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Original poster

1year olds & inhalers

10 replies

vvviola · 04/10/2012 10:13

How on earth are you supposed to get them to take inhalers??

DD2 loves to hold it, look at it, chew it - but I can't get her to let me put the mask on her face without holding her down and pushing it against her face. Which is dreadful & I really don't want to do. :(

I sometimes manage to put the mask on her face when she's asleep but I can't press it on, so I'm not sure how much she gets

Any clever ideas?

OP posts:
DrSeuss · 04/10/2012 10:32

I did see something online once about cutting a hole in a yoghurt pot and there are plastic balloon things which you pump the stuff into for them to take in gulps. I would just go with bribery, a sweet a day won't kill them, or a sticker chart. Could you make a game of it? Could the plastic balloon be a magaphoe or a trumpet?

FruitSaladIsNotPudding · 04/10/2012 10:37

My doctor told that she'd still be taking in the medicine if she was crying. Not ideal I know, but when you've exhausted all the bribing/persuading options and it's 2am and they can't sleep because they can't breathe properly, what else is there?

We have only had to use one during bad colds, thankfully. It was shit, but one of us had to hold her while the other held the mask on.

No clever ideas here, sorry! It's so hard at that age because there's no reasoning with them. You have my sympathies.

Sirzy · 04/10/2012 12:01

Let him play with it, give mummy or toys, "inhaler" (this morning as well as doing Ds inhaler I had to give peppa, George and dinosaur some (pretend to press of course!)

Cover the spacer in stickers

Give him a toy to hold while you do it

Make sure you don't cover his eyes when holding the spacer over his face

But if all else fails don't worry about pinning down to get it done. The important thing is getting the medicine in. Ds used to have to be pinned down but now takes it without a problem

BlueChampagne · 04/10/2012 12:55

DS1 was happy about it once I'd demonstrated it on myself.

blondefriend · 06/10/2012 21:26

I'm sorry I can't help. My son screams and fights every time I give it to him. I've tried all the tricks but no luck. However he's the same when I cut his nails, brush his teeth etc. I just know I have to do it. One of my Year 7s died last year from asthma, it's really important they get their medication.

LakeFlyPie · 06/10/2012 21:38

We're going through this with DS who is nearly 2.
There's a picture of a bear on his spacer so we've talked about the bear and how he takes his inhaler a lot, not in his eye, not in his ear, yes on his nose etc etc!

I think letting him play and fiddle with it has helped too. He now takes the cannister out of the inhaler to shake it before each puff and thinks he presses it to release the dose.

If you have an effective seal you should see/ hear the valves on the mask opening and closing as DC breathes in and out.
Good luck, it does feel so cruel pinning them down Sad

Original poster
vvviola · 07/10/2012 09:05

Thanks everyone. We resorted to pinning her down in the end Sad. Even Daddy (aka The Rock Star Grin) demonstrating didn't really help matters.

I think that may have to be our method of choice for the moment, while we let her play with it & give it to teddies etc in the hope that as she begins to understand a bit more, we might have more luck. Sad

OP posts:
itsatiggerday · 07/10/2012 09:11

Wishing you luck. If it's any help, we had to pin down to begin with - took 2 of us and we discovered exactly how long DS could hold his breath. But after a few weeks, he did start to be more accepting and is now (several year on) absolutely fine. Even age 1, I think he did make the connection after a few weeks that he could actually breathe better after it which meant he was calm. I could actually do it on my own after only 9 days as DH went back to work (we were on hols) and I'd been thinking it would be a disaster but it was OK. Hope you see an improvement soon.

Sirzy · 07/10/2012 09:13

It will get better. DS now stands happily and has his inhalers but used to really fight it, at the moment morning and night he needs 8 puffs of different inhalers (and then plenty more during the day to) and he happily stands and has it.

now getting the antibitoics into him, thats a different matter!

Wheresmycaffeinedrip · 07/10/2012 09:13

Please don't feel bad about that!!! In hospital
It took three people to pin my dd down ( aged two at time) to administer inhaler. And u had to repeat at home . It's horrible but alternative is hospital and that's no place for a kid if they don't need to be there :( I second the treats too! I'm not one to give treats do young usually but under circumstances a chocolate button might cheer her up a bit. You r doing right thing x

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