Asthma cough in toddler

[FrankReynolds]

He's 2 and 10 months, was diagnosed a few months ago by paediatrician and asthma nurse team. He's a real nightmare for having his inhaler and it's pretty much always a horrible battle with him shrieking and crying and us having to restrain him (currently having intervention from HV because of his behaviour)

He has a horrid dry cough every few weeks which causes him to vomit at night time for a few days and then back to normal. It's come back today, is there anything I can do to help it? His meds don't seem to be doing anything and I'm struggling to get an appointment with asthma nurse. He has 2 of his Clenil twice a day, 4-6 puffs of his Ventolin as and when he needs and he's on a sachet of Montelukast in the evening as well. Feeling like I'm doing everything wrong.

You're not doing anything wrong, it's really hard to have a little one with breathing difficulties. DS has viral induced wheeze, they don't diagnose asthma here until they're older but the treatment sounds the same- he vomits at night and really struggles with breathing when he has a cold; multiple hospital admissions and courses of steroids unfortunately. Do you have a consultant? We have appointments every few months, if not can you try and make an appointment with the Gp rather than asthma nurse (as they only do a certain amount of sessions it can actually be harder to get an appointment with them) and see if you can get a review if it's causing issues?

Is he wheezing or struggling to breathe with the cough? I understand a cough to the point of vomiting to be quite bad.
If the meds arent helping & you're worried then get him checked in A&E.

It's nothing you are or aren't doing. It's just a really shit thing to deal with. I feel your pain 💐

He's actually not wheezing or breathing particularly hard like when he's been bad in the past. It's just a persistent cough atm and hasn't needed Calpol.

I was bought some flowers the other day and I'm worried that they've set him off. They won't do any allergy tests and we've had to fight from him being tiny to get him diagnosed, we eventually saw a consultant who finally said it was.

@Peasock @magicstars

Ring the GP first thing and insist on an appt tomorrow, they should absolutely see a toddler with breathing/asthma difficulties.

Our experience of the asthma cough is that it can get bad quite quickly. Ds had to have an extra inhaler which helped almost immediately.

Inhalers are so important I'd have no problems bribing with a treat to encourage use as this age.

Ds has seasonal asthma which always gets worse during spring and summer so also needs antihistamines. It took me a long time to realise that his cough was actually asthama and not a cold cough .

Would he be encouraged by a smart phone game? There's an app called Rafi-tone that you use in combination with an able spacer whistle mask. When you use it properly, you help Rafi Robot defeat the baddies! Just an idea?

I let mine watch a YouTube video while he does his inhaler. It keeps him still and means he's focussed on something else.

It sounds like you need to review his medication.

@ScrummyDiva2

Would he be encouraged by a smart phone game? There's an app called Rafi-tone that you use in combination with an able spacer whistle mask. When you use it properly, you help Rafi Robot defeat the baddies! Just an idea?

That's better than the chocolate button I was thinking about

For encouragement to use the spacer we used to play lots of games with DD. Starting with games where we used the spacer on her Teddy, lots of praise. Then DD uses the spacer on her Teddy, lots of praise. Then DD used the spacer on us, lots of praise. Then she uses it on herself without the inhaler attached, lots of praise.

Took ages but really worked.

Thanks for suggestions everyone, hadn't thought of a game/video before but will give it ago. If his zip pouch with his "puffers" in is brought out, he immediately starts having a meltdown. Not sure if it's the taste or something?

Deffo needs his meds reviewing. There's a number to call on his action plan so will ring first thing. Our GPs haven't been very good and won't change his meds or anything.

Really recommend a humidifier in his room at night time. It’s completely stopped my child’s asthma cough and wheeze at night. Game changer. I’m afraid I don’t have any tips on the inhaler etc as my child takes it ok luckily but it is a stressful thing to deal with all round so I sympathise. Buy a humidifier though for sure!