Wheezing is a high purring or whistling sound. You hear it more on breathing out than in. Air flowing through swollen or tight breathing tubes usually causes wheezing.
Wheezing sounds like other problems. Croup sounds like wheezing. A high cough goes with croup. A stuffed nose makes a snorting sound. Mucus in the windpipe makes a rattling sound.
Wheezing means it is hard for your child to breathe. Check with the doctor if your child wheezes.
What Causes Wheezing?
Asthma -
This is the number 1 cause of wheezing. Most children grow out of asthma. But it sometimes
comes back after they are grown up. Asthma attacks are scary. They can be serious, too.
But they hardly ever kill. Here are some things that can cause an asthma attack:
Respiratory tract infection or bronchitis
Your child gets near something he or she is allergic to, like dust mites, pollen, mold,
food, animals,
perfume, etc.
Exercising too hard
Some medicines
Getting upset
A
change in the weather
Smells from wet paint, cleaners, bug sprays, smoke, burning coals, car exhaust, wood
smoke, etc.
Ice-cold drinks or cold air. These can sometimes make breathing tubes close up.
Respiratory tract infection
Something caught in the windpipe
A lung problem the child was born with
Pneumonia
| Is your child turning blue or not breathing? {Note: Do rescue breathing if your child has stopped breathing until emergency care comes or until your child starts breathing on his or her own. See Airway and Breathing under "CPR".}  |
 |
| Did your child's wheezing start during the last few hours? Is your
child coughing up bubbly pink or white phlegm? |
|
| Does your child have any of these problems? Very bad wheezing Shortness of breath Can't talk |
|
| Does your child have a fever over 101oF? |
 |
| If your child has asthma, is the wheezing getting worse? Or is your child not
getting better with treatment? |
 |
There is no cure for viral infections, allergies, or asthma. But you can help
your child's wheezing:
Try to get your child to drink
lots of liquids. These help thin the mucus. Get your child to sip juice, water, soup, or
weak tea. Don't give your child ice-cold drinks.
Set up a "cool-mist" vaporizer.
Clean it every day. Or take your child to the bathroom and turn on the hot water in the
sink and shower. (See the Self-Care Tips for
Croup.)
If your child has asthma, do what your
child's doctor says, and:
Stay calm. Use the bronchodilator the way the doctor told you.
Keep your child away from things the child is allergic to.
Mix 3/4 cup of bleach in a gallon of water. Wipe the bathroom tiles, kitchen stove, sink,
woodwork,
etc. Do this anyplace that fungus or mold
grows. Then air out the room.
Keep pets outside or away from your child if he or she is allergic to them. Be sure to
keep pets out
of your child's bedroom.
Vacuum often to suck up dust mites, pollen, and pet dander. Put a filter mask on your
child before
you start to vacuum.
Put a plastic cover on your child's mattress and pillow. Wash mattress pads in hot water
every week.
Quit smoking. Even old smoke in a room can make your child wheeze.
Use throw rugs that you can wash instead of carpeting. Keep them clean.
Put an air conditioner or electronic air filter on your furnace.
Change or wash furnace and air conditioner filters often.
Use a doctor-approved air purifier in your child's room.
Use foam pillows, not feather pillows.
Have your child shower, shampoo hair, and put on clean clothes after being near things the
child is
allergic to.
If exercise caused the wheezing, have your
child:
Avoid exercise in cold weather.
Swim. Pool areas have moist air, which is easier to breathe.
Start out any kind of exercise slowly and work up.
Take prescribed medicine about 15 minutes before exercise.
Small children get things like small toy
parts and foods like peanuts and popcorn stuck in their windpipe. Keep these things away
from small children.
HEALTH AT HOME - Your Complete Guide to Symptoms, Solutions, and Self-Care © 1999 by Don R. Powell. American Institute for Preventive Medicine.
Date updated 04/21/99