1. Listen for Asthma Symptoms
Listen to your baby's breathing pattern. Infants usually breathe 30 to 60 times a minute. Toddlers breathe a little bit slower, taking 20 to 40 breaths every minute. If your baby breathes louder or faster than what it seems normal, she may have asthma. Other symptoms include coughing often or coughing after playtime, wheezing, tiredness or sluggishness, difficulty sucking on a bottle or eating and cries that are softer than normal. Infant asthma doesn't have to include long coughing fits or attacks. If your baby's cough hangs on longer than normal, have her checked for asthma.
2. Wheezing Worries
Wheezing is a whistling sound heard while breathing. Some babies with asthma have the classic sign of wheezing and some don't. If your baby is wheezing, it doesn't automatically mean your baby has asthma. An infant's airways are so tiny, that any airway infection can cause the wheezing noise. Less than one third of babies who wheeze continue to wheeze as they grow older but never develop asthma.
3. Difficult Diagnosis
An asthma diagnosis requires lung function tests that are difficult to administer on an infant. Patients must take a deep breath and then blow out as fast as possible. The test is typically more successfully on children over the age of 4 who have some understanding and can cooperate. In addition, there are several other medical conditions with symptoms similar to asthma. Expect your pediatrician to take several tests over time to accurately diagnose infant asthma.
4. Avert an Asthma Attack
After an asthma diagnosis, your pediatrician will likely prescribe medications to open your child's airways and reduce inflammation. It's important to give your infant the medication at the first sign of an asthma attack. You want to avert an episode before it can worsen. Never leave your infant with a caregiver without explaining the signs of an attack and how to use the inhaler or nebulizer to administer the asthma medicine.
5. Control Environmental Triggers
Figure out what triggers your baby's asthma. It may be dust, animal dander or pollen. Once you determine the trigger point, limit exposure as much as possible. Buy bed linens, pillows and mattress covers that limit dust mites. Keep the humidity below 50 percent to keep mold and dust mites at bay. Keep animals out of the house or vacuum and clean thoroughly to limit the dander. Do whatever is necessary to help your child avoid an asthma attack.
