- Baby Asthma Treatment
- What should the baby's room with asthma look like
- What to do when your baby has an asthma attack
- When to go to the doctor
Childhood asthma is more common when a parent is asthmatic, but it can also develop when the parents do not suffer from the disease. Asthma symptoms can manifest themselves as they may appear in childhood or adolescence.
Baby asthma symptoms can include:
- Feeling of shortness of breath or wheezing when breathing, more than 1 time per month; Cough caused by laughter, heavy crying or physical exercise; Cough even when the baby does not have the flu or cold.
There is a greater risk of the baby having asthma when a parent is asthmatic, and if there are smokers inside the home. Animal hair only causes asthma if there is a genetic predisposition / allergies to hair, by itself, animals do not cause asthma.
The diagnosis of asthma in the baby can be made by the pulmonologist / pediatric allergist, but the pediatrician may be suspicious of the disease when the child has the signs and symptoms of asthma. Find out more at: Tests to diagnose asthma.
Baby Asthma Treatment
The treatment of asthma in babies is similar to that of adults, and should be done with the use of medication and avoiding exposure to substances that can trigger asthma attacks. In infants and children under 3 years of age, the pediatrician or pediatric pulmonologist advises nebulization with asthma remedies diluted in saline, and it is only usually after 5 years of age, that she can start using the "breast pump". asthma".
The pediatrician may also recommend nebulizing corticosteroid medications, such as Prelone or Pediapred, once a day, to prevent the onset of asthma attacks and to make the flu vaccine every year, before the start of winter.
If in an asthma attack the medicine seems to have no effect, you should call an ambulance or take the baby to the hospital as soon as possible. See what are the First Aid in the asthma crisis.
In addition to using the medicine, the pediatrician should advise parents to take care at home, especially in the baby's room, as to avoid the accumulation of dust. Some useful measures are to remove rugs, curtains and carpets from the house and always clean the house with a damp cloth to always remove all dust.
What should the baby's room with asthma look like
Parents should pay special attention when preparing the baby's room, as this is where the baby spends the most time during the day. Thus, the main care in the room include:
- Use anti-allergic covers on the mattress and bed pillows; Swap blankets for duvets or avoid using fur blankets; Change bed linen every week and wash it in water at 130ºC; Place washable rubberized floors, as shown in image 2, in the places where the child plays; Clean the room with a vacuum cleaner and a damp cloth at least 2 to 3 times a week; Clean the fan blades once a week, avoiding the accumulation of dust on the device; Remove rugs, curtains and carpets from the child's room; Prevent animals, such as cats or dogs, from entering the baby's room.
In the case of the baby who has asthma symptoms due to changes in temperature, it is also important to wear clothes suitable for the season to avoid sudden changes in temperature.
In addition, plush dolls should be avoided as they accumulate a lot of dust. However, if there are toys with fur it is advisable to keep them closed in a closet and wash them at least once a month.
These precautions must be maintained throughout the house to ensure that allergic substances, such as dust or hair, are not transported to the place where the baby is.
What to do when your baby has an asthma attack
What should be done in the baby's asthma crisis is to do the nebulizations with bronchodilator drugs, such as Salbutamol or Albuterol, prescribed by the pediatrician. To do this you must:
- Put the number of drops of the medicine indicated by the pediatrician in the nebulizer cup; Add, in the nebulizer cup, 5 to 10 ml of saline; Position the mask correctly on the baby's face or put it together on the nose and mouth; Turn the nebulizer on for 10 minutes or until the medicine disappears from the cup.
Nebulisations can be done several times during the day, as directed by the doctor, until the baby's symptoms subside.
When to go to the doctor
Parents should take their baby to the emergency room when:
- Asthma symptoms do not subside after nebulization; More nebulizations are needed to control the symptoms than indicated by the doctor; The baby has purplish fingers or lips; The baby has difficulty breathing, becoming very irritated.
In addition to these situations, parents should take their baby with asthma to all routine visits scheduled by the pediatrician to assess their development.
