Allergies and Asthma in 2 Year Olds

You might try to make it more fun for him with a cool mask. They make all different kinds, like this dragon mask, to help kids deal with having to take breathing treatments. Good luck!
http://www.pediatricsupplier.com/dragon.html

My daughter was chronically ill as a baby. I had taken her to pulmonologists and they put her on more and more meds. She struggled to breathe so much. The nebulizers was a struggle that wired her and caused reflux, so they added more meds. She never got better until I was venting one day to my chiropractor. He told me to bring her in, I was very skeptical, but did. He saw her 2-3 times a week for a month. Guess what!
By the end of that month, she was totally off all her meds and has never had a lung problem since! I take her once every other month now, just to keep her healthy. I wonder if she would still be on all that if I had never taken her...

Sorry about all your new health concerns with your son. I have different issues with myself, and finally decided in my life that I prefer not to use "drugs" (there are always side effects, and often long term negative effects) and I sought out "alternative" medicine, namely a naturopathic physician. They are amazing. The real bona fide ones have been to four years of naturopathic medical school (after college) and really know their stuff. They help the body to heal so that it can cure itself. We still go to MDs as needed, but I feel like I've discovered a whole new world of possibilities, and have gotten more help for myself for my issues than in a lifetime of seeing MDs. You can learn more about NDs at naturopathic.org.

A friend of mine has asthma, as do a few of her children, and she doesn't give them the medicines daily as instructed by the doctor because she is concerned about the long-term effects. She has to use it as needed, of course. Many people use MDs and NDs concurrently - as a team, which is my approach. It would be worth looking into, maybe finding a book on alternate healing, or of course there is a wealth of info on the web. You might google "naturopath asthma", or "naturopath allergies", or put all three words together.

BTW, my husband is a veterinarian, so is trained in main stream medicine and has the inclination to think that the naturopathic stuff I embrace is a bunch of hogwash, but he can't deny that I got pregnant in 7 months with my NDs help (with no other "drugs"), and the other help that I got with my hormonal issues.

Also, there are many other forms of natural healing that can be used in conjunction with NDs, such as accupuncture, chiropractic, massage therapy, etc. I would really encourage you to research the alternatives. Good luck!

I used to either give them to my son when he was asleep or I would put him in his high chair. I'd give him a snack and turn on the tv so that he was somewhat distracted from the treatments. Also, they had given me a nebulizer that just blew it in his face. It worked much better than the mask for us.

#1-Asthma and Allergies can be caused by toxins in the home including what you are cleaning with. I would suggest switching to non-toxic cleaners asap. Here is a link: http://www.shaklee.net/healinghappens/getclean/index
Oprah Winfrey had these cleaners on her "Favorite Things" a couple of years ago. They are awesome.
#2-Asthma and Allergies are about immunity. Boost your child's immunity. Contact me if I can make some recommendations on that.

As far as the breathing treatments. Possibly find a fun video with the scuba mask or something and see if you can turn it into a game. I'm so sorry you are going through this struggle. Hang in there. With a little time things will improve and you can help your boy get stronger so you will have less occurrences.

What do you mean by breathing treatments? Is it an inhaler or a nebulizer or something else?

My granddaughter has used a nebulizer for years. We turn the TV up loud and point the nozzle at her face. The mist just has to be in that general direction. Your description of your breathing treatments sounds like you use a nebulizer. I suggest that you let him lay on you and instead of pointing the nozzle at your face point it at his. Or make a game out of it. One second for you 20 seconds for him and count it out.

My granddaughter started using an inhaler around the same age. You can make using an inhaler a game too. Tell a story while using it. Perhaps give him a name and a role, such as he's a giant tiger who needs this medicine so that he can growl longer. As you spray, you act out sucking the medicine in and make it dramatic. Then count down together. My granddaughter started with open hands and put down a finger with each number. If you use an inhaler, do you use a spacer? A spacer makes it much easier. The child doesn't have to inhale at the exact same time as you push the canister.

Since he's been so actively upset, you may need to take a break before trying a different way of managing it. Just talk about using it for 2-3 days. Explain why it's important. Talk about how much easier it is to breathe after using it. Start the story about him being a tiger or some other character to which he identifies.

You're right it does more harm then good to hold him down and force him to use it. Work on getting voluntary compliance by talking about and setting it up so that he thinks co-operating is his decision. You might has him for his help. My grandkids respond better to my asking for their help than they do to my telling them they have to do this.

There are also a liquid form of Albuterol.
Albuterol being an inhaler for Asthma.
My daughter, when younger about your son's age, had the liquid version of it. Because, very young children, cannot exactly "inhale" properly from an inhaler.
You might want to ask about it....

good luck,
Susan

Both my daughters have Asthma (as do i). My younger daughter has had to have nebulizer treatments since she was 2. In the beginning i put her on my lap & put the TV on something she wanted to watch. You need to make it louder than normal. And sometimes we took the mask off & just let her hold it. As she got older she started doing it herself.

Maybe get him a book that talks about a kid with asthma & read it to him while you do the treatments?

when he was tested did they do the pin prick test on his back? that is the only way to positively test for allergies blood tests are NOT accurate.as for your son not wanting to take his breathing treatments they have breathing machines(nebulizers) that look like cars,trucks,firetrucks etc that have working parts and some make sounds and they have the mask that look like dragons and other things also so maybe see if you can get him a nebulizer of his own that looks like something he can play with while taking his treatments. if you get the skin allergy test then you can avoid the things that trigger his asthma and then maybe then you will only have to give him treatments when he has flare ups.If he is put on the correct meds then he shouldn't be experiencing many flare ups. Is he on singulair? if possible that can make asthma worse in some people. my son used to take albuterol syrup when he was younger(he had asthma from an early age as well) now he takes advair(he's 17 now) and singulair. I have asthma and cannot take singulair. so just keep trying and see what works for your son. maybe giving him a reward after taking a breathing treatment might help? well good luck

I also have asthma and have had to give my 20 month old breathing treatments he hasnt been diagnosed with it and i hope he doesnt but it helps if you just take the mask off and set with him in your lap and just let the mist go in front of his face even let him hold it. They think they are doing something then ,but they get just as much that way and it doesnt confine them with the mask

i tried to post this once and my computer froze.... so im not sure if it sent or not sorry if im repeating myself... do it when hes sleeping. go in a little bit befire he wakes up in the morning and after hes sleeping at ngiht and put it up to his mouth or nose (however hes breathing) just sit aand be very quiet it it works for us and i have a light sleeper. i have 2 girls who have to do breathing treatment ages 3 and 6 my 6 year old has been on then since about age 1. hope this helps!

I agree with the Shaklee lady and removing the chemicals in your home is your first step I switched stores as well and went green it is worth it for your childrens health. www.switching stores.com/ali for more info I would love to inform you about what I use and L. you will see an improvement in your boy if you go green.M.

Please go to www.Oxyphone.com to see a better way to give nebulizer treatments. Screaming does NOT increase the amount of nebs a child gets. There is lots of info on the website that debunks commonly held (but unsupported) rationale for the old way of giving nebs. The facebook site is http://www.facebook.com/pages/Davidson-NC/OxyPhone/270572.... My husband is an ER doctor and he invented the Oxyphone. They use it in the ER all the time.

My boys both peridically have the nebulizer treatments, and my 20 month old (who was diagnosed with asthma when he was about 9 months old) is on maintenance meds with an inhaler with a spacer. Depending on the day, he takes the nebulizer better than the inhaler. Often you can get the same medication in a different form--the pulmonologist gave me a prescription for albuterol in an inhaler so we could use the inhaler spacer (which only takes two puffs with six breaths each) or the nebulizer (which obviously takes a lot longer) to complete. Some days he cries when I shut off the neb, other days my husband has to help me hold him down. My older son uses it when he is really sick, and he uses the piece that goes in his mouth. You could also ask for an attachment that would allow you to neb him when he is napping or after he falls asleep at night and you can use it to bend the attachment in almost any direction--sometimes you just have to mention a problem and the doctor has a lot of alternatives.

We also almost always put a cartoon on so that there is a general direction we can face and I usually have him sitting next to me or sideways on my lap--sometimes the position makes a big difference to him for some reason.

Dear L.,

I am so sorry to hear about your precious baby. I can encourage you knowing that good nutrition helps everything and enhances immune function. Fruits and vegetables are key and one can put some fruit and vegetable powders into the baby's bottle or formula (please let me know if you would like more information). Lactose intolerance can be an issue so I might monitor dairy and how it affects the baby. Believe it or not, chiropractic can help too as the nerve that feeds the lungs can be affected if during the birthing process the vertebrae that affect the lung function was subluxated or slightly impaired.

Cannot emphasize enough the need for "God" food. Let me know if I can help you fruther with whole food nutrition (www.vineripejuiceplus.com please check my website's 11 minute video - a picture is worth a thousand words) and we'll celebrate the victory in advance!

Best and blessings in health and in Him,
C.

My daughter has been on breathing treatments for 3 years now and she is almost 5. We eat breakfast and before getting dressed we do the treatment. It is now part of the routine and she knows what to expect. At first it really was hard. She sits on our bed and we put on a "show" for her. Usually whatever is on the Disney Channel which makes the time go faster. Adding anything like that will make it much better. Maybe for your child a little treat after will help get things started. Once your child gets used to it, it will be much better. Also, they say that a crying child actually gets the meds in better with the breathing treatment so if your child is upset, it is helping him more :) Not a great thing to think about but that is what they told me. Hang in there. It does get better!

Hi there. My oldest (now 16) had asthma during his toddler years, my second (now 14) has had it from toddlerhood to present along with multiple food allergies. During the toddler years, both of my boys were on liquid albuterol which tasted great to them so there was no problem getting them to take it. When my second son was older and still had asthma he switched to the inhaler form but was old enough (4ish) so that administering it wasn't an issue. So, maybe ask your doc about the liquid oral form of albuterol as a possible alternative. Good luck and I truly hope your little one grows out of the asthma like my oldest did!