Whichever is more comfortable for him.

The medications you have work better and have fewer side effects than
you would get with enough coffee to make a theraudic dose.

The wet washcloth on the blowdryer sounds like an accident waiting to
happen.  (Electricity + water = Bad Thing.)

Is your child old enough to use a peak flow meter?  You might want to
discuss this with your doctor.  Using a peak flow meter you can detect
(and counter) upcoming asthma problems before they happen.

I suggest that you head down to a bookstore and get "The Asthma
Sourcebook" by Francis V. Adams M.D.  Reading this book will tell you
a lot about what is going on.

BTW, do you know if the child is allergic to anything?

--
"It's not American foreign policy, or the plight of the
Palestinians, or America's longstanding support for Israel.
A group of people with money and weaponry have simply
decided that we, as a civilization, are unfit to live, and
want, eventally, to exterminate us."
'Christian Century' magazine

With kids this age people usually have them sit on their lap
while they give it. If he is good about keeping it in his
mouth (or the facemask in place - whichever you use) you can
just let him sit on his own. I say sit because most adults
with difficulty breathing prefer this position and there are
some mechanical advantages so long as he is not hunched over
so his belly makes it hard to take a deep breath. In
reality, Colin is right, do whatever keeps him calm and
comfortable. If his breathing is so bad that the difference
in position makes much of a difference then you probably
should be on the way to the ER.

That is one home remedy that mimics the effects of an asthma
medicine called theophylline (which has been shown to not be
helpful in acute atacks BTW). it might have some mild
benefit in mild attacks but in a three year old acutely and
significantly wheezing I think you will likely only end up
with a hyper wheezing child.

I think what they were trying to get at is that moist air
can help mobilize secretions. If you want to try this to see
if it helps blowing a humidifier across his face or steaming
up the bathroom and making sure he doesn't get into the hot
water are both common suggestions. I'm with Colin again in
thinking that juggling the wheezing child, the nebs, the
dryer, the towel, etc is an accident waiting to happen.

The book Colin suggested is a good one. Also, it would be
helpful to  sit down with his doctor and review a detailed
plan that includes exactly what to do and when to call the
doc or head to the ER.

Hi,
I myself have Asthma, and so do my kids (although much milder)

Here's what I do :

1. Bring them into a dimly lit room, but enough light so you can see
them breathing properly.

2. A cool rag for the forehead helps to calm them down.

3. Now the most important part: Pursed Lip Breathing
Have them breathe in through their nose slowly and blow out slowly
through puckered lips as if they were blowing to cool off a bowl of
hot soup.

Reinforce that they try and slow their breathing down with each breath
back to their normal rate and rhythm. This might take a few minutes.

This has spared us from many trips to the ER.

p.s. I would find out what triggers their attacks, and maybe there is
some maitainence meds they could be on, ask your Doctor.

Good luck and God bless!

Hi,
I myself have Asthma, and so do my kids (although much milder)

Here's what I do :

1. Bring them into a dimly lit room, but enough light so you can see
them breathing properly.

2. A cool rag for the forehead helps to calm them down.

3. Now the most important part: Pursed Lip Breathing
Have them breathe in through their nose slowly and blow out slowly
through puckered lips as if they were blowing to cool off a bowl of
hot soup.

Reinforce that they try and slow their breathing down with each breath
back to their normal rate and rhythm. This might take a few minutes.

This has spared us from many trips to the ER.

p.s. I would find out what triggers their attacks, and maybe there is
some maitainence meds they could be on, ask your Doctor.

Good luck and God bless!

or sit up to take in nebulizer med. SOmeone told me I might try strong
coffee another said put a cold wet wash rag in front of the blow drier
on cool.  STuff like these would be great I a new to this but feel so
scared and unpreparred when he does have an attack.  Please help me
any advice is welcome...thanks

Cofee is a big no-no. Caffeine does not replace medicine. You will
hear all sorts of myths and so called herbal remedies. The bottom line
is, none of it works. That being said, a healthy diet and exercize can
do wonders. But we're talking about a preschooler who I am guessing is
not sitting still very long ;).

My son will be 4 this week. He has been officially asthmatic for
almost 3 years. I cannot stress enough that your best defense against
asthma and any other ailments your child may have (mine has asthma and
reflux) is education. You need to educate yourself as much as humanly
possible to weed out the good from the bad advice. And most
importantly, YOU know your child better than any Dr. ever will. Do not
hesisitate to question your doctors and even fire them if necessary.
We have been thru many, many doctors before we finally found someone
who actually knew more than I had already learned about the disease!!!

Here are some great links to get you started:

http://www.mothersofasthmatics.org
http://www.lungusa.org
http://www.aaaai.org/patients/allergic_conditions/pediatric_asthma.stm

Feel free to email me with any questions you might have! I'll be glad
to share any (non-medical) advice!!!

Good luck and hang in there. I know what you must be feeling!

Amy