How young was your little when diagnosed with asthma ?

[Reenypip]

I've had asthma since I was a child, and was very bad needing hospital and icu treatment.

My baby boy is 9 months and has had a cough since he was born but now it's more prevalent and chesty.
At his 8 month check up, doc says it sounds very likely he has asthma but won't start him on inhalers until he is 1.

What's your experience been? When first diagnosed? And when started on inhalers?

DS was diagnosed at 12 months and has been on permanent inhalers since he was around 6 months and was on 'as and when' before then.

A diagnosis of asthma is a child under about 3 is very unusual and is only done in the serious cases. However, there is no reason they can't start a child on inhalers if they think they would help even if just ventolin for when he needs it.

DD2 diagnosed with 'asthma like condition' following very nasty bout of bronchiolitis when she was a tiny baby. Started on inhalers at around 6 months. Don't think they like to give a proper asthma diagnosis until much older. She's now 4 and although they refer to it as asthma, and treat it the same, it's still not recorded as such.

I would just add that I would not delay medical advice when your LO gets cold type symptoms, as you know asthma symptoms get nasty very quickly, and having an aerochamber and ventolin inhaler there immediately can be a lifesaver.

Also, if your not happy with what the GP says then push for a refferal. My GP was a much use as a chocolate teapot when it comes to the problems with DS chest but thankfully we have a fantastic consultant.

DS2 was officially dx-ed with asthma on his 3rd birthday, before that it was technically a viral wheeze, however he had been on inhalers a long time before that, pretty much since he started getting terrible bronchiolitus as a tiny baby. He also had lots of hayfever medicines etc to stop him having attacks through the summer.
DS3 has however just been un-diagnosed just after his third birthday. It had been presumed after regular hospital visits with breathing difficulties that he would have asthma with his brother, so again was on blue inhaler for a long time and then montelukast as a preventer from his 1st birthday, although again they would only call it viral wheeze until his 3rd birthday. However, looks like he really did only have viral wheeze. Hopefully our next appointment with the consultant in a couple of months will be to sign him off completely :)

Dd 4.5 was first put on inhalers at 9 Mths but officially diagnosed at 16mths after a couple of admissions to hospital she has been under the paediatrictions ever since. She sees her consultant every 6-12 weeks. She has had a tough time of it tho with pneumonia 3 times, having her tonsils out and that bringing on an attack, and a couple of attacks that have required A&E in the middle of the night!!

On inhalers from 10 months. Officially diagnosed at 5 years.

My DD was 5, but with hindsight we are sure her first symptoms were at 18 months - so much older than your DS. My point is, it can be much earlier than you think.....