Asthma is one of the most common conditions among people in the United States, affecting more than 27 million Americans. It usually develops during childhood, typically by age 5. Knowing how to use an asthma inhaler is an important part of managing the condition.
If your child has been diagnosed with asthma, the condition may be treated by your pediatrician or a pulmonologist, a specialist in caring for the lungs. Because allergens can trigger asthma, you may also be referred to an allergist for treatment.
Regardless of which doctor your child sees, the provider will put together an asthma treatment plan that may include the use of one or more asthma inhalers. You will also receive an asthma action plan that coaches you and your child on what to do when an asthma attack occurs.
The medications in asthma inhalers need to get to your child’s lungs in order to work properly. Learning how to use each type of inhaler correctly—and teaching your child to do the same—is a good first step on any asthma journey.
How to Help your Child Use an Inhaler
If your child is diagnosed at a very young age, you will probably need to help your child use the inhaler for several years. The American Academy of Pediatrics offers helpful videos about using different inhalers:
- Press-and-breathe inhaler with a spacer mask
- Press-and-breathe inhaler with a spacer
- Press-and-breathe inhaler
- Dry powder inhaler
Your child’s doctor or a pharmacist can also step you through how to use each specific inhaler that’s prescribed. If you don’t quite understand their instructions, don’t hesitate to ask questions. In order for your child to benefit from an inhaler, it has to be used correctly.
Types of Inhaler Devices
There are multiple types of medication for treating asthma. Some are used for quick relief during an asthma attack, while others are used to prevent attacks from happening in the first place.
Your child’s asthma treatment plan might include an inhaler for immediate relief during an attack and another inhaler or medication to help keep attacks from occurring. There are different kinds of inhalers, and they work in various ways to deliver the medication to the body.
Press-and-Breathe Inhaler with Spacer Device 
When kids are prescribed a press-and-breathe inhaler, medical providers often also prescribe what is known as a spacer. This spacer makes it easier to use an inhaler and helps the medication get to the lungs.
The spacer attaches to the end of an asthma inhaler on one side and a mask or mouthpiece on the other. To use the inhaler, you press the button on the inhaler, which releases the medication into the spacer, where it is held until it is inhaled.
Metered Dose Inhaler
Metered dose inhalers, also called MDIs, contain a cartridge of liquid medication. This medication sprays through a nozzle and out through a mouthpiece. There are two types of MDIs: press-and-breathe inhalers and breath-actuated inhalers.
A press-and-breathe inhaler works exactly as it sounds—you press a button, and medication is delivered into the mouthpiece, where it is inhaled. A breath-actuated inhaler requires an additional step. Rather than being triggered by the press of a button, medication is pulled from the inhaler by an inhalation or breath.
Because breath-actuated inhalers require more action on the part of the patient, they are not typically recommended for young children.
Nebulizer
Nebulizers work differently from metered-dose inhalers. Instead of spraying medication, a nebulizer machine changes the liquid medicine into a mist. The child then breathes in this mist through a mask or mouthpiece.
Using an inhaler can be challenging for small children, including infants and toddlers. Nebulizers are often recommended to overcome those challenges and get kids the asthma medication they need.
Dry Powder Inhaler
Dry powder inhalers, or DPIs, are a newer form of asthma medication. Instead of using liquid medication like MDIs and nebulizers, DPIs provide medication in a fine powder form.
These medications work similarly to a breath-actuated inhaler—the powder is released into the body when a child breathes in.
Safely Storing the Inhaler
Asthma inhalers should be stored at room temperature and kept dry.
While it might seem counterintuitive, the medicine cabinet is not the best place for medicine, including inhalers. Most medicine cabinets are located in a bathroom, where they are regularly exposed to moisture and temperature fluctuations. A drawer or cabinet located in a room without a water source can be a good place to keep an inhaler.
Childhood Asthma Education at University Health
Have questions about asthma inhalers and how to help your child use them? Attend one of our Childhood Asthma Education classes! These classes are offered regularly to help parents learn about the signs and symptoms of asthma, medications and prevention.
