Asthma control: Steps for children under age 5

You can best manage your child's asthma by following these tips.

Create an action plan

Your doctor can help you create a written action plan that you can use at home and share with other family members, friends, preschool teachers and sitters. A thorough plan includes such things as the following:

• Your child's name and age
• Physician and emergency contact information
• The type, dose and timing of long-term medications
• The type and dose of rescue medication
• A list of common asthma triggers for your child and tips for avoiding them
• A system for rating normal breathing, moderate symptoms and severe symptoms
• Instructions for what to do when symptoms occur and when to use rescue medication

Monitor and record

Keep a record of your child's symptoms and treatment schedule to share with your child's doctor. These records can help your doctor determine if the long-term control treatment plan is effective and make adjustments to the plan. Keep appointments as recommend by your doctor to review records and adjust your action plan as necessary. Information you record should include:

• The time, duration and circumstances of an asthma attack
• Treatment responses to asthma attacks
• Medication side effects
• Changes in your child's symptoms
• Changes in activity levels or sleep patterns

Control asthma triggers

Depending on the triggers for your child's asthma, make adjustments at home, as well as in child care facilities and other environments, to minimize your child's exposure to triggers. These may include:

• Cleaning thoroughly to control dust and pet dander
• Checking pollen count reports
• Removing cleaning products or other household products that may be an irritant
• Administering allergy medicine as directed by your doctor
• Teaching your child hand washing and other habits to minimize colds
• Teaching your child to understand and avoid triggers