What to Do If Your Toddler Refuses Their Inhaler
If you’ve ever chased your toddler around the living room with an inhaler in hand, you’re not alone. Many parents of kids with asthma face medication resistance—especially when it comes to inhaler time. Here’s how to make the process smoother (and less stressful).
How do I get my child to take their inhaler?
1. Stay Calm and Consistent
Toddlers pick up on stress. If they sense your frustration, they may resist even more. Keep a calm tone and treat inhaler time as a normal part of their day.
2. Use Play and Role-Modeling
Introduce the inhaler through stories and play:
- Read a story about characters with asthma such as Honeydew's Asthma Adventure
- Let your child teach a stuffie about asthma and demonstrate to their favorite stuffie 'how it's done'
- Incorporate play intro treatment time: have a stuffie (like Honeydew who comes with her own inhaler) do their inhaler treatment first then have your toddler take a turn
3. Make It Routine
Link inhaler use with something predictable, like after brushing teeth or before bedtime stories. Routines make it feel less optional.
4. Offer Choices and Praise
Kids love having some control. Try:
“Do you want to hold the spacer or should I?”
“Do you want to shake the inhaler today or should I?”
Follow with lots of positive praise when they cooperate.
At Carabie, our goal is to help kids feel empowered about their health. Our plushies and books are designed to make medical care a little less scary. Explore our collection here.