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• be your child's champion
• managing asthma attacks
• administering medicine
• avoiding triggers
• lifestyle changes
• tracking your progress

lifestyle changes

Overcoming fears and resuming a "normal" life

Educating yourself is the best way to help your family get on board. Understand the basics, know what triggers an attack and what you and your child can do to prevent an attack. With the help of your Asthma Action Plan and Caregiver Checklist, your child's teachers and sitters will also be equipped to deal with an attack. It will still take some time, but eventually your child should be able to resume their regular activities, like sports, play dates, and after-school activities.

Making positive lifestyle changes

Many of the changes you may need to make as a family could improve the whole family's health!

• Smoking cessation
  Smoke from your cigarettes is not only dangerous for your child with asthma, it's also dangerous for you and other family members. Quitting can be hard, but your child's life is worth it, and there's no better time than now.
• Better air quality
  An estimated 5% of Americans are allergic to mold¹. Many people who aren't allergic may still be aggravated by it. Cleaning your house with an anti-mold solution and regularly replacing filters in your heating and air conditioning units should help your whole family breathe better.
• Relaxation techniques
  Athletes and practitioners of yoga and meditation already know that controlled breathing can help you relax. According to a Harvard study², deep breathing can also help slow your heartbeat and lower your blood pressure. As you teach your child breathing techniques to help keep them calm during their next asthma attack, you are also teaching yourself and other family members an important relaxation technique!
• Exercise
  Staying active is important. It helps maintain good health and may also help make your child's lungs stronger. A half hour of exercise 4 or 5 days a week is a good idea. Activities that involve short, intermittent periods of exertion -- such as volleyball, gymnastics, baseball, and wrestling -- are generally easier for children with asthma. Soccer, distance running, basketball or cold weather sports are more difficult. Swimming is also a great activity because it is usually performed in a warm, moist air environment and is excellent for fitness. Find activities that the whole family can participate in. If needed, talk with your healthcare provider to find the best ways to control your child's asthma symptoms during exercise.

Educating others

Although asthma is a common illness, you shouldn't assume that those caring for your child are familiar with it. Follow these steps so that you can feel comfortable leaving your child with others:

• Schedule a meeting with your child's teachers or counselors, or any other staff who has regular contact with your child to go over the Caregiver Checklist.
• Don't assume each new teacher or caregiver understands asthma. Review the asthma basics with him or her.
• Give the teacher or camp counselor your child's up-to-date Asthma Action Plan. Go over each step of the plan, and make sure the document is on file in the school or camp office.
• Discuss your child's asthma triggers and make sure the teacher knows how to recognize your child's symptoms when they're having an asthma attack.
• If your child is old enough, ask whether they may carry their own medication throughout the day.
• Give the school or camp two ways to contact you in case of an emergency.
• Complete and return all required medical and emergency forms.
• Label all of your child's asthma medication and equipment with their name and room number and clearly mark the dosage. Make sure all medication and equipment is up-to-date and in working order. You'll want to check this periodically.