Nebulizer/Breathing Treatments

Hi, I have to give my 19 month old son breathing treatments for broncillitis and he absolutely hates them. Has anyone had to give these to a screaming, fighting child...any advice?

 

Elliot had nebulizer treatments a few months ago, but actually liked them. Go figure.

Anyways, the pedi told me that if he wouldn't keep the little thingy in his mouth to just hold it in front of his face and use my finger to cover the back end - that way he'd still be breathing in most of the medication.

It also helped to read to him or to let him watch a video (at least at bedtime) while using it.

Good luck, and hope you don't have to use it for long!

Rachel

 

Are you using the aero chamber? Does he freak out over the whole process or just when you spray?

Mine don't mind having the mask put on but once you spray they don't like it much. I hold them in position as I was taught to make sure they get good breaths and I try singing to them to distract them or daddy helps by dancing around and stuff. We try not to make it "noticeable" that we're doing it and if they are distracted by something else, it seems to help us.

 

My girls have had them alot and they don't seem to mind the mask either as long as you hold it in front of their face. No putting it on. We usually read or watch tv and rock. After a while I think they figured out that it made them feel better so they would let us do it.

GL!

 

Try letting him "use" it on a stuffed animal. My daughter used to fight her's too, but then one night, I let her have a turn "using" it on her baby doll (she just held the mask over her baby's face for bit). This made it more of a game and less of a power stuggle, and we never had problems after that.

 

My allergist suggested we switch from the nebulizer to the inhaler with a spacer for albuterol and flovent when the girls were a little over a year. It's 2 quick shots of medicine which takes 6 breaths each compared to 15 minutes. My girls adjusted very easily. Sometimes they still fight but it's over quickly and we all move on.

 

We've been using one for about a week now with Liam. He HATES it. The advice I have received from my sisters (who have kids with asthma) is to put on a show while you hold him in your lap. Debbie said she held the mask in front of his face and down a little, figuring the vapors are coming up to his mouth/nose. I let Liam keep his binky in his mouth and I sing to him while it is going on. I can't wait to be done with it!! We go back to the doctor on Wednesday. Good Luck, I hope he is feeling better.

 

We just hold it in the front of Katelyn's nose/mouth. I usually let her pick out a movie or T.V. show while we do it. But in the near future we are doing to have to start doing it the proper way I think where she outs her mouth on the piece.

 

we actually do it in their highchairs----they wont sit still on my lap even with a movie. I give them some colors and hope for the best.

 

I just started doing them with my 16 month old and he hated them at first and now he is adjusting. I just let him walk around his room and snag him when I can. Most of the time he is pulling all the clothes out of the drawers from the dresser and I just sit next to him and let it blow into his face and plug the backend of the chamber. We do not use a mask.

 

We've had to do them with both the big sis (2) and the twins (1). I have found that they hate the mask, so we stopped using it. The 1 yr old actually keeps the chamber in his mouth, biting on it and even when it's not in his mouth, it's in front of his mouth and nostrils and he's breathing it in. Also, a DVD or something he enjoys watching is always helpful. He really, really hated it at first (8 mo) but now (at 1) he's an old pro.

 

I am about to get my son's medicine today. He is on a inhaler. I am unsure how that is going to be work out? I think it is going to be frustrating for us to get him to sit still and try to put that thing in his mouth. He is getting it for temporary because he has a congested chest with his sinus infection.

Thanks for reading,
D

 

We sit them in our lap and watch a cartoon or something. And, if they fight it, we just hold their hands down until they stop. My ped said you have to remember that you are the parent and they NEED this. I know that sounds awful, but if you aren't really getting them to breath it in, then it's just going to take longer for them to get better, kwim?

When they were younger, we were told to just hold it front of their face. Now that we're seeing a pediatric pulmonologist, she has us using the mask so that they are breathing it in the whole time. They both have really gotten used to it. Still fight us at the first go but stop within a minute because they know we aren't playing around.

Hang in there! Shannon

 

Shannon,

Thanks for the advice. We had a ROUGH time because he never seen that or understand what this is all about. I feel so bad for holding him down last night. I cried after we did that to him. We will be facing that again every day but like you said, we're the parents and he need it.

In fact, Rianna ran away from us. She didn't like what we were doing to him. So she sat by the step in the hallway talking to her baby doll. I wished we had her in the other room. We didn't think of it but will keep her distract while we're doing him.

Thanks for reading in,
D, w/Rianna and Justin (18 mos)

 

We had an extra car seat in the house, our big girl would sit in the seat and watch a show for her treatments.
Watching an episode of Jon & Kate plus 8 where the kids were doing treatments made it cool to her so now she even asks to do one like Aaden (her fave!).
We are now on inhalers 2 of them and Singulair for control.
Good luck!