Difficulty breathing
When should you worry?
If your child has any of the following:
- Requiring more than 10 puffs of a salbutamol (blue) inhaler in 4 hours
- Breathing very fast, too breathless to talk, eat or drink
- Working hard to breathe, drawing in of the muscles below the ribs (recession), or noisy breathing (grunting)
- Breathing that stops or pauses
- A harsh noise as they breathe in (stridor) present all of the time (even when they are not upset)
- Is pale, blue, mottled or feels unusually cold to touch
- Difficult to wake up, very sleepy or confused
- Has a fit (seizure)
- Has a rash that does not go away with pressure (the ‘Glass Test’)
You need urgent help.
Go to the nearest Hospital Emergency (A&E) Department or phone 999
If your child has any of the following:
- Requiring 10 puffs of their salbutamol (blue) inhaler every 4 hours for more than 24 hours
- Breathing a bit faster than normal or working a bit harder to breathe
- A harsh noise as they breathe in (stridor) only when upset
- Dry skin, lips or tongue
- Not had a wee in last 8 hours
- Temperature of 38°C or above for more than 5 days or shivering with fever (rigors)
- Temperature less than 36°C
- Getting worse and I am still worried
You need to contact a doctor or nurse today.
Please ring your GP surgery or call NHS 111 - dial 111
If your child has a salbutamol (blue) inhaler please use the table below
If symptoms persist for 4 hours or more and you have not been able to speak to
either a member of staff from your GP practice or to NHS 111 staff, recheck that your
child has not developed any red features
If none of the above features are present
- Watch them closely for any change and look out for any red or amber symptoms
- If your child has any other symptoms associated with their fever, you may want to look at the information on sore throat, cough, earache, diarrhoea and vomiting or tummy ache or our other pathways.
Self care
Continue providing your child’s care at home. If you are still concerned about your child, call NHS 111 – dial 111
Survey for parents/carers - what was the outcome of you looking at this page?
This guidance is written by healthcare professionals from across Hampshire, Dorset and the Isle of Wight.