← All guides · Doctor visits and check-ups
Asthma in a child: control and attacks
childhood asthma · asthma in children · asthma attack in a child · inhaler for a child
A guide for parents: how to help a child with asthma every day and what to do during an attack.
If your child was found to have asthma or often has wheezing.
⏱ Duration: a plan is made at the visit; treatment is usually long-term
Be sure to tell your doctor
How to prepare
- Spacer. Young children usually take the inhaler through a spacer with a mask. Ask your doctor which one fits.
- Plan. Ask for a written action plan and give a copy to the kindergarten or school.
- Home. Less dust, and no smoking at home or in the car.
What to bring
- Inhalers and spacer
- The action plan
- A list of medicines
How it goes
- Give the daily controller treatment as your doctor prescribed
- Signs of an attack: cough, wheezing, fast breathing, the child cannot talk or play
- Sit your child up and keep them calm
- Give puffs of the quick-relief inhaler through the spacer, as in the plan
- If there is no improvement, follow the red zone of the plan and call emergency services
- Write down when the attack happened and what helped
What you'll feel
- Your child may be afraid of the mask, so play with it beforehand
- After the inhaler, a racing heart and restlessness are possible and usually pass
Afterwards
- See your doctor for scheduled check-ups
- Check the expiry date and how much is left in the inhalers
- Do not stop the daily treatment on your own
Contact a doctor straight away if
- Your child has trouble breathing, or the skin between the ribs pulls in: call emergency services
- Blue lips, or your child is limp or drowsy: call emergency services
- The inhaler does not help: call emergency services
Common questions
Will asthma go away with age?
In some children symptoms get milder. Only a doctor should decide to stop treatment.
Can a child with asthma do PE?
Usually yes, if asthma is well controlled. Talk to your doctor and give the school the plan.