“He only wheezes when he’s got a cold”

Episodic viral-induced wheeze (wheeze only with colds, symptom-free between, very young child) is distinct from asthma and generally does NOT warrant an asthma label or a regular inhaled-steroid preventer at age 2 without interval or atopic features — the right answer to "should he be on a brown inhaler?" is often a well-explained "not for now" (NICE NG245: an 8 to 12 week ICS trial is considered only when symptoms suggest a need for maintenance therapy or there are severe acute episodes). The highest-yield practical intervention is INHALER TECHNIQUE: salbutamol via a spacer with a face mask (one puff, several tidal breaths, good seal), which works as well as a nebuliser when done correctly and which the father flagged he was getting wrong. The examinable hidden agenda is parental guilt about smoking (and feeling judged) plus anxiety from his own childhood asthma; the smoking is a major modifiable trigger that must be addressed with compassion and cessation support, not shame, or he disengages. Assess and safety-net current severity, give a written action plan with explicit escalation criteria, and arrange a technique check and review.