Asthma is a condition where the airways in the lungs constrict. The child suffering will struggle to breath and may wheeze or cough. This may last for minutes or even hours depending if they have the proper medications. This can be triggered by many things such as cigarette smoke, pet dander, pollen, mold and household dust.

The first and foremost thing you can do to avoid asthma attacks in children, is keep a clean house. As a rule you want to keep your house as clean and free of dust and anything else in the air that can cause an asthma attack. When you vacuum, you want a vacuum that has a good micro filter. This will trap and hold the majority of particles that can cause an asthma attack. Vacuums that only have the dirt cups or just a regular bag on them will not stop the dust that can send your child into an asthma attack. It’s hard as a parent to watch your child suffer with asthma. So anything you can do to avoid a trigger that can cause an asthma attack, the better for all.

The first place I would start the measures in avoiding asthma attacks is the child’s bedroom. The bed being the biggest problem, it can store the most triggers to asthma. Dust mites being the number one problem in beds. A lot of children are or can be allergic to the dust and the dust mites living in the bed. The first thing I would do is go down to a local furniture store that sell beds and see if they carry a plastic cover that will cover the bed. This will keep the dust mites down and won’t hold as much dust to help control a lot of asthma attacks. Then I would set up schedule so you can wash the bedding at least once a week if not twice a week.

If done right with the water temperature at or above 130 degrees Fahrenheit, to kill the dust mites in the pillow cases and bedding can greatly reduce the amount of dust mite related asthma attacks. When drying the bedding in the drier you also want high heat for a longer period of time. If you have access to steam cleaner with an attachment that would allow you to steam the bedding, pillow cases and stuffed animals that may be a home for dust mites.

As far as the stuffed animals are concerned I would not have any in the room because they are too hard to keep clean and can cause more problems than they are worth.

If you have not done so, put a humidifier in the room with your child. They can be a great help with making the air easier to breath. The one thing you need to make sure you do is clean the humidifier on a daily basis. With the moisture it tends to collect dust quicker than most things, and dust that is close to your child may cause an asthma attack.

As for the rest of the room you need to look at the closet. The closet as with most people has things hanging up in there that have not been worn or have been out grown that can hold a lot of allergens. You need to make sure to either wash all the clothes or get rid of the ones you don’t use. They can send allergens and dust into the air just by brushing against them.

Pets can be another big contributor to asthma attacks. The pet dander or the dead skin that comes from your animal can cause more asthma attacks then you might realize. If you are going to keep a pet you might want to try and find an outdoor enclosure to minimize the effects of pet dander on your child. If you have a pet that needs to be indoors, you may try to restrict the animal to one part of the house away from the bedrooms. The bedroom is where we spend most of our lives and any thing we can do to avoid asthma triggers and attacks the better. One more thing with regards to pets, is have a test done to find out if you child is allergic to your pet. This is a small measure to find how big of a problem your pet might be. Giving up your pet would not be easy but if it can save your child from having just one asthma attack, it might be worth it.

Only you can determine what is best you and your family. Mold is the next problem that may trigger your child’s next asthma attack. You want to make sure you keep mold from growing anywhere inside your house. Mold is hard to find and remove but it can cause a lot of problems for your child. Depending on the type of mold it is, it may even be deadly. There are companies that will come in and remove mold if you don’t know what to do about it. This is not something to be taken lightly so do your best not to have mold.

Also where you live can have a huge part in how many asthma attacks your child may have. If you live in an industrial area, near freeways or busy truck stops. It may not help your child breath better. All of these places have a lot more air born problems for you child. If you can live close to nature’s natural filters, namely trees, the better off your whole family will be.