Asthma - teaching a 30month old to use a spacer

twinmommy+2, ADN, BSN, MSN · Mar 20, 2009

Some of the masks I've seen for the nebulizer treatments have been fish shaped so it looked like they were putting on a cool mask, I don't know if they have the same for the spacers though.

gecks · Mar 20, 2009

ok cool thanks

Zana2 · Mar 20, 2009

I taught mine to breath in and out to 'catch the cloud in her mouth'. If she exhaled/inhaled through her nose I told her to hold her nose so 'the cloud doesn't escape'. I held the spacer and puffed, she just focused on the cloud. No fancy frills. And no rewards, just cheered her. She was about 14 months.

Your idea with the monkeys is good, however, your kid is under 36 months and there's the danger of chocking/inhaling the things, after all, you're asking them to breathe. But i'm just thinking practically, for a BD treatment or an attack, the monkeys are are right pain. You're just setting her/him and the parents for another tantrum. keep it simple. Good luck, teaching children is HARD!

DDRN4me · Mar 20, 2009

I would definitely not put anything in the spacer. not only is it an infection risk it is also a choking hazared.

the "catch the cloud" idea is a good one. I usually just demonstrate taking a "big monster breath" and holding it in. they get it after a couple of times. No huge reward as this is part of their medical treatment and may be for a long time; they need to get used to it as such.

Flare, ASN, BSN · Mar 20, 2009

The masks work really well. You can also try explaining the concept of deep breaths and mouth breathing vs. nose breathing by using a pinwheel or bubbles.

sjt9721, BSN, RN · Mar 20, 2009

My daughter was about 32 months old when we got an inhaler/spacer. The first time we used it, I had to give the medicine to her Care Bear first and then it was her turn. We let her hold the pieces (mask, spacer, inhaler) and showed her how to put them together. Now she puts it together herself (she's 3 1/2 now) and helps me shake and then discharge the inhaler. We count to 3 before doing it, of course!

We also have a nebulizer. We taught her where to put the medicine, and how to put the pieces together & turn on the machine. We were visiting my parents & she needed a treatment. It was impressive to watch her "teach" Grandma how to do it.

Like most her age, Erika wants to be very independent and do things by herself. Teaching her about these things gives her a sense of control and (I think) diminishes her fear of the devices.

nicu4me · Mar 20, 2009

My problem was having them keep the nebulizer mask on long enough for the treatment itself.....so we just read a book, they can read picture stories, the more they talk into the mask the more they are getting in anyway as long as I held the mask on -- didn't use the string behind the head. For the spacer to keep the inhalation in long enough....i made him count or do the abc's. Have them look forward to something while you are doing it, first to distract then have them teach you as the other post said. Also, there were some days he had tantrums, holding the mask with the neb onto the face as closely as I could, hey all the screaming got the med into his lungs just as good. (Don't think that I held him down, it was just a couple of tantrums that some kids have once in a while) i had friends asking me how I was able to get my child to do it and when I told them what I did it worked for them too. They are so unpredictable at that age.