There are many different symptoms of asthma. The most common asthma symptom is coughing. Your child might have a dry cough that will not go away, which often gets worse at night.
Sometimes this can even be the only symptom of asthma. Some children will experience trouble breathing or catching their breath, like they just ran a long time. This is called shortness of breath. Some children might have chest pain.
Small children don't always know the difference between chest pain and stomach pain, and may complain of a tummy ache. Another symptom of asthma is wheezing, or a whistling sound in the chest when your child breathes. Not all children wheeze when having an asthma attack.
Severe symptoms to watch out for include retractions, which is when the skin gets sucked in around the neck or ribs. Call 911 if your child is having trouble breathing, the skin is sucked in around the neck or ribs, their lips or fingernails turn blue or gray, or if they stop responding to you.