Helping your child live with asthma
Children with asthma need the help of parents, other caregivers, teachers, and health care professionals to keep their asthma under control. You can help your child with asthma keep it under control. For example, you can:- Take your child to the doctor for regular checkups and treatment.
- Make sure your child has an asthma self-management plan and that you know how to follow it.
- Help your child learn about asthma and how to control it.
- Help your child learn what things cause his or her asthma symptoms and how to avoid them, if possible.
- Protect your child from tobacco smoke by not smoking and not allowing people to smoke in your home.
- Find ways to reduce your child's exposure to allergens that bring on asthma attacks, like pollen, dust mites, cockroaches, or animal dander.
- Make sure your child knows how to take asthma medicines correctly (if your child is old enough to use an inhaler without your help).
- Make sure that your child uses a peak flow meter to help monitor and control asthma.
- Encourage your child to take part in physical activity. Work together to keep his or her asthma under control. Your child can be active.
- Talk to your child's other caregivers, teachers, or coaches about his or her asthma; give them copies of your child's asthma self-management plan.
(published with permission in writing from:http://www.nhlbi.nih.gov/)
