In the last 30 years more and more children seem to be victims of asthma. Most parents know little about the disease, its effects or symptoms. When their child suffers an asthma attack, the parents, because of this lack of knowledge can become stressed or panicky, resulting in a panic stricken child. Unfortunately during an asthma attack, the victim panicking can make the attack even more severe.

Asthma can be traumatic because the first attack that the child has is usually the first indication there is a problem. Once asthma has been diagnosed, there are plenty of medications and treatments that can be helpful once an attack begins. Additionally there is much advice to parents that can help avoiding asthma attacks in their children.

One thing you should do once your child has been diagnosed with asthma, is to start keeping a diary to identify what actually brings on the attack. Try to observe what the child is doing or where it is when the attack commences. If you can identify the triggers, then you may be able to keep your child from being exposed to the situations where attack is likely. Of course if you do manage to identify the triggers you should speak to your doctor about them.

Perhaps the most important home management step that you can take is to remove anything in your home that collects dust. That means the child's cuddly toys go into the attic, and carpets and heavy drapery is removed from the home. Actually you will find that wooden floors are so much easier to manage as the dust collects round the edges making it easier to vacuum.

Mattresses should be covered with an allergy proof plastic cover after a thorough vacuuming because mattresses hold large amounts of dust. Otherwise mattresses should be vacuumed at least once a week.

In cases of severe asthma difficulties, re-housing pets outside may not be an option. You may have to consider a pet that does not have fur. This is perhaps one of the most difficult situations to face when a child develops asthma.

One option is fish or aquatic animals, but if this option is just not practical there are certain breeds of dogs that are less likely to trigger asthma and allergy attacks. A poodle is such an example.

A low humidity environment is also something which may be helpful as mould is another major trigger of asthma. Most definitely permit no one to smoke in your home.

Cleaning products can cause asthma symptoms to worsen, so consider cleaning when your child is at school or at a friend's house. This includes vacuuming. Vacuuming your home can stir up dust and other allergens that cause asthma attacks. Avoid using cleaning products with strong odors.

There are two equally important things which you can do to reduce the dramatic effect of an asthma attack. The first is to keep your child's environment as clean as possible by removing everything from your home that collects dust. The second is to keep the child's medication immediately at hand throughout the house, so that in the event of an attack the experience can be minimised. But by no means have the medication just in the home. Inhalers for example could be left at relatives and friends homes, as well as in the car, boat caravan etc.

Products which help reduce allergens in the air such as ionisers, dehumidifiers, and air filters should be considered for home installation at the earliest opportunity.