How to get a baby on nasal machine

[worthog]

I have a 2 year old grand daughter who has been diagnosed with sleep apnea. However her parents are having trouble in getting her to use the nose fitting.
Any help as to how they can start her of on the machine would be appreciated

[mesenteria]

Ideally...

The child should see an adult place the appliance over her head and start to read or even interact with the child with the item in place.  Let the child get used to the idea that such a thing is possible, even desirable for some odd reason.  Think of smoking cigarettes....  Make it seem attractive.  Make a fun game of it.

Otherwise, and just as we train our pet dogs whose dental hygiene we care about (or whose halitosis we can no longer stand), we introduce the fingers first, then the brush, then the nice 'n tasty polish compound, then the brush, then the brush with that 'Hey, that tastes good!" polishing compound.  Little steps, in other words.  The child has to be exposed gently, in a building way.  The child should get used to it and not object when it is introduced nearer to bed time, say reading a story.

All this to say that it will possibly be a trial, and that you'll have to adapt and to accommodate as much as you require from the child.  If they can be potty trained, they can be trained to sleep with a contrivance over their faces.

Finally, if you know this to be a final eventuality, were you offered no resources by the diagnostician or subsequent counselor if there was one?  No pamphlets?  No referral to a pediatrician?

[Sleeprider]

Well grandma, maybe you will have something in common to make this seem normal to your granddaughter. I think this is just something that will take a lot of patience and love to accomplish. Very young children are active sleepers sometimes and I'm sure she will push off the mask. Maybe help her to outfit her dolls or ponies with their own masks if you're handy at crafts.i My own granddaughter was really into the My Little Pony thing, and I can imagine if she needed to use CPAP, she could help her ponies to share her experience, and maybe you, mom and dad can even get your own nasal pillows mask to use when you read to her at night or spend time together playing quietly or watching TV. I think the more normal it seems the easier it will be for her to accept for bedtime. Has she ever seen you using your CPAP? Mine has seen me and we talked about it.

[OpalRose]

Hi worthog,
It seems you have much in common with your granddaughter, and you are in a good position to be very influential in her willingness to accept this treatment.

My granddaughter just turned four, but when she was almost three, she took an interest in my Cpap machine.  I had to be firm with her that this wasn’t a toy, but a machine that grandma needed to help me breathe easier.

She took this all very serious, and wanted to be helpful.  I showed her how to turn it on and off, and let her help me put my mask on.  

I watch her a couple days a week which makes it easier for her to understand.  Now at age four, her mom (my daughter) has just started using a Cpap.  My granddaughter is now giving her mother instruction on the importance of using the machine and helps her with her mask.  

Children are intelligent, curious and want to be helpful if you give them a chance.  It isn’t easy and takes lots of patience.  

One note, your granddaughter’s pediatrician should be a source of information.  Also, check out the many suppliers on the list at top of page.  Look for pediatric masks and fun design hose covers made just for kids.

Good luck.

[ghce]

We were given a CPAP Resmed 10 elite for our 4 month old daughter to use, she is now 13 months old and we still haven't been able to get her to use it. Even after trying to slowly habituate her to after about 10 minutes the game becomes to difficult and all bets are off. Super frustrating but it is what it is, sometimes it just takes age and maturity before it will happen.

[Sleep2Snore]

Well grandma,  maybe  you will have something in common to make this seem normal to your granddaughter.  I think this is just something that will take a lot of patience and love to accomplish. Very young children are active sleepers sometimes and I'm sure she will push off the mask.  Maybe help her to outfit her dolls or ponies with their own masks if you're handy at crafts.i   My own granddaughter was really into the My Little Pony thing, and I can imagine if she needed to use CPAP, she could help her ponies to share her experience, and maybe you, mom and dad can even get your own nasal pillows mask to use when you read to her at night or spend time together playing quietly or watching TV.  I think the more normal it seems the easier it will be for her to accept for bedtime.  Has she ever seen you using your CPAP?  Mine has seen me and we talked about it.

My son never knew me to have anything else but CPAP, we had him a couple of years after I started CPAP and he just accepted it.
First time he saw me with the mask on he looked for a moment and then proceeded to wake me up, I was already wakened.  He quickly learned to wake me up by pressing the OFF button and watch me gasp for air.  He is now 20 something, how time flies!


Hi worthog,
It might take a while or you get your Granddaughter to use a mask or machine.
If you could get a mask that completely covered the face, like a fireman's mask it might have been a bit easier.
I don't think you will get her to use it or she is at least 2yrs, keep trying anyway, but do not force it, she will kick back, but what will help is if you keep showing her that it is normal for people to use them.  Just by letting her see you and your daughter with the mask on.

My son above got so used to seeing me with a mask on it was normal to him and he never asked what it was for, he just accepted I used a mask at night to sleep.
The thing is not to hide it from them and they accept it, if a doctor had said to him he needs to use a mask at an early age he would have done it, but as it happens he didn't need one.  I found him one day at around 4yrs sitting on the bed with the mask on and trying to turn the machine on, he would have got a scare if he had managed (it was off at the wall, but he didn't figure that out) as it was set for 18 and would have blown him up like a balloon   but it just shows you how being used to seeing these machines and masks get them familiarised with them.

Let her see you and her mother using the machine and masks, it will take a bit of time until they want to try it, but if they do make sure it is low pressure for a start when they first try it, then the pressure can be increased to what they need. Even just sitting with the hose disconnected while playing with her or watching TV or reading a book. It will get her used to seeing people with a mask on and if she wants to try it just old it lightly and make fun of it, if she wants to play with an old mask let her (take anything that will restrict air off it) so she can put it on without any risk and onto any dolls etc when she starts to play with them.  If you haven't got an old mask, maybe someone close to you will have one.
Kids are amazing, they can old their breathes for ages, then just start breathing again as if nothing had happened.  Our youngest used to hold his breath just because he didn't get his way with something.  It used to wind his mother up, but I just carried on and in the end so did his mother.  When he found out he no longer got a reaction, he stopped doing this.  Shame really, he got a lot more vocal

Good luck, it will take a bit of time.