Anyone using alternatives to the vest in young kids?

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lovemyboy507

New member
Hi all. We travel a lot and are looking for alternatives to the vest for our little one (3years). when it's both my husband and I travellibg its not such a problem but if I travel alone it me, two kids (twins) a stroller, 2x car seats, back pack of stuff and a 28lb compressor!!!!! Not a lot of fun! Anyway cups are a bit of a non starter as its like wrestling a small alligator and think I get more of a work out than his lungs do!!! Any thoughts greatly appreciated
 
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Ratatosk

Administrator
Staff member
While the vest is a bit unwieldy, we always travel with it. I can do cpt if need be, but prefer the vest. When ds was smaller we had a more compact stroller just to get from one end of the airport to the other for catching connecting flights. Checked the carseat and luggage. I have a backpack or messenger bag for me to carry with a smaller compressor (pari vios or Philips inspirion) , fridge drugs, regular drugs, neb cups, hand wipes/Clorox wipes, my wallet, some snacks if they fit. Then another backpack for ds with tablet (used to have a dvd player), a few books, snacks.... There's a new portable vest, but I've heard mixed reviews about it. There are percussors but think those are heavy, too. Some people use an acapella breathing device, but think it's best for older kids, not sure if your child would be able to utilize it correctly and I'm not familiar enough it..
 
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ethan508

New member
Send him out to jump on the trampoline for 15 minutes a couple times each day. Granted the trampoline would be harder to pack around than the vest machinery. Or maybe you could take an alligator wrestling class so manual CPT is more manageable. http://www.coloradogators.com/visit/gator-wrestling-class/

The other methods of clearance (pep, flutter, cyclic breathing/huff cough, etc.) are a little sophisticated for a toddler. Good luck.
 
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nmw0615

New member
When I was young, it depended on how long the trip was going to be. To some extent, it still does. If we were only going to be gone for a few days, my parents would go back to doing manual CPT. We figured a two or three day trip was too short for the hassle of moving the vest (this was back when it was the giant first version). If it was going to be four days or longer, we'd bring the vest. Now, I still operate on somewhat the same rules, although I'm more likely to try and find a way to bring the vest since my health has gone down. My family is going camping this weekend (leave tonight, come back Sunday) and I'm not taking any form of therapy. Only nebulizers. I'll do my vest again before we leave, and immediately when we get back. I'll miss basically a day and a half of vesting, and I consider that okay. However, I will pack up my vest if it's going to be much longer. I also have a percussor I can take anywhere that's more compact and travels easier.
 
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ecsnut

New member
Why do you have a 28 lb compressor. I have the SmartVest SQL and it weighs only 17 lbs. Are you able to get an upgrade?
 
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Helenlight

New member
We put on our 3.5 yr old daughter's favourite DVD's if she's being an alligator :) Usually works! I also requested an acapella device a couple of months ago to practise on, so that we can use it on the long plane rides between NZ and NY we are doing in a few weeks. She's got the hang of it now, so that could be worth a try. We also incorporate the 'tickle monster' into our CPT sessions to break things up a bit and get her laughing. Bubble pep is good too- blowing through a tube into a bucket or 2L container of soapy water- see how far they can make the bubbles go.
 
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MGrossan

New member
Ethan 508 suggestion of jumping on the trampoline is a great idea! Also jump rope and jumping jacks.
Humming at a very low tone, like "ooommm" also helps break up thick mucus bonds in the chest as well as the sinuses.
see www.grossaninstitute.com
 
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ethan508

New member
MGrossan, that reminds me, when I was a young adult I jumped roped 10-15 minutes a day. It was a very good exercise/clearance and had the side benefit of increased speed at the track.
 
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ForeverDance

New member
You could try PEP. I know 3 years tends to be a bit young but it depends on the child. My DD started doing PEP instead of CPT 4 months before she turned 3. She really started to hate doing CPT so we explained that she could stop doing that if she learned to do PEP. It did take a while. We got the PEP device a few months after she turned 2 so it was a while before she really took an interest in it. But you never know. Maybe your little one will be able to pick it up.
 
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lovemyboy507

New member
Thank you all for your ideas I think we will try the pep with our monkey and see how he does. I have just got out the documentation for our next visit and the compressor is actually 31lbs! The company will only reapply to the insurance company after 5 years and we have only had it for just over a year - just before they launched their new version ! Just our luck hey ho! We travel internationally (USA/UK/Australia/Middle East) so tend to go for a couple weeks at a time so it's something we are keen to find a solution. You would have thought with the technology we have in this world the compressors would be tiny by now - but then I'm not a technical person so what do I kniw :) thanks again everyone
 
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