Everyday exposure to asthma triggers can cause airway
inflammation in kids with asthma, even if they're not
experiencing breathing difficulties. Airway inflammation builds
over time, leaving kids at risk for unexpected flare-ups. They
might feel fine, even as their airways are becoming swollen,
narrow, and blocked. Just listening to your child's breathing
might not help you detect inflamed or obstructed airways. But an
inexpensive, portable device called a peak flow meter can
measure lung function, and this information can help you manage
your child's asthma and avoid major flare-ups. A peak flow meter
measures the flow of air as it's expelled from the lungs. To do
this, your child will blow into the peak flow meter (as if
blowing up a balloon). A marker will slide up a scale on the
meter as your child blows out to indicate how much air was
exhaled. The peak flow is the number where the marker stops on
the scale. A peak flow meter can tell you and your doctor: the
severity of your child's asthma how well he o