5 Ways to Manage Your Child’s Asthma This Winter

The colder months can be hard for a child with asthma. Cooler air naturally causes their passageways to constrict to warm incoming air, which is a problem for asthmatic children, as their airways are already constricted. 

Winter is definitely a more difficult time to manage your child’s asthma, but it’s certainly not impossible. Whether you need tips, tricks, or a complete winter asthma plan, our team of providers at Abdow Friendship Pediatrics in Rockville, Maryland, is here to help. 

As asthma specialists, our physicians are the ones you want in your child’s corner through the difficult moments the condition sometimes entails. Here are five ways to manage your child’s asthma this winter. 

1. Have a winter action plan

This may seem obvious, but even some experienced asthma parents aren’t aware that an asthma action plan is a living document that changes over time and from season to season. Talk to us about changes you might make to manage your child’s condition better this winter. 

2. Know winter triggers

Asthma triggers are often uniquely individual, so your child may have their own combination of conditions and situations that bring on asthma attacks. Some of the common triggers occurring in winter include: 

• Cold air
• Wood smoke
• Christmas scented products, like candles and air fresheners
• Indoor pollutants, including dust mites, mold, and pet dander
• Respiratory symptoms from viral infections, such as a cold or the flu

Keeping a potential trigger log expressly for the winter months might help you identify previously undetected triggers. 

3. Use controller medications as prescribed

Most asthmatics have a two-stage medication plan. Controller medications are prescription products your child takes daily. These keep inflammation of their airways to a minimum. Faithful use of controller meds reduces the frequency and severity of asthma attacks when they occur. 

4. Arrange access to rescue inhalers at all times

The second stage of asthma medication is a rescue inhaler, sometimes called a reliever, which is used when an asthma attack starts. A rescue inhaler provides fast relief but only lasts a short time to get over breathing hurdles. 

When you know your child will be exposed to identified triggers, like cold air, using a rescue inhaler 15 minutes before exposure to the trigger may help avoid a full-scale attack. 

When your child needs to use their rescue inhaler more than three times a week, talk to us about a review of their asthma control plan. 

5. Keep your home asthma-friendly

Removing particulate triggers from your home may be a year-round assignment; however, it’s more important in winter conditions, when the air is typically drier, and less fresh air enters your home. Stay on top of asthma-busting tasks like: 

• Vacuuming with a HEPA filter
• Changing furnace filters
• Dusting regularly
• Laundering bedding frequently
• Humidifying rooms

Keep your home free of any of your child’s known asthma triggers. 

Contact Abdow Friendship Pediatrics online or by phone when you need a partner in your child’s asthma management. We’re here to help.