Unlike older children, infants can't quite verbalize their symptoms just yet — and that means parents should look for nonverbal signs like:
- Coughing
- Wheezing
- Grunting noises
- Flared nostrils
- Increased rate of breathing
- Using the muscles near their necks to breathe
- Lethargy
- Lips turning blue
"If asthma becomes severe, babies will often recruit other muscles of their chest wall to help their lungs breathe better, which is known as retractions," explained Kanwaljit Brar, MD, an assistant professor of pediatrics at National Jewish Health. "This can include movements of the muscles above and within the ribs or movements of the clavicle."