Nebulizer Treatments

A neb­u­liz­er turns liq­uid med­i­cine into a fine mist a child breathes in, usu­al­ly to open the air­ways dur­ing asth­ma, wheez­ing, or oth­er breath­ing trou­ble. The treat­ment is quick and pain­less, giv­en in the office, at imme­di­ate care, or at home, and takes about 5 to 15 min­utes. There is no down­time, and breath­ing often eas­es with­in minutes.

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What is a neb­u­liz­er, or breath­ing treatment?

A neb­u­liz­er is a small machine that turns liq­uid med­i­cine into a fine mist, so it can be breathed deep into the lungs. A breath­ing treat­ment is sim­ply the few min­utes a child spends inhal­ing that mist through a mask or mouth­piece. Because the med­i­cine goes straight to the air­ways, it can work quick­ly, and because all a child has to do is breathe nor­mal­ly, it works well even for babies and tod­dlers who can­not man­age an inhaler.

Why is a breath­ing treat­ment done?

Breath­ing treat­ments deliv­er med­i­cine right where it is need­ed, to open tight air­ways or calm inflam­ma­tion so breath­ing gets eas­i­er. Pedi­a­tri­cians use them for con­di­tions like:

• Asth­ma flares and wheezing
• Bron­chi­oli­tis and oth­er viral breath­ing ill­ness­es, in some children
• Croup (in a clin­ic or ER setting)
• Oth­er reac­tive air­way or breath­ing problems

The most com­mon med­i­cine is a bron­chodila­tor like albuterol, which relax­es the mus­cles around the air­ways with­in min­utes. Some chil­dren use an inhaled steroid by neb­u­liz­er to con­trol asth­ma over time. For more on the con­di­tions these treat, see the asth­ma and RSV pages, which cov­er each in depth.

Neb­u­liz­er or inhaler: which does my child need?

Both deliv­er the same kinds of med­i­cine, so the right choice comes down to age and the sit­u­a­tion. For most chil­dren who can use one cor­rect­ly, an inhaler with a spac­er works just as well as a neb­u­liz­er, and it is faster and more portable. Here is how they compare:

Some fam­i­lies use both: a neb­u­liz­er at home for a young child, and an inhaler with a spac­er for on-the-go. Your provider will rec­om­mend what fits your child best.

What hap­pens dur­ing a breath­ing treatment?

A breath­ing treat­ment is sim­ple and pain­less, and you can do it right at home once you are set up. Here is what it looks like:

• Liq­uid med­i­cine is mea­sured into the neb­u­liz­er cup
• The machine is turned on, cre­at­ing a fine mist
• Your child breathes the mist in nor­mal­ly through a mask (for lit­tle ones) or a mouth­piece, for about 5 to 15 min­utes, until the med­i­cine is gone

Doing the treat­ment dur­ing a favorite show or while read­ing togeth­er helps young kids sit still. You will hear the machine sput­ter when the med­i­cine runs out.

Is there any recovery?

There is no recov­ery or down­time. Your child can go right back to nor­mal activ­i­ty after a treat­ment. With a bron­chodila­tor like albuterol, you will often notice eas­i­er breath­ing with­in a few min­utes. If the treat­ment was for a flare, your provider will tell you how often to repeat it and what to watch for.

Are there any risks or side effects?

Breath­ing treat­ments are very low-risk. The med­i­cine is the same kind used in inhalers, just deliv­ered as a mist. The most com­mon side effects come from bron­chodila­tors and are usu­al­ly mild and brief:

• A faster heartbeat
• Feel­ing shaky, jit­tery, or tem­porar­i­ly hyper
• A mild cough

These pass quick­ly. Call your provider if the side effects seem strong or your child seems unwell.

When should I get more help?

A breath­ing treat­ment helps with mild to mod­er­ate symp­toms, but it is not always enough. If your child is still strug­gling to breathe after a treat­ment, or symp­toms come back quick­ly, they need to be seen, at imme­di­ate care, or for severe signs, the ER.

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Call 911 or go to the near­est ER if your child has any of these:

Fre­quent­ly asked questions

Is a neb­u­liz­er bet­ter than an inhaler for my child?

Not nec­es­sar­i­ly. For most chil­dren who can use it cor­rect­ly, an inhaler with a spac­er works just as well as a neb­u­liz­er and is faster and more portable. Neb­u­liz­ers may be help­ful for babies and tod­dlers, or dur­ing a big­ger flare, because all a child has to do is breathe nor­mal­ly. Your provider will help you choose.

How long does a breath­ing treat­ment take?

Usu­al­ly about 5 to 15 min­utes, until the mist­ed med­i­cine runs out and the machine starts to sput­ter. A bron­chodila­tor often eas­es breath­ing with­in min­utes. Doing the treat­ment dur­ing a show or sto­ry helps young chil­dren sit through it.

How often can my child have a breath­ing treatment?

It depends on the med­i­cine and the plan your provider gives you. Res­cue treat­ments like albuterol may be repeat­ed every few hours dur­ing a flare, but need­ing them often is a sign to check in, since it can mean the under­ly­ing con­di­tion needs bet­ter con­trol. Always fol­low your provider’s spe­cif­ic instructions.

Can I give breath­ing treat­ments at home?

Yes. Many fam­i­lies have a home neb­u­liz­er for a child with asth­ma or fre­quent wheez­ing. Your provider or phar­ma­cist will show you how to mea­sure the med­i­cine, run the machine, and clean the parts (rins­ing and air-dry­ing after each use keeps it work­ing and pre­vents germs).

Where can my child get a breath­ing treat­ment in Chicagoland?

Duly Health and Care pedi­a­tri­cians and imme­di­ate care cen­ters across the Chica­go sub­urbs can give breath­ing treat­ments for wheez­ing or a flare, and help set you up to do them at home. For ongo­ing or hard-to-con­trol breath­ing prob­lems, Duly aller­gy & asth­ma spe­cial­ists can help. For severe breath­ing trou­ble, go to the ER.

Why choose Duly for your child’s breath­ing care?

Breath­ing prob­lems in a child are stress­ful, and quick, capa­ble help makes all the dif­fer­ence. Duly pedi­a­tri­cians give breath­ing treat­ments in the office, show fam­i­lies how to use a neb­u­liz­er at home, and build an asth­ma or wheez­ing plan so you know exact­ly what to do dur­ing a flare. When breath­ing trou­ble can­not wait, Duly imme­di­ate care cen­ters across the sub­urbs can help. Duly aller­gy & asth­ma spe­cial­ists are here to help if your child has com­plex or hard to con­trol breath­ing issues.

With pedi­atric, imme­di­ate care, and asth­ma exper­tise close to home, plus easy sched­ul­ing, your child’s breath­ing is in good hands.

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Med­ical­ly reviewed by Alli­son Crouch­er, DO · Last reviewed June 2026