Taking Asthma Treatments

I use an inhaler w/ a spacer for my 2 year old, we sing a song of her choice while I hold it on her face.
When she gets bad in the winter time I usually endup using the nebulizer, I don't use the mask I hold the end under her nose while she sits on my lap and we watch a cartoon or movie of her choice.
Sometimes a dum dum sucker helps, just don't let him have it unless you are near by, for obvious reasons.

Try to entertain him while doing his treatments. Play a game, draw, read, or tell him you will give him a treat after he is done. Try to make if somewhat fun.

I also have a son, now 14, who had to do breathing treatments. I would try to do them during his favorite cartoon/movie or while reading a book to him and the other children. If all of the children are sitting watching a Disney movie or listening to the book, he won't feel like he's missing out on something.
Good luck!
Gina

M.,

My son has allergies which sometimes lead to an asthma attach. I have to say, it's not an easy thing to go through (as I'm sure you know). My son will be three in December. He has both a nebulizer and an inhailer with a spacer. The inhailer with the spacer is so much quicker for on the go. You may want to concider asking your doctor about one. Also, for those times that my son needs to use his nebulizer, we've hummed and sang together, I've let him hold it on his own, and sometimes we read a book together...to help the time go by faster.

I hope this helps.

Don't know if this will help or not, our cousins have the same problem with their little guy! They wait until he falls asleep to give him his breating treatment. I guess it depends on if he is a deep sleeper or not. Good luck!!

I WOULD PUT ON MY SON'S FAVORITE VIDEO, AND TELL HIM HE CAN ONLY WATCH IT IF HE DID HIS TREATMENT. SOME NIGHTS WERE EASIER THAN OTHERS! GOOD LUCK!

My son had many problems...knocking on wood we have been off daily treatments for over a year now! :) I let him take "responsiblilty". He was more likely to sit down and do them when he put the tubing together, poured the meds in (with supervision and help as needed), picked out books to read while we were doing them or the tv show, and turned it on all by himself. We also sang songs, for some reason the ABC's were very comforting to him, espeically when I signed them. Does your son have a comfort item like a blanket or tebby bear? That could also be helpful to have when he is doing his treatment. I hope some of this helps!

Find something he's interested in to use as a distraction during the treatments. Coloring, watching a special TV program or movie, playing a game etc.... Try to give him something fun to do that requires him to use his hands so they'll be occupied and not interfere while you're holding the mask/mouthpiece. If possible reward him afterwards for his cooperation and effort. I'd keep the rewards small so they remain effective and affordable. My son and daughter both have Asthma so I can empathize with you. Good Luck!
M. M.

Treating asthma and allergy symptoms isn't easy - I feel for you and your son!

My husband has allergies and asthma, and while our daughter seems to have escaped this for now (she's still young, so who knows), our son seems to be taking after his father (but our son is still young, too, and I'm hoping he outgrows this). ANYWAY, a book that I have found *really* useful, eye-opening, and even helpful in alleviating some symptoms is Dr. Doris Rapp's "Is This Your Child" (see http://www.drrapp.com/ )

I hope you get some great advice from other moms about making the asthma treatments easier to administer!

I'll end with a blurb about the book that I copied and pasted from a random reviewer on Amazon.com (I did not write this - my oldest is 3 1/2 yrs!):

When I first saw Dr. Doris Rapp on the talk shows back when this book first was published it opened my eyes to my own sons problems....read it over and over and started applying the testing and homeopathic remedies and stopping the foods he was showing allergic reactions to. After a year of the homeopathic remedies and a slow start back of those same foods *milk, chocolate, cinnamon* we had no more problems. This was a child who had severe allergic reactions including asthma attacks that would leave him choking and unable to breathe. (very frightening)After two years of doctors of every specialty, and tons of meds with the resulting hyperactivity and no real cure, I had had it!!!

Now, my son is a tall, strong, and wonderfully healthy 17 yr. old with no behavioral problems nor allergies or asthma. You best believe that we keep homeopathics in our home 365 days a year now.

Now I buy the book everytime I get the chance so that I can pass it on to others who need this wonderful doctors sound thinking and real help. Is your child hyperactive, have un-controllable rages, depressions, suicidal, sick with allergies and asthma, learning disabilities? Any of these problems? BUY THIS BOOK! You won't be sorry you did.

This 627-page “how to” book describes how typical allergies and environmental illness overlap, and details the typical and less-readily recognized clues in various infants, toddlers, children, adolescents, or adults. It is one of the rare books on allergies that explain how to recognize, test and treat infants. Dr. Rapp discusses how it is sometimes possible to detect and help prevent future allergies by recognizing and eliminating the causes with a diet in 3 to 7 days. She discusses hyperactivity, Ritalin, Tourette's, learning problems, aggression, depression, fatigue, headaches, intestinal complaints, yeast problems, muscle aches, and recurrent infections.
http://www.amazon.com/This-Your-Child-Doris-Rapp/dp/06881...

Hi M., yes, I've also gone through this, I feel your pain. :o) I would recommend first off...they have these cute little masks/covers for the nebulizer, shoot, I think they were like little dinasours, etc...to make it less intimidating for them.

I also put mine in their highchair and gave them either stickers...playdoh...helped them with a puzzle...or they ate a popsicle to keep them occupied while I held it close enough for them to inhale (we usually never used the masks ourselves, they hated them, which if you have been up until now, you could just try disconnecting the mask section and use the little attachment instead). Another idea, though a bit more costly...but I would bet money it would work, lol...would be a special hand held game, like a little used gameboy or something. I know 2 1/2 is young to actually know what to do on the games, but they love to juse make the little guys (say on Mario or something) run around, it fascinates them. Only give it to them during their treatments though, so it stays 'special'. :o)

Good luck! :o)

my daughter was also diagnosed with asthma at about the same age...and what really worked to get her to sit still is her favorite video...and she would only be aloud to watch it when she took her medacine...worked like a charm...aslo I would let her push the button to turn on the nebulizer...we would count down, 3.....2....1....blast off!! and then she would turn on the nebulizer.

My daughter is going to be 2 in October and has to do three breathing treatments a day of albuterol and one a day of pulmicorte - and I sympathize with your struggle. We allow our daughter to watch what she wants during the treatment or promise an activity later that she enjoys. For the evening treatment sometimes I'll promise a healthy snack that she enjoys. The bottom line is that I make sure that she knows it is not an optional thing - that she must do the treatment - that she can hold the mask herself and sit or mommy will do it for her. Best of luck to you!

We had the same situation...when my son was younger (say 6 months to about 1 1/2 years old - we just had to "HOLD" him still to take his treatments. As he got older - he started holding it himself and that worked ok. We read a lot of books, watched TV (only during treatments - so it was special). Now that my son is 3 - we got an inhaler with a spacer....Let me tell you - this is the BEST! Ask about it. We also have a 'duck' face on the mask, so we tell him it's time to 'do the duck'. Good luck.

I have had the same problem. My daughter is 20 months old. Do you ever let him hold it? Or let him explore it and let him know that it is okay for him to take it. We even put it up to our faces and let her understand that it wasn't going to hurt her. Kids are often afraid of these things. We found that if we tried to force her to take it, she would just struggle with us and fight us. Now we put her on the couch, and turn it on and let her do it, and she doesn't fight us. It's not easy but with time it will work! Good luck!

my daughter has asthma I put heron front of tv to watch a cartoon she likes or give her a toy
good luck and god bless

M.,
I KNOW EXACTLY WHAT YOUR GOING THROUGH. MY SON WAS THE SAME WAY WHEN HE WAS LITTLE ALSO. HE WOULD FUSS AND FIGHT ME TO DO IT BUT EVENTUALLY HE LET ME DO IT. WHAT I DID WAS LET HIM PICK OUT HIS FAVORITE BOOK THEN SIT HIM ON MY LAP.I WOULD READ HIM HIS BOOK BUT AT THE SAME TIME HE GOT TO HELP ME GET THE MACHINE READY,AND DO THE MEDICINE. WITH ME THERE TO SUPERVISE EVERY STEP. IF YOU THINK HIM BEING YOUNG IS HARD WAIT TILL HE IS MY SON'S AGE (14) THATS WHEN ITS HARD. CAUSE AT THAT AGE THEY THINK THEY KNOW BEST..

I have to give my som a breathing treatment every morning. He is currently 2 and we have been doing it with him since he was about 1 1/2. We have mostly good days but some bad. For us it has helped to have the TV on with something that he likes and to sit next to him on the couch. He also likes to hold the mask on his own. He's mask you have to hold it does not have anything to keep it on his face. In the beginning we really had to fight to get him to keep it on his face, but now he is used to. He also likes to shut the machine off when he is done and unplug it. All of these things seem to help, but once in awhile we still have a struggle, but for the most part he is pretty good with. Hope that helps.
A.