Tips for Dealing with an Asthmatic Child: Relief for the Symptoms & Fear

The most frightening thing a parent can experience is having a sick or hurt child, and not being able to do anything to bring them relief. Parents with asthmatic children deal with this feeling every day. They spend their lives listening for those first wheezes, and waiting for the next attack that could send them rushing to the local emergency room.

Often times they learn the early warning signs that their child is having respiratory problems, but feel powerless to stop an impending attack. However, as a parent with an asthmatic child I have learned that there are things I can do to either ward off an impending attack entirely, or at the very least bring my child some comfort while we make our way to the nearest hospital.

The first thing a parent should remember when a child starts displaying symptoms of respiratory problems is that the more upset the child gets the worse the symptoms will become. So, keep them as calm as possible, and remember that you cannot panic because they will sense your fear.

Fortunately, most children are easily distracted, even from physical discomfort. So, turn on the television, sing them a song, read them a story, do whatever it takes to get their mind off of their breathing. If they have been officially diagnosed with asthma, chances are you have a nebulizer or fast acting inhaler on hand.

Use this opportunity to get them to take a breathing treatment or use their inhaler. With smaller children this is more easily accomplished by making it fun. My son has a mask for his nebulizer that looks like a dragon's face. So, when I have to get him to take a treatment, I am a princess trying to avoid getting gobbled up by the fire breathing dragon invading my castle. As a parent, you will learn what approach works best to keep your child calm, and get through the fast acting medications as quickly and painlessly as possible.

Another thing that has proved very helpful when my son starts showing signs of respiratory trouble is to get him into a bath. I get the water as warm as he can tolerate it, and even turn on the hot water in the bathtub when he gets out and just let it run to steam up the room. While we sit for about 10 to 15 minutes in the hot steamy bathroom, I keep him occupied by pretending we are pirates navigating foggy waters and looking for our treasure.

We follow our game of pirates, with sitting on the couch going through our treasure, which usually consists of Ring Pops and Gold Coin Chocolates. The steamy bathroom helps him to breathe easier, and then he has time to just relax while we go through our treasures together. The time spent breathing the steam, followed with some quiet time spent relaxing always seems to help ease his symptoms.

One thing that is kind of strange but works is to give them something with caffeine. Getting my son to drink a coke or coffee is never a very big chore, and something about the caffeine actually helps his breathing. I am not a doctor, so I really cannot offer you any clinical reasoning behind the reason it works, but as a parent with an asthmatic child I can tell you it brings some relief. I am sure that any of you out there who have ever had the experience of dealing with an asthmatic child will agree, it does not really matter why it works at that moment if it brings a little relief to your child.

The tips in this page should help coping with your child's asthma symptoms a little easier in the future, but they should never keep you from seeking medical attention if necessary. Keep in mind, that as the parent of an asthmatic child remaining calm yourself and keeping them cal is going to be a vital component of managing their symptoms.

As one parent to another, I know how hard it can be emotionally to watch your child suffer and feel powerless to prevent it, but through years of experiencing this feeling I have found methods that can make it easier on both of you, and even let you spend some quality play time while finding relief from the symptoms of asthma.