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Home › Articles › Toddler Health › Handling Your
Toddler's Asthma

Handling Your
Toddler's Asthma

What's a Parent to Do When Their Child is Diagnosied with Asthma?

By Carma Haley Shoemaker

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"Toddlers with both asthma and allergies tend to have twice as many attacks than those who have asthma but do not have allergies," says Dr. Aljadeff. "Parents need to be very sensitive to what their toddler is allergic to and do the best they can to remove that agent from the child's environment. This may not always be an easy task. Removing a pet from the home is easier than keeping it free from dust but with a little extra effort, the allergy agent can be removed successfully and the toddler's attacks will lessen."

Diagnosing Asthma
Diagnosis of asthma in toddlers is done by observation, a medical examination, a family medical history and oftentimes with laboratory testing and X-rays. "Diagnosis of asthma in toddlers can sometimes be accidental," says Dr. Aljadeff. It is not uncommon for a parent to bring their child to the pediatrician for what they believe is a cold or bronchitis only to learn their toddler has asthma.

"Diagnosis of asthma in toddlers can sometimes be accidental," says Aljadeff. "A child will be ill, having a hard time breathing or may be wheezing and coughing, so the parent will take them to the physician or emergency department. Testing will be done and illnesses such as bronchitis, flu, pneumonia and a cold will be ruled out, leaving the diagnosis of asthma. Not all diagnosis of toddler asthma are gained this way, but it is not uncommon."

Kevin Cooper's son had been coughing and "making noises" when he would breathe for a day or two before the child was diagnosed with asthma. "When my wife became worried, we took him to the doctor thinking he had a chest cold or something," says Cooper, of Richmond, Va. "After the doctor looked him over and ran some tests, he told us that our son had asthma. We never thought about asthma."

Treating Asthma
There are a wide variety of treatments available for toddlers who suffer from asthma. Whether through medication, breathing treatments, removal of allergens or asthma triggering agents, the CDC reports that 98 percent of toddlers with asthma respond well to treatment.

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