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How do you use a nebulizer on a 2 year old who is terrified of it. He gets hysterical when it is turned on?

nicole - 2009-04-29 05:08:09 - Toddler Preschooler

He has been having overnight coughing fits and may have asthma. We tried using it on him when he was sleeping, but how do you know he is getting the medicine? You can't put the mask on him lying down as the device needs to remain upright, so I just hold near his nose. Help!

Best Answer:

My daughter had to use a nebulizer from the time she was 6 months old. She didn't get used to it until she was around 2 because it scared her. I would just hold her and rock her to sleep in a semi upright position. After she was asleep I would give her the treatment. After doing this for a few days, she got used to it and she would do it awake. She did have asthma and needed to have a treatment every 4 hours. Hang in there, things will get easier.

Answers:

Ugh. I've been through this with both of my children. Not fun. For my son, it worked to distract him with his favorite video and let him sit on my lap while I held the mask to his face. (He wouldn't tolerate the strap.) However, my daughter wasn't fooled by distractions. She'd get hysterical. Our doctor actually said that it wasn't necessarily a bad thing because when they're crying like that they breathe very deeply and suck more of the medicine into their lungs. Still, it's not fun to make your child miserable. For DD, we ended up just holding/comforting her (and holding the mask over her nose/mouth) while she screamed. It was painful for all of us, but it got the job done and within a week or two got used to the nebulizer and didn't freak out anymore. By the end of the winter, she was much better and even learned to tolerate the strap on the mask. Good luck.

My nephew went through this and we made a small tent out of blankets and sat in there with him with it going. No mask just a smoky tent. He thought it was fun. Downside-I got a good dose of it too but not a big deal.

We had the exact same problem! My son would just freak out and the whole 20 minutes was torture. We actually found that saying a little prayer together beforehand helped a lot. If you're religious people, you could try that. Otherwise, what you're doing is getting some of the medicine into him, using it while he's asleep. How does he sleep through that?

My daughter had to use a nebulizer from the time she was 6 months old. She didn't get used to it until she was around 2 because it scared her. I would just hold her and rock her to sleep in a semi upright position. After she was asleep I would give her the treatment. After doing this for a few days, she got used to it and she would do it awake. She did have asthma and needed to have a treatment every 4 hours. Hang in there, things will get easier.

a young relative of mine had very bad asthma as a baby and into young childhood, he refused totally to sit for the nebuliser, distraction often didnt work nor bribery nor anything else but it was essential he had it so both his mom and dad would sit together to physically have to restrain him to hold him down whilst he was going through his toddler years after being advised to do so by the doc- he was always in hospital about it so it was something nessasery for his health and they were also told the crying and screaming would only play to help the gases get in deeper and thus more effective and not to worry, luckily he is older now and though still has to have the neb occasionally mostly he does just fine on a normal inhaler and is old enough to manage it himself now! (no ill effects from being forced to have the neb as a little one)

My son is Autistic and having a mask over his face freaks him out- he has asthma though and needs an occasional nebulizer. I used to fight him (he is 2 as well) and we would hold him down and he would scream during the duration and I seldom ever got a full treatment in him- What I started to do? I gave it to him in the early morning before he woke up- all they have to do is breathe it in so I would take the mask off and set the end of it by his nose while he was sleeping and let it blow into his face- his natural breathing would allow him to take breaths of the treatment in- so I gave it to him at nap time after he fell asleep and in the early morning before he woke up and and night after he went to bed. IF you just let the meds blow to his nose while he is sleeping- as long as he is breathing he is getting it- and you don't need the mask! I think you are doing exactly what you should!

Oh god my youngest went through this, and its horrible knowing they need it and your heart strings being pulled. If you turn down the amount of oxygen going in it isnt as noisy and the steam isnt quite as full on, it still does the job, takes a bit longer but not quite as scary experience. We always had to do this to get the mask anywhere near her face. AS hard as it is, the first few times i had to just physically hold her on my lap and hold the mask on her face, i told her to close her eyes, and i brought a portable cd player, put the headphones on her and play kids music so she cant hear the noise. Seemed to do the trick, not being able to see or hear it kinda helped her. She did get used to it, still doesnt like it but atleast now she will tolerate it.