Using a nebuliser at home.

Setting it up

Do this somewhere with a clean flat surface and a socket, with your child sitting upright. Upright matters — lying down, much less of the mist reaches the lungs.

1. Wash your hands You are about to handle something that goes straight into your child's lungs.
2. Assemble Tubing from the machine to the medicine cup, mask or mouthpiece on top. Check the tubing is not cracked or blocked.
3. Add only what was prescribed The exact medicine, the exact dose, made up as you were shown. Do not add anything else, not saline, not a second drug, not oils.
4. Sit upright and seal the mask Mask over nose and mouth with no gap. Switch on. Normal breathing, occasional deeper breath. Keep going until the misting stops — usually 5 to 15 minutes.
5. Clean it immediately Wash the cup and mask in warm soapy water, rinse well, and air dry fully on a clean cloth. A damp nebuliser grows bacteria and delivers them to the lungs.

Play steps Back Next

Getting a frightened child to keep the mask on

• Do it before they are exhausted. A tired, distressed child fights harder.
• Hold them on your lap, facing outward, mask held against the face rather than strapped tight.
• Distract properly: a phone screen, a song, a story. Ten minutes of screen time to get a treatment in is a fair trade.
• Let them hold the mask if they are old enough. Control helps.
• Never "blow-by": holding the mask a few centimetres away because they are crying. Almost none of the medicine gets in. A sealed mask on a crying child is better than a loose one on a calm child.
• Practise when they are well. Let them put the mask on a doll. The first time should not be during an attack.

Cleaning and keeping it safe

• Wash the cup and mask after every use; air dry completely.
• Disinfect with steam, and follow whatever else your device’s manufacturer specifies. Usually weekly.
• Do not wash the tubing. Water trapped inside cannot dry and will breed organisms. Replace it instead when it looks cloudy or damp.
• Replace masks and cups on the schedule the manufacturer gives. They are consumables.
• Store assembled parts in a clean dry bag or box, not loose in a drawer.
• Check the machine's filter and change it when it discolours.
• Never share a mask or cup between children.

What a nebuliser will not do

Nebulisers have become a household item in Nigeria and are often used for things they do nothing for. Being clear about this saves money and, more importantly, stops treatment being delayed.

• It does not treat a common cold. Nebulising saline may loosen secretions a little; it does not shorten a cold.
• It does not treat pneumonia. Pneumonia needs assessment and usually antibiotics. Nebulising a child with pneumonia and feeling reassured is a dangerous delay.
• It is not a substitute for an inhaler with a spacer. For most children over about one year, an inhaler with a spacer delivers asthma medicine as well as a nebuliser, is faster, and is portable.
• It is not something to start on your own. Repeated reliever doses without review can mask worsening asthma.

Common questions