7 New Year Safety Tips for Your Asthmatic Child

From the archive. This post was first published on the original Green Eggs and Moms blog and is kept here as it was.

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Did you know that for an asthmatic person, smoke inhalation causes inflamed airways for up to at least 24 hours after exposure?

New Year celebrations have become synonymous with fireworks. Why shouldn’t they? Pyrotechnics offer colorful shows and loud bangs: the perfect way to welcome the incoming year.

During New Year’s eve, the sky’s quiet and bleak backdrop comes alive with spectacular light shows, released into the open by fireworks. But it’s not all that’s dispersed. A study found that chemicals used as main ingredients in pyrotechnics aggravate respiratory problems such as asthma, if the particles are inhaled.

For parents with asthmatic children, the New Year can be filled with anxiety and tension. But it doesn’t have to be.

New Year Safety Tips for Asthmatic Kids

1. Avoid the smoke

Watch fireworks from a distance or take your family on a vacation spot where firework smoke can’t get to you. However, if budget constraints prevent the latter…

2. Keep smoke out of your home

While you may have banned fireworks, your neighbors may not have. Close all doors and windows to prevent your child from inhaling smoke.

Now, unless you live in an airtight home, you can’t keep the smoke out 100%, which leads us to the next tip.

3. Seal any opening you can

Even with doors and windows shut, smoke can creep into a room through the tiny space beneath the underside of your door. A quick fix is to use a damp towel to cover the whole length. If you find other tiny cracks on walls or elsewhere, use clay or sticky tack to close them.

4. Switch the air conditioner or air filter on

Doing this keeps the air in your home clean for your child.

5. Keep medications nearby

Give your child his inhaler as soon as you hear his first cough. It’s best not to delay this unless you want a full-blown asthma attack on New Year’s eve.

In the unfortunate event that your child has an attack, immediately administer other prescribed medications.

6. Have your doctor’s number on speed dial

You want to be able to reach your child’s physician in case of an emergency. If you see more than one doctor, all the better. Make sure they are willingly available, even on a holiday, if you need to reach them.

7. Let your child wear a mask

Use a surgical or non-toxic mask to keep dangerous dust particles away from your child. You can also dampen the mask using a mixture of water and baking soda to enhance the smoke filtration process.

Bonus Tips:

8. Asthma Action Plan

This wonderful safety tip is from Andrea of My Life As An Asthma Mom.

Fill up an asthma action plan with your doctor and have it handy during the holidays. Nerves can cloud your judgement during emergencies which is why it’s a good idea to have this procedural document to guide you.

9. Use safer and greener alternatives to fireworks

Who says asthmatic kids can’t experience the fun colors and loud sounds of fireworks? Create one or more of these DIY New Year crafts to say goodbye to ’11 and hi to ’12, smoke-free.

Enjoy a safe New Year!

2012 is fast approaching and there should be no reason for you to dread celebrating the incoming year. By following the safety tips above, you can enjoy welcoming the New Year while preventing any emergencies.

Photo:
Creative Commons from Dottie Mae