asked earlier, but need more advice about asthma in children, help please?

Question

My baby is 7 months old with asthma or something like it (too young to tell, but I want to know if I should buy a cool mist humidifier to help him breath at night, cause he always wakes up coughing weather I do the nebulizer before bed or not. We use the nebulizer cause he always coughing, and there is a rattle in his chest, and he is always congested too. Will this help him? Also, what store can I get a small, cute, and inexpensive one for him? AND one more thing, If you have an experience with asthmatic children, can you give me ideas, clues, or any type of advice for me to help him or understand what is going on with him and stuff, cause I am not sure about it since I never experienced this with anyone or myself?

Answer 1

starfire is right on the money with her answer.
My daughter is 5 now and has had asthma since she was about 1 year old.
I find too much dairy and any type of virus (colds, runny nose etcc..) are her triggers. Try switching formula to soy or lactose free or if your are breastfeeding do the same for yourself. Including yoghurts and cheese etc..

I still can't detect when my daughter has this 'wheeze' they always talk about but the BIG things to look for with asthma are,
the little dip in their throat/neck being sucked tightly in when they breathe, its called having a 'tug' in the throat and
when they breathe they will have a distinct 'suck in' at the base of their ribs/stomach region on each side. It really gets sucked in with each breath they take. Also the cough will be very dry and sharp at first. After nebulising or inhalers it can change to a wet cough as the mucus is released.

If they aren't displaying these signs of breathing distress then it is most likely NOT asthma. However if he is still coughing a lot and its a very wet, phlegmy cough keep him raised up higher with thick pillows or by raising the cot matress itself up. ( to stop the mucus piling up) He probably has some sort of bronchial infection and should be checked out by a doctor to rule out Bronchitas, RSV, pnuemonia and many other viruses.

If he is showing signs of breathing distress and has the very sharp dry cough take him to the hospital or doctors asap. Asthma is very very serious and should always be treated as such. If he is needing an inhaler or nebuliser more than every 3 hours or if the medication is giving little or no relief antime then take him straight away too.
My daughter was in hospital for 3 days, 4 weeks ago with a severe attack and its really scary and not to be taken lightly.

At 7mths your son is far too young to actually test for asthma yet but take him to a specialist pediatrian or your family doctor at least, as soon as possible to get him checked to see if he needs inhalers (taken through a spacer) or other decongestant medication.

Best of luck and speak to your doctor about any questions you have. Its been 4 years since my daughter first started with it and I am still learning things all the time! Australian Asthma Foundation website has some great information as well.


http://www.asthmaqld.org.au/content/?id=37

Answer 2

Asthma is a constriction within the lungs causing coughing and wheezing as it's main symptoms. Usually there is a specific thing that triggers an attack. Some asthmatics are triggered by activity while many are triggered by a specific allergen. The first thing I would do is wash his bedding weekly and vacuum daily in his room and any rug he's on during the day. One of the most common triggers is dust mite allergies. You will want to have a good vaccuum that has a hepa filter on it and keep that filter clean. You might want to consider a air filtering unit over a cool mist humidifier. This removes allergens from the air. A humidifier isn't really going to help with asthma attacks, at least it never helped with mine.
Speak to his pediatrician about the congestion especially since a rattling sound from his chest can indicate there is congestion there and that will lead to bronchitis or even pneumonia very quickly in young children.
Also find out about possible asthma/allergy screening so you can have a better idea of what's going on and what you need to do to improve his symptoms.

Answer 3

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Answer 4

The nebulizer is a good idea. I have had asthma since birth, but not very badly. He will probably need an inhaler once he gets older, but not now. I would only get worried, if he seems to have trouble breathing (like not being able to breathe) and is gasping for air, because then it might be an attack. I would turn the shower on hot if this happens, and go in the bathroom with him to get the steam. I never used a cold mist humidifier, just a regular one, but I'm not sure if they were created 12 years ago. An attack is when a pipe in the lungs is clogged. I have never had an attack, but I knw people who have, and it's scary. I can't do everything in PE, especially running, because I will start coughing, and I am afraid of having an attack.


Go to this site for more info:

www.nhlbi.nih.gov/health/dci/Diseases/Asthma/Asthma_WhatIs.html

Or

www.lung.ca/diseases-maladies/asthma-asthme/what-quoi/index_e.php

Answer 5

I have 6 kids and 2 of my kids have asthma. My one son developed asthma at age 3 after he played in a leaf pile. From then after he only got asthma in the fall. Since I knew what triggered it he took preventative medicine and also did not jump in leaves even though he did play outside.
My daughter was 2 when she was diagnosed with asthma and only gets it in the cold season. I do not limit any of her activities. She otherwise has no problems all year round.
My 6 mo old recently was rattling a little and they recommended a neb treatment. I only gave him one because i took him in the bathroom and ran hot water while we sat in there and the humidity does wonders. I also use baby vicks too and it does great.
I recommend asking your doc about singulair which alot of kids use that parents say is excellent in preventing asthma. I also know pulmacourt is a good preventative too and used in the neb as well. Albuterol is wonderful when they are having an attack but you cannot give more than one dose before 4 to 6 hrs. It speeds up there heartbeat and should be used as directed.
Ask your doc all your questions and bring a list of them. With all this crazy weather nowadays they are seeing an increase in allergies and asthma . Hope this helps.

Answer 6

My brother is an asthmatic and after ten years his asthma has shown no sign of improving. He has been to several doctors but they didn't help much.

If you want a proven, all-natural way to cure your asthma, without having to pay for useless medications with harmful side-effects, then this is the most important page you'll ever read.

Answer 7

3 of my 5 have asthma and I will be more than happy to share with you what I know. Feel free to send me a message. Also, if you want to talk to other moms you can join CafeMom!

Answer 8

Take him to the doctor and get him tested for any thing he could be allergic too. Try asthma too. becasue its nothing to play with. Having asthma is dangerous if it goes unnoticed. get a breathing machine if he has asthma it will help him/her breathe better.