Asthma inhaler for 20 month old - how to use?

[Mo2]

After 3 months of persistent coughing (up all night last night ) our GP thinks DS2 may be showing a tendency towards asthma. So we're going to try a salbutamol inhaler for 3 weeks. haven't picked it up yet, but understand there's a 'mask' thing?
she said we might need to make a game of it -how exactly ??

It will probably be a Spacer that you will be given and it has instructions how to use it inside. A spacer is a chamber that the salbutamol is puffed in one end and the child breathes it in via a mask from the other side.

DS2 can be encouraged to hold it against her face and she will hear it click when she breathes. My DS3 had no problems using it as a toddler. Should be fine.

Mo2, my dd uses an inhaler and spacer. My advice (FWIW!) is to let your ds play with the spacer for a bit to become familiar with it. Let him practise breathing through it and make it click. My dd covered hers with stickers to "personalise" it. It's quite easy to use.

Hope the coughing gets better. It's horrible for all the family when a child is poorly, especially if you're awake all night!

Agree with Discordia - stickers are good, also let DS play at giving it to his soft toys or to you. Bubbles are good too, either to look at while having the inhaler or as a reward after he's had it successfully. With the spacer you need to hold it over the face for a count of 10 for each puff, count out loud - my DSknew 1-10 from a very young age from having his inhaler and always joins in!

If it is the spacer that ds has then it is very easy to use. Let him play with it. We have told ds it is a pilots mask, and as he is plane crazy he is happy to have it over his face. It is easy to use at night when thy ae sleeping. We can use it without it waking him up.

DD uses it on her doll, then we do it to her.
Stickers are brill, we put them in a book.
It is easy to use, may look a little scarey to him at first, but they get used to it!!

She will probably be scared of it at first, my dd and ds was. Ds (14mths) now things it's hilarious. They both have their spacer covered in stickers too.

Agree with the others there are clear instructions with the inhaler and mask.
My ds played with his to get used to it, but when it came to using it, he didn't like it and would scream. So the only thing I could do was use it when he was coughing in his sleep!! Believe it or not, he knew nothing about it and I would puff it when he breathed in.