Having a child with asthma can be hard, just from the amount of worry it entails. Kids may not be aware of how they’re feeling when running around and having fun, and might not know how to articulate the symptoms they have. As a parent, you do your best to watch and be alert, but you can’t see everything, the Fox News reported.
Your child’s asthma doesn’t have to send you into panic, though. Whether your child is newly diagnosed or is starting a new school, you’ll want to have an up-to-date, comprehensive asthma plan.
A pediatrician will prescribe an appropriate asthma medication regimen based on your child’s asthma severity and age. Whether this involves a child-friendly nebulizer (breathing machine) or metered-dose inhaler, make sure you understand how to use it before leaving the office.
Every asthmatic needs an action plan, and this is especially true for children. It can be tough to talk about worst-case scenarios, but you may just thank yourself for doing so down the road. Prepare a written document that you can keep at home and also copy to distribute to adults who care for your child.
This document should include known asthma triggers unique to your child, routine asthma symptoms (such as wheezing) that don’t signal an attack and names and doses of all your child’s asthma medications. Most importantly, it should have clearly written steps indicating what to do during an asthma attack and emergency contact information in case of an asthma emergency.
Once you’re educated on childhood asthma and have an asthma action plan in writing, it’s time to talk to your child. Of course, she knows she’s got something called asthma and takes medicine for it, but education about the disease and what to do in an emergency if you’re not there is essential. You know your child better than anyone, so talk with her to the extent you feel she understands, and welcome questions. Taking the fear out of asthma will help her take some control of the disease, so you can manage it together.
If your child is old enough, ask if she wants to be involved in talking to teachers, grandparents and other adults about her asthma. The more it’s discussed among trusted adults, the less scary it will seem for your little one and the more she will feel like everyone is on her team. This means less stress for you both, which is great, since stress is a known asthma trigger.
Whether it’s day care, a preschool, elementary school or higher, you’ll want to make sure your child’s daytime caregivers have an asthma plan.
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