Best Temperature to Set Home Thermostat at W/ a 2Yo Asthmatic

I agree with what everyone said about keeping the temperature in your house down and the cleaning supplies....but no one (unless I missed it) said anything about the space heater you have in your sons room. Huge fire hazard and take it out immediately! I would also be paranoid about that. Only use a space heater while awake and in the same room as the space heater.

2 things really pop out to me here.

1) you temp sounds totally fine. Keeping the house at 68 degrees is considered to be pretty healthy, and yes, a little cooler when you are sleeping is good too. so i do not think it could be that. If you are worried about him at night, just make sure he is sleeping in long sleeves and with socks. if he gets too cold he will wake up. the space heater may be drying the air out too much for him.

2) you mention that your house is really clean? what kind of cleaners are you using? you should try to avoid cleaners like bleach, windex, tide, etc when you have kids (or even you) have asthma. The caustic chemicals in them can irritate the delicate airways and even though you may not notice it right then, when the cold air hits it is can cause problems then. I have a friend who had 2 children on daily asthma medications. She went green and within a month both of her kids were off of their daily asthma meds because they just werent irritated anymore.

i have a big file on some asthma and allergy facts, i will e-mail them on over to you! if im bother, just delete them! lol.

My daughter has asthma. Extreme cold and extreme heat can both trigger asthma attacks. We keep our house at 67-68 during the day, at night we turn it down to 65. If your son is cold he will learn to keep the covers on. Some kids run really hot while they sleep, so he may not be cold, at all, even though you think that he is. I also agree with Miranda....get the space heater out of his room. I could never sleep at night if I knew that there was a space heater on somewhere, anywhere in the house. They are very dangerous and what would happen if he woke up in the middle of the night, half asleep and knocked it over? As far as keeping things clean...asthma kids need to be in a clean environment. His room should be dusted often ( no cleaners) and floors (carpet or hardwood) should be cleaned twice a week. We took an asthma class when our daughter was diagnosed and learned a bunch...since we had no clue. Also, he should only have stuffed animals that can be washed in the washing machine and you should limit any extra "stuff" on dressers or shelves. They told us book cases are a big no no because they attract a ton of dust and no one cleans them often enough. The less things, in his room, to clean the better his breathing will be. We also have an air purifier in our daughter's room and in the basement. We put one in the basement, even though it is a finished basement, it is still a basement. Hope Children's Hospital in Oak Lawn offers free classes a few times a year to pediatric asthma kids and their parents. It is a great class. Oh and Motrin (or over the counter meds like Motrin) is a big no no for kids with asthma. Stick with tylenol or meds like that. Can't answer why Motrin is so bad for asthma but we learned that in class and it made sense when I thought back on how she reacted to it.

Not sure how it affects asthma, but we keep our house at 67 during the day, and 54 at night. Everyone stays plenty warm, and it lowered our bills alot from last winter when we used to set it at 70.

Upstairs: 65 during day and 62 at night
Downstairs: 68 during day and 62 at night

My daughter (15 months) sleeps in a Halo early walker sleep sack with foot holes. They make them large enough for 2 year olds if kicking off blankets continues to be a concern. My husband and I have a heated mattress pad.

My house is programmed to be 62F during the day and night and 67F during our arrival. My kids are in school so no one is home from 8-5. I used to set it at 70 but got too expensive so I lower it each year. We do get used to it.

My 21 month old was diagnosed with asthma at 10 months. As long as we do her inhaler daily she is just fine. I do notice when we go visit my in-laws (who keep their house FREEZING all year) she does tend to get a little congested, but I think it's more becuase of the detergent used.
From your post it doesn't seem like he has been diagnosed with asthma, just that you have it and the Dr.s that saw him while on vacation thought it was a possibility. I would take him to his regular ped next time he is having the "hacking, congested cough" so that they can check him out. An inhalor or nebulizer will help to make him able to do outdoor activities without having as much trouble breathing. I don't really think changing the house temp will matter. That has never really been something out dr has talked about, for reference we keep it at about 72 all year round, but we live in Central FL so it doesn't really get colder than high 20s here and of course in the upper 90s in the summer.

Hi,
Actually asthma can be triggered by cold, so you don't want your house too cold. I have asthma and when I was little I had to wear a white facemask outside in winter sometimes so the air I breathed wasn't so freezing. I keep our house at 70 or 68 during the day when we're home. At night I put it at 60 or 62. Also, for my son, the toddler sleepsacks are great. We use them instead of blankets cuz he can't kick them off. :)

unknowingly your triggering his asthma. keep it at least 68 I am a cold induced asthmatic. when you take him out make sure he has something covering his neck. I don't know why but if I dont cover my neck I get an asthma attack if its covered it helps alot. I discovered this when I worked construction in the cold. use a dehumidifier it keeps the house warmer and reduces his asthma senativity. if covering the neck dont help keep his nose and mouth covered so he is breathing in warm air. I use one of the bands that you normally put over your head and ears in the winter but cover my neck instead. good luck

our Dr told us 68 in the winter 78 in the summer.
it'll also keep your energy bills down.

I'm not sure about temps for asthma but have you tried sleep sacks or really warm jammies for night time? That would alleviate the need for a heater in his room, which I would think would be better for his cough. My toddler still wears a sleep sack. There was a time when she'd take it off (and her jammies and everything else!) so I actually started putting it on her backwards. No more problems with the blankets coming off and her being cold. And just fyi, I struggle with this every time the seasons change but right now we keep our temps at 67-68ish at night and both kids have a cool mist humidifier running in their rooms. It works well for us. ??

Ok you are going to think I am crazy and I have three kids with health issues and serious lung issues as well like CF. we have our heat on 71 during the day then 72 at night and then at midnight it goes back to 71 on a timer. But I also have auto immune issues and I am ALWAYS freezing. I even sleep with a heating pad on my feet to try to warm them up. So I think it all depends on your kids. My twins like ti cold and my daugher with the CF/lung issues likes it warmer than the twins but not as warm as I like it. I think it is the humidifier that ill make all the breathing diference in the world for your child. Research that one! Hope you all have a healthy winter season!
J.

I keep ours set around 68, sometimes my husband bumps it up to 69/70. The school should probably be set around 68 (see if there are regs if it is significantly colder). My 2 year old and my husband have asthma. Extreme cold can trigger an asthma attack in my husband, and sometimes just the bracing air is a bit much for him, but that is totally normal. I have never heard of anyone developing asthma because their home was too clean. Mine is anything and everything but and it doesn't seem to matter. He is probably developing a fall cold and might have a respiratory condition, but it probably has nothing to do with your home unless you use a lot of harsh cleaners and clean around him. Before I made my cleaners I couldn't clean right before my husband came home without giving him an asthma attack.

I have asthma.
Even in a clean or dirty house or environment.
It just is.

It has nothing to do, with what your Mom says.

Asthma, can and is exacerbated and made worse by cold weather and cold air.
Also, doing overly exerted activities, can trigger it, too. In warm or cold weather.

Your Mom... is WRONG.

Do not make the house colder... because of your Mom's reasoning. She does NOT know, about Asthma.
AT all.

If you listen to your Mom... your son will get worse.

And, I hope you are giving him his inhalers/medicine, that is per the Doctor??? This is very important for his lung-health.
ESPECIALLY when he is having an Asthma attack.

You best learn about Asthma.... people die from it.
It is a life long, lung condition.... and you should only listen to your Pediatrician.

all the best,
Susan

wintertime i keep it on 75 all day (fireplace set at 75). nighttime same thing, 75f. i am sick, and feel cold the entire time. hence the temp. if i don't, i get sick, and am achy for weeks.