Asthma is a chronic disease that causes the airways to be inflamed (swollen). Some of the most common symptoms include trouble breathing, coughing, and wheezing. But in infants, toddlers, and preschool-age children, asthma can look a bit different.

If you have a little one with asthma, it’s important to know what to look for. The signs of asthma in a baby or toddler include:

• Fast breathing
• Working harder to breathe (nostrils flaring, skin is sucking in around and between ribs or above the sternum, or exaggerated belly movement)
• Panting with normal activities such as playing
• Wheezing (a whistling sound)
• Persistent coughing
• Difficulty sucking or eating
• Tiredness, not interested in normal or favorite activities
• Cyanosis, a tissue color change on mucus membranes (tongue, lips, and around the eyes) and fingertips or nail beds − the color appears grayish or whitish on darker skin tones and bluish on lighter skin tones
  
  

The Asthma and Allergy Foundation of America (AAFA) has a resource to help you understand asthma in infants and young children. Visit our webpage to learn more about:

• Common signs and symptoms of asthma in infants and young children
• Signs and symptoms of an asthma episode or attack and what to do in an asthma emergency
• Differences between asthma in infants and toddlers compared to older children and adults
• Other conditions that may have symptoms like asthma
• Diagnosis and treatment
• Managing your child’s asthma
• If a child can outgrow asthma
  
  

Medical Review: Content summarized from aafa.org/asthma-in-infants last reviewed December 2021 by Michael Pistiner, MD, MMSc, and Mitchell Grayson, MD