Anyone have a baby that uses an inhaler and spacer?

[BagofHolly]

My 13 month old is on flixotide and salbutamol. The asthma nurse at my practice has confused me because she said that je needed to take ten breaths PER puff into his spacer. The hospital said 10 breaths regardless of the number of puffs (which makes sense to me.)

Anyone know for sure?

Yes it is 8-10 breaths per puff or easier to count at that age is 10 seconds.

I'm a children's emergency nurse and this is what we recommend.

God we'll be here all day! See, I thought, the spacer only holds so much air, so once he's breathed it in, it's in. He HAATES his inhaler and screams when he sees it.

I know it seems like torture but just remind yourself it is helping him. We usually recommend wrapping them in a blanket or bath towel to keep hands out of the way. It takes much less time when you don't have to keep repositioning. The little ones also learn very quickly that once they are wrapped it is going to happen and it gets easier and quicker.

Good luck and hope the inhalers help

Thankyou, I'll stick with it, they've made a huge difference already.

They get used to it quickly thankfully, DS is 2.2 and has been on inhaler since 6 months - he now holds it over his own face and asks for it when he knows he needs ventolin

Let him play with the spacer a lot during the day so he gets used to it, pretend to give yourself/teddies/toy cars inhaler. Anything to make it seem normal to him.

Yes per puff - something about if you put multiple 'sprays' into the spacer the molecules bash into each other and wipe out the good effects of the inhaler, or something.

DS2 is 4 now, has been using it since 2ish. He's fine with it now.
We quite often join in funny breathing with him, like a choo choo train type thing? to help him take more breaths as he can hold his breath for ages.
He wasn't great to start with either, but at least if they're screaming they are breathing it in.

JKSLtd that sounds different again! Do you do a puff and then give 10 breaths? The asthma nurse at my practice did all the puffs at once into the spacer and THEN handed it over!

No you never do them all at once, you have to do each puff individually. It does scare me the advice some professionals give out on this issue.

Our routine is -

• Shake inhaler well, inhaler into the end of spacer
• Spacer held over face
• One puff, count to 10 sloooooowwwwwwwwwllllly
• remove inhaler, shake and repeat for each puff needed.

When its 10 ventolin and 4 preventer it seems to take forever - good news is DS quickly learnt how to count to to

Yes with Sirzy, we were doing the 10 puffs at once until we got told off for that! We were only doing what we'd been told by someone else

Oh my life we've been doing it all wrong! He's on flixotide 50 - if they upped the dose then he wouldn't have to have as many puffs. He's on 4, 3 times a day plus 6 ventolin twice a day/as required! And he's a twin and I have a two year old so things are always rushed but my God I've been so crap at this!

Definitely agree with moojie and sirzy. It does get easier, DD is 3.5 now and she's fine with hers. It's less easy with DS who is 1. I put him between my legs and put his arms under my legs to pin him down. Lots of clapping and cuddling afterwards and letting him play with the spacer seems to be helping a bit.

You may find that when you get the technique right he doesn't need as much and eventually the doses will be able to be reduced.

We are lucky that our kids ward is fantastic so when he was first given inhalers they spent ages with us each time he needed them making sure we knew exactly what we were doing.

www.asthma.org.uk/all_about_asthma/for_parents/medicines_for_your_child/using_a_spacer_with.html has a good explaination on how to use the spacer. I find asthma UK a very handy port of call for when i am unsure on things

www.asthma.org.uk/all_about_asthma/for_parents/medicines_for_your_child/using_a_spacer_with.html

Sirzy, thankyou, tons. Tons. I can't believe how we've been doing it all wrong and my poor baby has been suffering!
thanks to the rest of you too. Off to watch the video again and make DH watch it. And our childminder. And nursery.

Nursery should know how to do it without needing showing, I know DS nursery have been great and have staff who have been trained in how to give inhalers.

Its not your fault you have been doing it wrong, its the fault of the professionals who haven't show you how to do it properly x

I happily went to nursery and showed them how we do it and they never said anything! Bugger!