Any Info on Croup

A vaporizer.. Worked wonders when my six year daughter had it.. Also letting the shower run on hot, let the bathroom fill with steam and sit with the child... Or bundle them up and take 'em outside.. The cool air opens everything... Take care and I hope it works out....A.

First of all, he needs to see a doctor to determine if he has croup, since you are saying "you believe" he has croup. Things that will help with the symptoms is a lot of rest, clear fluids, and a cool air humidifier. But most importantly, he needs to see a doctor!

My youngest had croup last winter. She was about 18 months at the time. It is impossible to determine if it is croup because it is viral. But we had to take her to the doctor because she was having trouble breathing. It tended to get worse at night. A humidifier running all the time in her room helped. Also, if you have any problems with her at night, a run a really steamy shower and bring her into the bathroom and the steam helps them breathe. Croup is a tough one because there is not really much in terms of medicine to help them. If he is running a fever obviously a pain reliever like mortin would help. If it gets worse definately take him to the doctor. We did when she was sick with it and ended up putting her on a neubilizer that we took home with us and insurance 100% covered it. It really did the trick when she had problems breathing. Please feel free to email me with any questions, I know it can be a scary situation to be in especially when they are so little.

Hi C.,

Here is what I have heard and found to be helpful:
Elevate the head of his crib, prop him up with a flat pillow or blankets under his crib sheet, get a cool mist humidifier (Target has some, we bought the Vicks brand cool mist and love it), if he doesn't have asthma or other respitory problems, a few minutes in a steamy bathroom helps, and some cool night air is helpful as well. Also, and this is very important: I would definitely take him to the doctor for a pertussis (aka whooping cough) test. It's a deep swab in the nose and only takes a minute. I really recommend this even if he and all your kids have been vaccinated and even if you are sure its not pertussis. My daughter tested positive after a couple weeks of a "cold" and a mild cough. She never displayed any of the common symptoms of pertussis, but, thank God, we asked for the test anyway. Since it was detected right away she was able to get an antibiotic to stop the contagion, but she is still struggling with that cough now, six weeks later. I would especially encourage you to get the test because he is so young. After my Sweet Pea was diagnosed, I did some reearch and found out that pertussis is one of the most common un/mis/under diagnosed childhood illnesses. I posted a long "heads up" message on Mamasource a couple weeks back after asking for some advice on it- I think it was titled "follow up on pertussis" or something similar if you feel like reading it. Sorry for the long response and I wish you the best of luck!

R.

My son is now 8years old and had croup all the time from ages 3 months to about 3 years old. I know it can be very scary to hear your baby breathing and coughing like that. I rushed my son to the hospital many times at all hours of the night and early morning. I have learned some tricks you may want to try before taking him in to the hospital or doctor. When the breathing or cough acts up try taking him outside in the cold night air, or go in to the bathroom with the door closed and the shower on with the water as hot as it will go and let the bathroom steam up, sit in there with him for about 15 to 20 minutes. I know that it's a long time to sit in a hot bathroom but trust he he will be breathing alot better with in a few minutes of being in there. It seems to open up their lungs and can really make a big diffrence. Keep in mind that this is for when the breathing and cough are mild and if you feel that he is really having trouble breathing don't wait and take him in, better safe than sorry. Hope this helps. -C.-

My son gets croup every winter, it seems. The doctors told us to run a steamy shower and let him sit in the bathroom, then open a window and let him sit next to it to get the cool air. This worked most of the time. Sometimes though, it got so bad that we had to take him to the ER and run a nebulizer (sp?). Twice it turned into Pertusis, even though he's been vacinated.

In my experience, it goes fast, usually only lasting a day or two for us, but it's really uncomfortable. It seems to be worst at night. Cool liquids helped his throat, and sometimes he'd need a fever-reducer like Tylenol. If you use a humidifier, make sure you clean it well after every use so that bacteria doesn't build up in it. We ran into that problem a few times, too.

Sit outside to get cold air into him. this helps the swelling of his air way/vocal cords. that is what our pediatrician told us to do when my son was 3 months old.

johnson and johnson makes a vapor bath for babies when they have colds. croup is really tuff to deal with. kids sound terrible have you talked to your doctor? or do you have a vicks vaporizor those are really nice to have when you have children. you'll definatly use it more then once.

Hang in there...you can prop up the crib mattress (not real high, place a phone book under one side) so it is elevated on one side. This way your baby isn't laying down flat. Also, bundle up your baby and go outside for some fresh cool air to help clear things up.

C., My son had it at 11 months and it's exhausting! The doctor told me to run a hot shower and stay in the bathroom 10-20 minutes to help it clear out. Otherwise, you can bundle him up and go outside when it's cold - it has the same effect. Just make sure you don't cover up his nose and mouth so the cold air can get in. Try propping the mattress up or find a way to have him try to sleep somewhat upright.

My son 3 1/2 year old son developed croup when he was about 6 months old. This is as much information as I can give you... hope it helps!! :)

Croup is a general term given to a combination of symptoms. The most common symptom is the brassy or barky cough (sounds a little like a seal). Your child may also experience trouble breathing and a hoarse voice (or cry). (For some kids the cough and difficult breathing happen at night.) These are usually due to a swelling in the larynx or bronchi of the child's respiratory tract. (Usually from a viral infection).
The best treatment for a "croupy attack" is to place them in a room with high humidity (run the shower in the bathroom, or place a humidifier in the bedroom.. I like hot air humidifiers but they aren't really safe.. the cool air humidifiers work well too) or take the child outside. During the fall and winter months the cool air helps to reduce the swelling of the respiratory tract making it easier for the child to breathe.
If in fact your little one has croup, it may reoccur with every illness. Each time my son gets a little cold he ends up croupy. But it passes with the illness, and most kids grow out of it when they hit 3-5 years old.
The major concern with croup is the difficulty breathing. If these suggestions don't seem to improve the little one's cough I suggest you take him in to see if he has a more serious respiratory condition.
GOOD LUCK!!
hope this helps
-T. L. - mom of 1 and graduating nursing student

My daughter had it just a few months ago. It was awful. I hated hearing her cry and she sounded so horse. I would definately take her to the dr, they tell you that it just has to run it's course but our dr gave her medicine for broncitis and then we did the whole steam thing and vaporizer. Hang in there. It's scary.