my child's life until now. My child is a teenager now and still having Asthma. Doctors are saying that he may have it for life, while some are saying it will go away when he is going to grow older.
Hope you find some answers to your questions and hope it will help you. In case of any questions or concerns, please do not hesitate to leave them in the comment section below. Please DO remember to like and share!
Wish you the very best in your journey of parenting!
Meena
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Thanks for sharing this very informative article. I fortunately don’t have asthma but my sister and nephew do. It can be very worrying sometimes if someone is out and doesn’t have their inhaler. I’ve not really thought much more about it than using an inhaler but anyway i’m sure this information will be very helpful. Especially to parents with young children keep up the good work.
I love this article. It was well researched and engaging.
As a Nurse Practitioner reading your article, it was enjoyable to read your very clear, step.by step instructions to follow if or when a child is having an asthmatic episode.
All the signs and symptoms are clearly defined and highlighted.
An overall excellent written article
Hello,
Thank you so much for your kind and thorough comment. I appreciate your time in reading the article and offering a comment. It is such a honor for me to receive such a comforting words and encouragement from a nurse. This means to me that what I have experienced during the lifetime of my child has turned to tons of valuable knowledge which I can share with the rest of the parents who are in the same page.
Kind regards,
Meena
This article is crucial for parents with an Asthmatic baby.
I have this air filter for many years in my son’s room, it really helps to clean the air that circulates through his heating and cooling system. And of course, it also does some particulates and contaminants that could affect his health and comfort, including Dust and dirt
Thanks for sharing.
This is a very good article and has a lot of good information. I didn’t know babies develop asthma quicker than adults because their lungs aren’t as resistible against microbes, viruses and infections compared to adults.
I appreciate you listing the symptoms as well. People should always be aware of these important things as you will be able to detect and cure the issue.
I recall a friend of mine had a asthma attack when we were young playing football. At first I was scared but when I saw him inhale he’s ventolin he recovered within seconds straight away and continued playing. Scary experience despite it not being me but when he later on explained what took place I was no longer confused.
Hello Julien,
Thank you very much for your time in reading the article and your comment. I appreciate that. I am glad you found it helpful and useful. I agree with you, if we don’t know what Asthma is; it is really scary. I am glad your friend was recovered fast. In most times, an Asthma attack could become deadly or better scenario would result in admitting in hospital. So we got to be really careful about Asthma attacks.
Regards,
Meena
This is. A great one. I love articles of health. Asthma could take some time for your child to be diagnosed with severe asthma. They’ll need to see a specialist team and have tests such as chest x-rays and tests to see how their lungs are working. They might even need a few days in hospital to be observed.Your asthma specialist might diagnose your child with severe asthma if their symptoms are not under control, even though they are taking all their asthma medicines as prescribed.It could take some time for your child to be diagnosed with severe asthma. They’ll need to see a specialist team and have tests such as chest x-rays and tests to see how their lungs are working. They might even need a few days in hospital to be observed. Thanks
Hello Zayom,
Thank you for your time in reading the article. I appreciate your comment. I am glad you loved it. Me too, I love reading health contents and learning about health related subjects.
I see that you seem to have read all the article. I am very grateful for that as many people just read the headings and make up a few words to write a comment.
I agree with your insights about Asthma. It is not easy, beside it takes a lot of time to overcome an Asthma attack. Even after the Asthma attack we would have to be careful with their physical activity times. As before doing any physical activity, they would need their Blue pump called Ventolin. They would need to take or carry their medication along with them all the time.
Regards,
Meena
Thanks for your insights and suggestions for dealing with an asthmatic baby. My sister’s little girl was always having a cold, and when she did, she was so distressed and so were we. Before her, we never dealt with asthma but that signal of that wheezing sound and the puffed up chest was what got us into the doctor’s office and checking out information on the condition. You have given a good look at what to do. I wish we read this at the time. My niece is now a teenager who started having episodes further and further apart and hasn’t had an attack for a good while now. We are hoping that we have seen the last of it. Thanks for the information
Hello JJ,
Thank you for reading the article and I appreciate your comment. I am glad you found the article useful and engaging. Yeah, I hope too that you have had this way sooner when you needed it. I feel so sorry for your niece. I wish I could have helped him at that time but still I am happy that he is feeling much better than he used to.
Trust me, Asthma is the worse thing one could never think of. Those who recover from it later on, when they are a teenager are very blessed and lucky because it could easily continue to remain there with us until the end of our life or at least until we are old.
Glad to hear that your niece is doing fine now. Wish you and him all the best!
Kind regards,
Meena
Great idea to give parents some tips on asthma, especially as you speak from your own experience.
Asthma can be very scary for the child and the family and you have given lots of tips to help ease the situation.
Great idea to double rinse the clothes and to use hypoallergenic softeners.
I hope lots of people take the time to read your article.
Best wishes
Sheen
Hi Sheen,
Thank you very much for your time in reading the article. I appreciate your comment.
I am glad you liked the article and the tips. Yes, it is not easy for an Asthmatic child to live like all of us or like normal, in another words. They would have to be very careful about their health as it is a chronic illness. Specially with the Covid, they would have to be extra careful. As Asthma and Covid both affect the lungs.
Kind regards,
Meena
Lots of good info here about asthmatic children. I developed asthma as an adult and didn’t have asthmatic children but I can imagine how frightening it must be for parents with a severely asthmatic child. I like all your suggestions for managing the environment because I know different irritants play a part in asthma. One thing you didn’t mention was looking at where you live. Obviously this would be a last resort but I think it’s worth mentioning. My aunt was severely asthmatic and moved cities with good results. I never developed asthma until I moved to my current city which is known as an asthma hotspot. I noticed my symptoms went away recently when we were on vacation. Obviously not something to rush into but to keep in mind 🙂
Hello Deb,
Thank you very much for taking the time to read the content and leave a comment. I really appreciate that.
Thank you for your suggestions as well. I appreciate that. I will take that into consideration eventually, to be added. That’s actually a very good point. That’s right pollution of the cities are also a major factor on Increase in Asthma.
Glad that you are feeling better now. Wish you a healthy and happy life.
Kind regards,
Meena
Hello there! This is a really informative and important article. It’s really unfortunate when babies are born with this condition. Thank you for watching out for others who may have this hardship and really providing a means to aid them when a crisis hits. Hopefully there is a way one day for doctors to have a method of catching this condition early (before birth) and have the means and technology to prevent this condition from ever manifesting itself. That would be a nobel peace prize moment.
Thank you for your comment. I appreciate your time in reading the article.
In my son’s case, he caught Asthma after a very bad flu at 8th months age. I am not so sure about the fact that a child could born with Asthma. I would look into it and will get back to you.
Kind regards,
Meena
Thank you for writing such a thorough and educational about childhood asthma. I suffered with asthma as a child and had it so bad that there were many time I slept in a chair because I was able to breathe better that way. Unlike most when I moved to Florida against my doctors wishes, almost 50 years ago. I have never had an episode of asthma since the day I stepped foot in Florida. My doctor had told me I had to move to Arizona and since I don’t like the desert I chose Florida and have been fine since.
Having an asthmatic child is sure to be a test of endurance, if one does not have the proper information on how to deal with asthma. Finding a doctor that has the information you need can sometimes be difficult. I would suggest to also have the child tested for allergies, some allergies may bring on an asthma attack.
Knowing the cause of the attack can give you an insight of what to do and what not to do. Watching and acting upon your child’s reaction to various stimuli can be a clue as to what to avoid. Parents with asthmatic children definitely have their hands full.
Jerry
Hello Jerry,
Thank you for sharing your own knowledge and experience. I appreciate your time in going through the content.
Absolutely agreed about knowing the cause of the attack. It is really important in terms of decision making for future.
Kind regards,
Meena
Great article about asthma. I like the image showing the difference between the healthy lungs and the asthmatic lung. Very helpful in allowing me to better understand the condition. I have asthma myself and can relate to much of what you have written. If it is of any comfort as I got older the limitations caused by my asthma went away. By 13yrs old I was jogging long distance runs.
Could you suggest where I could find additional information regarding asthma.
Chris
Hello Chris,
Thank you for reading the article. I appreciate your time and comment.
I am glad you are doing well now and that your Asthma went away. I think you were quite fortunate because in most cases it is not like yours. The person suffers from it the long period of his / her life.
I think the best way to find the most helpful information is from an Asthma clinic. They offer free printed hand outs. It is also already approved by the health department. So you are assured to receive the valid and good information.
Good luck!
Meena
Your article on ‘How To Take Care Of An Asthmatic Baby’ is interesting and useful for parents with young children. I never had asthma, not as a child or adult. My children never had asthma but my wife, an adult, still has asthma. Besides, I have friends with asthmatic children, some very severe. I have a lot of experience in recognizing and treating it.
Your article is on an asthmatic baby. But in severe cases, adults may be in the same boat as children. However, being grownup persons, adults know what to do or can follow instructions. Little children and babies have difficulty doing those. I agree with you: ‘children develop Asthma quicker than adults because they cannot blow off their noses and rather swallow their secretions instead of coughing and spitting them out. Also, babies’ or children’s systems, remarkably immune, are not fully developed to fight off viruses. Ultimately secretions will cause inflammation as soon as they enter the lungs. Your best advice is to see a healthcare professional as soon as you notice the onset. I like the article. Thanks for sharing.
Thank you very much for taking the time to read the article. I really appreciate your comment and am glad you found the article engaging and interesting.
Great to see you have shared your own point of views and experiences as well. It is a good way for us all to learn by sharing our thoughts and experiences.
Kind regards,
Meena