“Parents and carers often tell me they’re scared to leave their child with someone else in case their child gets symptoms or has an asthma attack. Taking time to talk to people about your child’s asthma beforehand can make a big difference.” – Debbie, Respiratory Nurse Specialist, Asthma + Lung UK Helpline.
It’s important to let people know about your child’s asthma if they are looking after your child. If your child has suspected asthma but they have not been diagnosed yet, you should still explain to people that they might have asthma and tell them what symptoms to look out for.
When leaving your child in someone's care, try to:
- Arrive early, so you have more time to talk about your child’s asthma with the person looking after them.
- Give the person looking after your child a copy of their asthma action plan. This will help them understand your child’s medicines, asthma triggers and what to do in an emergency.
- Show the person looking after your child how to use their inhaler and spacer (if they use one), so they can help them if they need to. You could send them our short inhaler technique videos to help.
- Leave your contact information so they can call you if they are not sure or concerned about anything.
- Ask people not to smoke or vape around your child. Children are more likely to be harmed by passive smoking because their lungs haven’t finished growing.
- Ask them to tell you if your child has any asthma symptoms or if they used their reliever inhaler (usually blue).
- If someone looks after your child a lot, keep them updated. Tell them if there’s anything new they should know about so they can care for your child properly. For example, your child could have changed medicines or have a cold.
Get support
Call our Helpline for support with your condition. Get advice on your medicines, symptoms or travelling with a lung condition, or just call us to say hello.
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