Giving an 18 month old asthma inhaler through a nebuliser?

First of all you don't give inhalers through a nebulizer. Did you get inhalers with a spacer (aerochamber) or did you get a liquid medicine to put in a nebulizer machine? I am assuming that since you said your son has to take 5-10 breaths you have an inhaler and spacer as a nebulizer treatment will last about 10 minutes which is way more that 5-10 breaths. So in saying that most children do not like doing inhaler with spacer treatments. You can give your son the spacer to play with to get him used to it and try to make a game out of holding it up to his face. Sometimes that will work as then they see the treatment as a game rather than something unpleasant. If that doesn't work then if you are by yourself giving him the treatment sit him on your lap with him facing the same direction as you are facing (his back to your stomach) wrap your arms around his arms with the inhaler and spacer in one hand (this way you are holding his arms down) put your head on one side of his head (this way you are holding and controlling his head) put the spacer to his face and press the inhaler. If he is screaming and crying you do not have to wait for 5-10 breaths as he is taking much deeper breaths and will get all of the medicine in 2 breaths. I hope this helps. If you are using a nebulizer with a bronchodilator solution like albuterol or xopenex then as long as the medication is close to his face or is blowing in his face then he will breathe it in. Again you can let him play with the mask when not giving a treatment so that he can see it as a game as well.

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Asthma is an allergy and is triggered by something. The best non medication treatment for asthma is learning your triggers and avoiding them. Common triggers are smoke, dust, mold, mildew, plants, dust mites, pets and grass/weeds.

If you can not figure our your triggers, you may need to see an allergist and have allergy screening done. This may point out your triggers.

The National Asthma Prevention Program and the Expert Panel of Diagnosis and Management of Asthma both agree if you have to use a prescription inhaler such as albuterol more then two time per week, your asthma is NOT in control and you will need a prescription controller medication.

Controller medications are steroids (Asthmacort Asthmanex, Flovent, Pulmocort), Leukotriene modifier (Singulair, Aculade, Zyflo) or mast cell stabilizers (Cromolyn sodium, Intal, Tilade).

You may want to talk to your doctor about several strong controller medications and maybe Xolair shots.

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I agree with Hopefully. I would assume from the 5-10 breaths that your child has an inhaler with an Aerochamber and if he is crying 2 breaths will get the medicine in. If it is a nebulizer with the liquid medication in a cup...then the 'blow-by' tubing to the face isn't as effective as a face mask treatment. I know someone else answered that this is how they did treatments with their child - but studies now show that kids get less than about 25% of the medicine doing it that way vs. with the face mask (crying or not) they get almost 80%. I am sure that it is hard to watch your son cry - but the medicine is very important.

Firstly, I would get a second opinion. My son (19 months) has had breathing problems, and every doctor I've seen has told me that it's NOT POSSIBLE to diagnose asthma at this young age, as the airways are already so narrow that even the tiniest reaction to pollen/dust/etc can cause narrowing which bring on asthma-like symptoms, but not necessarily asthma itself. Secondly, my son also has an inhaler, and we failed miserable with the respichamber. However, when we pretended to use the inhaler on it's own, he thought it was hysterically funny and then copied us! Now it's one big game to him, and he loves to have his little puffs of it when necessary!

Recently my 14 month old daughter had respiratory problems as well due to serious cold virus. She used to struggle when I try to give her medication orally or using the nebuliser. So I've came up with a counting game to play with her so that she knows when I count to 10, it will be over. And while counting, I will also say 'breathe" with every count. This works really well with my daughter, I guess it kinna prepares her for what's going to happen and she'll know when it will end. I do the same for her oral medication given through a stringe. Hope this helps. Good luck.

Around the same age my son was given a nebulizer and medicine. He just flat refused. And their VERY strong willed at that age.

There's a little tube thing you can use instead of the mask. Wait until he's asleep and hold the nebulizer in front of his face until he's taken enough breaths to cover the doctor's orders. If he wakes up, he'll not realize what's going on until he's gotten his medicine and you can stop at that time anyway.

That's what I had to do to get the medicine in my son. He would go into a full blown tantrum and rip the mask right off his face. Doing it while he's sleeping is less traumatic for him and certainly less so for you.

If your son has a face mask nebuliser,even if he cries he will still be breathing in and out thus taking in the medication.It sounds as if you have tried to make him more comfortable and it isn't working.I have to say as sad and upsetting as it is,you need to still do it,so if he cries he cries at least you know he's getting the medication that will prevent him being ill .

when my child was young we had the same problem, she would scream and get upset when we put the mask near her face, the doctor said to just cuddle her and hold it near her, and while she was crying she was actually taking it in . She soon got used to it, and draw or paint at same time

we started to do outs when he was asleep, hope that helps x