Identify What Triggers Your Infant's Asthma

• You must identify what is triggering your infant's asthma. Unfortunately, many factors may be contributing to your child's breathing problem such as respiratory infections, weather changes, and even crying. These cannot be avoided. But you can avoid exposing your infant to things like cigarette smoke, aerosol sprays, perfumes and other indoor air pollutants.
  
  

Medicines to Use to Treat Asthma in Infants

• You can use a number of different medicines to treat your infant's asthma. Ask your doctor about using bronchodilators such as Proventil, Ventolin and Xopenex to open your baby's airways and provide him quick relief.
  
  The next step is to use long-term, preventer medicines such as corticosteroids (Prelone, Pediapred) or cromolyn sodium (Intal), to help treat the inflammation in your infant's airways. Most doctors will prescribe a combination of medications based on severity and frequency of symptoms.
  
  

How to Administer Asthma Medicines to Your Infant

• Medications should be administered in a liquid form or breathed in by the infant with a nebulizer--a small machine that produces a mist of medicine the infant inhales through a small face mask. Nebulizer treatments are given a few times a day until the infant's asthma symptoms subside.
  
  If your infant's asthma is controlled for at least three months, with your doctor's permission you can decrease the amount of medication you're giving your infant. Be sure to consult your child's doctor for specific treatment instructions.