There are several things you can do to help your child have fewer asthma episodes.
- Work with your child's doctor to identify your child's asthma triggers.
- Take steps to reduce your child's exposure to asthma triggers.
- Work with your child's doctor to come up with a written action plan for managing your child's asthma.
- Follow the asthma action plan.
- Share copies of your child's asthma action plan with your child's school, teachers, babysitters, and family members.
- Talk about your child's asthma action plan with people in your child's life so that, in case of an asthma episode, they will know what to do.
- Notice how often you child has asthma symptoms like coughing, chest tightness, wheezing, and trouble breathing. Ask for reports of asthma symptoms at school or child care.
- Remind your children to wash their hands to reduce the spread of colds.
- Contact your child's doctor if your child has asthma symptoms or uses a quick relief inhaler more than once or twice a week. You and your child's doctor may need to adjust the asthma action plan.
For more information on managing your child's asthma, visit EPA's asthma webpage or NoAttacks.org.