Tips for Good Therapy

Click here for tips on how to give your child medicine.

AGE 0-3

Read stories and cuddle during neb and treatment time
Blow bubbles
Sing songs
Be goofy
Bounce on a exercise ball gently with child on lap
Infants - Use exercise ball and gently bounce and stretch babies arms and legs, clap and laugh on it while singing to your baby (ABCs work), tickle the baby
Chase them on your hands and knees, be animals, growl
Party blowers
9-24 months- mini- trampoline for 10 minutes holding his hands babies love to bounce
Make him/her laugh till they cough (Tickle me Elmo)

Always do nebulizer treatment before the 20 minutes of play, chase, or ball. Encourage the other siblings to participate. Substitute 1 fun family therapy – jumping, swimming - and skip the real one once a week as a reward.

AGE 4-8

All the above and add in once or twice a week, or as a reward

Exercise ball and bounce laugh sing Humm (20 min)
Humming is a great lead in to the Huff coughpic2
Blow toys (party blower)
Roll inflated toys, play crawling games, hide and seek
Mini trampoline with assistance
Bubble pep

AGE 8-Adult

Family Swim; 30 minutes playing in the water
Water slide, kick the width with a kickboard, race each otherv
Kickball with the family and friends
One legged races, hop till you drop
Skip and sing
Exercise ball
Hand PD – just for a change
Mini trampoline, trampoline
Square Dance, ZUMBA, Roller skate or blades
Spinning
Biking, Hiking
Common sense should prevail always do the neb treatment first, develop healthy habits and encourage your child !OR yourself!!

EXERCISE

In addition to respiratory therapies and oral medications, exercise has been found to be extremely beneficial to people living with CF at all ages. We cannot underestimate the importance of adding this to you/your child's routines. Patients report a much greater feeling of well being when involved in a regular exercise routine.