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Children with asthma need extra care to stay healthy. One of the best things you can do is to teach yourself, your child, and any other caregivers about the condition.
Teach your child as much as you can about asthma. Tell day-care providers, teachers, school nurses, and coaches about your son’s or daughter’s condition, and how to treat asthma emergencies. If exercise triggers your child’s asthma, he or she should follow the doctor’s pre-exercise plan. Tell the child’s gym teacher about the plan for preventing attacks.
Also, help your child understand that his or her medicines are important. Urge your child to use them as the doctor prescribed. If the school lets your child carry his or her own quick-relief medicine, make sure it’s kept in a handy place, like a backpack or pocket.
Some schools make students keep their quick-relief inhalers in the health office. If this is the case, be sure school officials know this in your written plan for dealing with asthma attacks. Make sure your child knows to go to the office at the first sign of an attack.
Know the warning signs
- If your child looks worried, is coughing more than usual, or seems out of breath, he or she may be having an asthma attack. Know the warning signs, so that you can help avoid a more severe attack.
- Create an Asthma Action Plan (PDF Format) with your child’s doctor. Keep it handy, so you’ll know exactly what to do when asthma flares up.
- If your child does not get better with quick-relief medicine, he or she needs medical help right away. Make sure the health office has detailed instructions for getting medical help right away.
Avoid triggers
Helping your child avoid asthma triggers will help keep the condition under control. Here are some ways to do that:
- If your child’s asthma is triggered by dust mites, remove carpets, rugs, drapes, and other things that can trap dust. This includes closets full of clothes or stuffed animals. This is very important in your child’s bedroom.
- If you have a pet with fur and your child is allergic to animal dander, it may be best to find another home for the pet. If you must keep the pet, try to keep it away from your child, or at least out of the child’s room.
- If you smoke, stop. At least smoke outside the home.
Dealing with “being different”
If your child has asthma, he or she may feel different from other kids. Children and teens often feel pressure to be like everyone else. This may lead a young person to downplay his or her asthma and not take asthma medicines as prescribed. This may be dangerous. You need to manage asthma long term to help prevent symptoms and severe asthma attacks.
Some organizations also sponsor camps for children with asthma. Spending time with other children who have asthma can help young people feel less different and make it easier for them to follow their doctor’s advice.
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