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An asthma action plan helps you understand how to manage your child's asthma and what to do when they have an asthma attack. The action plan is a color-coded plan that lists the symptoms that indicate whether or not your child's condition is under control and what actions to take.

1. If your child has symptoms in the green zone, they're doing well.
2. If your child has symptoms in the yellow zone, they're having problems.
3. If your child has symptoms in the red zone, they need medical care right away.

Follow the plan that you and your child's health care provider develop. Review the plan with your child's provider at each visit.

Give the information to your child's school. You and your child's provider need to sign the school permission slip.

What triggers your child's asthma?

Knowing the things that can trigger an asthma attack or make your child's asthma symptoms worse is very important. Talk to your child's provider about your child's asthma triggers and how to avoid them.

What's your child's personal best peak flow reading?

If your child uses a peak flow meter, determine their personal best reading.

Green zone

This zone means that your child's asthma is under control. Your child may not have any symptoms while they're in the green zone. This means that:

1. Your child has no coughing or wheezing, even while they're working or playing.
2. Your child sleeps through the night.
3. Your child is breathing well.

If your child is in the green zone, continue to manage their asthma as told.

Call the provider if your child is using a reliever or rescue medicine more than 2–3 times a week.

Yellow zone

Symptoms in this zone mean that your child's condition may be getting worse. Your child may have symptoms that make it hard to exercise, are worse after exposure to triggers, or are worse at the first sign of a cold. These may include:

1. Waking from sleep.
2. Coughing, especially at night or first thing in the morning.
3. Mild wheezing.
4. Chest tightness.

If your child has any of these symptoms:

Call the provider if:

1. Your child is using an inhaler or rescue medicine more than 2–3 times a week.

Red zone

Symptoms in this zone mean that your child needs medical help right away. Your child will appear distressed and will have symptoms at rest that prevent activity.

Your child is in the red zone if:

1. They're breathing hard and quickly.
2. Their noses open wide, ribs show, and neck muscles become visible when they breathe in.
3. Their lips, fingers, or toes are a bluish color.
4. They have trouble speaking in full sentences.
5. Their symptoms do not improve within 15–20 minutes after using an inhaler or rescue medicine.

These symptoms may be an emergency. Do not wait to see if the symptoms will go away. Call 911 right away.

After you call 911, have your child use their inhaler or rescue medicine.

1. Start a nebulizer treatment or give 2–4 puffs from a metered-dose inhaler with a spacer.
2. Repeat this step every 15–20 minutes until help arrives.