From SanoLabs, the makers of the Sam app
Toddler wheezes with every cold? Write the record down
Wheezing with colds is common in toddlers, and most toddlers who wheeze do not develop asthma. If it keeps coming back, the pediatrician needs your history most: when it started, how the nights were, how many daycare days were missed. Whether it is asthma is the doctor's call.
What do you note each time?
Doctors often call wheezing with a cold in toddlers viral wheeze. How often, how severe and what runs in the family is for the doctor to weigh. You supply the history. One line per episode is enough, for example: Wed 12 Mar, cold for two days, cough and wheeze in the evening, awake twice in the night, saw the doctor Thu, off daycare Thu and Fri.
- Date and startWhen it began and whether a cold came before.
- What it looked likeCough, wheeze, how hard the breathing seemed, in your own words.
- The nightWhether your child woke or coughed at night.
- Between coldsWhether cough or wheeze also came without a cold.
- Visits and what was prescribedWhether you saw the practice or went to the emergency room, what was prescribed and how it went. The practice explains how to use it.
- Days missedDays your child missed at daycare, and days you took off.
What do you bring to the appointment?
If you can, film a short clip of the wheeze. At the appointment your child is often well again.
- The recordThe episodes with dates, as you noted them, on a sheet or in your own notes.
- FamilyWhether asthma, eczema or hay fever runs in parents, siblings or your child.
- The medication listEverything the doctor prescribed for your child, as the doctor wrote it down.
- Clip and health bookletA short phone clip of the wheeze and your child's checkup booklet.
What do you tell the daycare?
You can say The practice wrote down what we need to know. I will pass it on.
You hand over what the practice gives you in writing.
You can say Please tell me how my child was today.
It fills in what you did not see.
You can say If you give medication, I would like to settle it in writing, with the doctor's instructions.
Rules differ by country and setting. Ask the daycare how it handles medication.
Sam and your child
Where Sam fits in
The program in Sam lives on the phone of the person it is about. A young child usually has none yet. Then you note episodes, nights and sick days down yourself, on paper or in your own notes, and take them to the appointment. Once your child has their own phone, they can keep their program there and show you selected details through Friends and Family.
- Note each episodeDate, severity as rated, and whether the prescribed reliever helped.
- Nights and sick daysNights woken and sick days sit in the record with dates.
- Report as a PDFThe report sums up a period you choose, 1, 3, 6 or 12 months or the whole record, for the pediatrician.
- Share the recordThe person the program is about shares selected details through Friends and Family. Each parent sees what is shared with them. Nobody but them can add entries or create the PDF report through it.
Logged episodes3
Nights woken4
Sick days9
Days with prescribed reliever11
A summary of your own entries. Your doctor interprets it.
The appointment after the third time
Instead ofTrying to recall which month the second time was
In SamEvery episode is on your sheet with its date.
Instead ofWorking out in the waiting room how the nights were
In SamNights woken are on the sheet with dates.
Instead ofTelling the other parent everything
In SamA photo of the sheet is enough for the other parent.
Sam records what is entered; it does not recognize breathing trouble or asthma. Whether it is asthma is for the pediatrician to decide.
What parents often ask
EmergencyWhen should I get help right away?+
This is general safety information, not a diagnosis.
- In an emergency or if you are unsure, call your local emergency number (112 in the EU, 999 in the UK, 911 in the US). For medical advice that is not urgent, call your doctor or local out-of-hours service.
If your child's doctor gave you a written emergency plan, follow it. This is not a diagnosis.
What is viral wheeze?+
Wheezing that comes with a cold or another virus. It is common in children under five, and in many it stops before school age. Some children who wheeze have asthma. Which it is for your child is for the doctor to say.
Is wheezing normal in toddlers?+
It is common in toddlers with colds, and most do not develop asthma, especially when there were only one or two episodes and no asthma, eczema or allergy runs in the family and your child has no allergy or eczema. If it keeps coming back, talk to your pediatrician, who decides what is behind it. What matters at the appointment is in our overview of asthma symptoms.
Does my child need a lung specialist?+
That is the pediatrician's call. Ask the practice.
Can the daycare give the inhaler?+
Rules differ by country and setting, and not every daycare takes on giving medication. Ask the daycare how it handles it, and ask the doctor for written instructions to hand over.
Does the record help in the emergency room too?+
There too you are often asked about the history, nights and what was prescribed. In an emergency, though, getting help comes first, not writing it down.
Can I show the record to the other parent?+
Yes. You can copy or photograph the sheet and give it to the other parent. If your child has their own phone with Sam, they can share selected details through Friends and Family, and each of you sees what is shared with you. Nobody but the person themselves can add entries or create the PDF report through it.
What can Sam do for wheezing, and what not?+
Sam keeps what is entered and sums it up as a report. Sam does not recognize breathing trouble or asthma, and the assessment is up to a doctor.
Does Sam replace the pediatrician?+
No. Sam is a wellness companion, not a medical device. A doctor makes the assessment.
Go to the appointment with a record, not gaps
Sam keeps episodes, nights and sick days and sums up the chosen period as a report.
Sam is a wellness companion, not a medical device. Sam does not diagnose, treat, cure or prevent any condition and does not replace a doctor. For acute symptoms: call your local emergency number (112 in the EU, 999 in the UK, 911 in the US).