Croup - Westerville,OH

I had croup as a young kid and I remember waking up and not being able to breathe. My throat felt like it was closing up. I woke up my Mom and she took me down to the kitchen and had me sit in front of the stove while she put the kettle on and got a good steam going and I could breathe again fairly quickly. When I went back to bed Mom had the humidifier set up in my room. I remember they ended up getting me a thick yellowish medicine that tasted a bit like licorice.
My son never got it that bad. Stepping outside if it's cool and humid helps, and so does a steamy bathroom (from running a hot shower). A humidifier is just something everyone needs. I used to use cool mist, but I've got a warm mist one now that I just love.
We've always liked Vick's on the neck and chest, but putting it on the feet never worked for my son or me. I just like the smell of it when I'm not feeling well.

Croup SOUNDS a lot worst than what it is.... I know that is hard to believe but it really is not horrible. The fact it keeps them awake is the worst part. The two best home remedies are 1) A steamy room (off to the bathroom with the shower going and no fan) and 2) Cold air (which is hard to get in this weather unless you stick his head in the freezer). Since your pediatrician told you it was croup today; I hope he gave him some steroids that will have him all better in 12 hours. I am sorry.... It does get better.... My kid was a frequent croup child. I swear it was at least 3-4 times a year as a baby and toddler.
As far of when to worry.... As long as he is able to breath and not having a lot of distress (blue lips, high rising chest with retractions as he breaths in or nasal flaring (nostrils getting large with breathing);this would all require a trip to the ER. Since he is so young though, if at all worried, just go. They can NEB him and it also helps. Here is a (((HUG))).

Your poor grandson. Five months is young and it can be scary. Two of my kids have had it, but the earliest was 8 months.

This is what worked for me. Be prepared to stay up all night if needed (meaning, your daughter might need support during the day so she can rest). My babies preferred to sleep on my chest upright, it made it easier for them to breathe. Take them outside in cool air every few hours. A steam shower in the bathroom can help, but I had better luck with taking them outside.

Watch for strident breathing (when their skin sucks in and they struggle to get air in) and any problems breathing. I have several friends who have rushed to the ER in the middle of the night with their babies. It always seems to act up in the middle of the night.

I also used the infant Vic's Vapo Rub, and it seemed to help.

Don't hesitate to go to the ER if he is struggling to breath, and it doesn't get better by taking him outside. They will Neb him. My older children got shots of steroids at the doctor (I've never been to the ER), not sure if they do that for little ones.

J.

My son used to get it every winter when he was little. He was older than your grandson (he was maybe 2 yrs the first time he got it), but he got it every winter at least once until he was around 5. Watch for stridor (that's when their skin pulls across their ribs tightly, or sucks in around their collarbone/throat when breathing). That needs immediate medical intervention, not just steam from the bathroom.

My son would not be able to sleep, and the barky cough upset him so much that he would cry and that just made everything worse. He was scared by how he sounded more than anything else... We live in the deep south, so if he got it before Xmas, we had to use the steam shower method of home treatment, because usually it was not cool enough outside at night. If it was January, then I usually could take him into the guest room in our home where I would open the bedroom window wide to let in lots of cold air, then lie with him on the bed right near the window with the two of us all wrapped up in warm blankets. His whole body doesn't need to be cold, just the air he breathes needs to be cold. And I think the outside cold air (unlike sitting in a very cold air conditioned space) has moisture in it that is helpful, too.

Croup is not just a "bad cold". It is inflammation around the vocal cords and trachea, which can close off the airway. That narrowed airway space is what causes the "bark". When kids are little, they have a narrow space there to begin with... so this is something that kids get less susceptible to as they age. My daughter NEVER had it. But it was every winter with our son.

There is medication that can reduce the swelling to ward off continuing symptoms on subsequent nights.

I was always exhausted when our son had it, because they can't sleep. And you can't either. The BEST thing we did, was the "sleep in the guest room with the window open" routine, when it was cold enough out to be effective. I just closed the door so the rest of the house didn't get all the cold air, and both of us would be able to get a little sleep curled up together. He was comforted by my presence and the snuggling, and I was comforted by being RIGHT THERE totally aware if he woke or slept and could watch for stridor easily.

My son never had the "bark" during the daytime. Only at night. Classic croup.

Unfortunately, we've had LOTS of experience with croup. Two of my kids have overnight stays at the hospital - one at 18 months and one at 3 months old. I have a list of things we do before bed:
1. Cool mist humidifier
2. Open/crack the window for cool night air
3. Elevate the head of the mattress - I use thick books under the feet of the crib on the side their head will be at.
4. Vicks on the chest. Not sure if it works, but it's something.

If it gets bad in the middle of the night, try sitting in the bathroom with the hot shower turned on full blast for like 10 mins. You can try standing in front of the open freezer door to let them breath in the cold air. You can also bundle them up and sit outside with them.

I never really worry about the cough with croup. We took our kids in when they started having noisy breathing in between the coughing. They sounded very tight and labored. One of the ER doctors told me that croup only in the rarest of circumstances leads to anything life threatening (like being on a ventilator); it's one of those things that sounds worse than it is. They encouraged me to still bring them in if they sounded bad.

At the hospital, they give the kids a dose of oral steroids that takes about 2 hours to kick in and a special breathing treatment; generally it is racemic epinephrine if the kids are bad. We actually have a nebulizer (a breathing treatment machine) at home with albuterol to try if it gets bad again. They will also elevate the head of the bed and have a humidifier running in the room. The respiratory therapists will check in on the baby every few hours and give them a treatment or suction them if necessary. It's amazing how many boogers can be up that little nose!

Now if my boys wake up croupy, I take them to the doctor that day. My doctor has given me steriods to give them at home to bypass a terrible night. I was told that the breathing problems with croup are generally outgrown by about age 3. The older of my croupy kids is going to be 4 this winter, so I sure hope they were right!

Added: When people talk about stridor or stridorous breathing, that is the noisy breathing you can hear without a stethoscope. I could hear one of my kids from the door! Another signs of breathing problems are accessory muscle use such as the muscles between their ribs and up in their neck. These are worth visits to the ER for and generally one comes with the other.

My son gets croup a lot. Now he is 7 but we have dealt with it from the start. First, emergencies: gasping, lips turning a deep color or blueish, high fever (as determined by pedi, each seems to have their own limits), dehydration, or any other behavior that is out of the norm such as uncontrolled crying or shaking. We got to know our ambulance crew really well when our son was little and they always told us how glad they were that we had called rather than waiting. You may be scared right now but when a real emergency happens you usually can tell the difference.

As for what we do: push fluids, this is the number one best way to combat breathing problems. If he becomes dehydrated it will make the coughing worse. Lots of warm baths with that menthol baby wash. Use a vaporizer if you can get one. I know that is not cheap but my shower never makes enough steam and going outside has never been a big help to my son. Certainly see if those things will work for you, every kid is different. Move the baby's bed. If the baby can sleep in the same room as an adult everyone will sleep better. Just until the little one is breathing well again. Finally and this one is credited to my best friend, vick's vapor rub on the bottom of the feet and cover with socks or jammies. It is by no means a cure, but this has helped all of my kids get some relief when they are sick. Good luck to you all and stay strong. Babies and children are amazingly resistant and it sounds like your little one has a bunch of caring people around t watch out for him.

My son has croup right now and he is 5 although he did have it as a infant which you would think is scarier but i think this round was far worst. When he was an infant we did the steam showers and then wrapped him up for a quick shot of cold air. I didn't sleep much then just listening to the barky cough. A lot of it is the more scared they get the worst the fit is. Try to keep them calm rock him, sing to him while he is having a fit just to calm him down. if they cry their throats constrict even more which makes it worst. My son right now has a sore throat so if when he has the sealy bark it is hurting him soo much so ive just made sure hes had a ton of water to drink but at this stage he keeps crying "help me mommy, help me" tears my little heart to pieces. Doctors won't do anything unless they have croup really really bad and might do steroid treatments to help open the airways BUT ive never had that prescribed to me. Just a waiting/watching game. Not fun!

hi there, sorry about your little baby grandson. :(
my little boy had croup so many times (okay about 3...but it feels like more than that!) anyway, the BEST thing that always works for my boy (and me) is sitting in a really hot steamy bathroom for about 15 mins. Its kinda tough on me (sweaty, hard to catch your breath b/c of the steam - lol), but it works wonders for real. since he's older now i read to him to keep him occupied (sp) but for a 5 mon old you can just hold him & sing to him, etc. I keep a cold mist humidifier in his room always, which helps when you can't do the bathroom thing. OTC meds don't work at all, so i've read & experienced. it's something that has to pass. from my experience it usually takes 2-3 days. if the bathroom method doesn't work to an extent where your little one can breathe at least easier, my medical book for babies (LIFESAVER!!) advises to contact doctor asap. there's the best i know for you sweetie....good luck & he'll be ok and so will you! :)

in the baby wash isle they have a bath soap that you can put in that makes the air like a vix vaper. I put that in my babys bath and let her take a LONG WARM/semi Hot bath for as long as she wanted ...then before bed, keep a cool mist humidifier (with a fresh filter) I agree do not give the baby oral meds before bed, but if you wanted to you could rub baby vix on the babys chest...that will keep the airways open and help the baby so sleep better. If your baby gets into a really bad episode,...bring him outside. ...and during the day I would keep the baby outside as much as possilbe. Fresh air does wonders....keeping a baby active during the day and then snuggling up warm at night with help of the vix and cool mist will help for a better night sleep. I wish you luck
Good luck

I have always heard to take them out in the night air (cool air) or run steam in the shower/tub to open the airways. My son had a tiny bout O. night when he was with his grandma and she knew what to do....I had it happen to me when I was babysitting a friend's toddler and was REALLY scared because he was wheezing but not making that tell-tale barking cough noise. I did (out of instinct for breath) wrap him in a blanket and take him to the cold night air and it helped. The mother took him to the dr. the next day & said it WAS croup and that I did the right thing. It's very scary. I think if he has really marked difficulty breathing, I'd take him to the ER--seems to always happen at night.

I have take my daughter to the emergency room twice with the croup. Mainly because it scared me not because she had to go. She was fine once we arrived at the hospital. A doctor told me if you feel like you need to go to the emergency room put your child into the car and drive them to the hospital. By the time you get there the night air should of cleared up the breathing and you can turn around and go home. He was an older doctor that seemed really wise.

Night air and hot shower steam are the two things that worked best for my daughter. There were a couple of long nights in the bathroom with the shower running, but the baby was sleeping and breathing fine.

Hi M.,
I'm so sorry your grandson has croup. If he is having difficulty getting oxygen, do not hesitate to take him to the ER. We have dealt with croup quite a bit in our home. Usually, going into the bathroom and running a full hot shower while we sit in the room clears it up. Also, we use eucalyptus oil diffused in the room and rubbed on the chest and back (diluted with a carrier oil like almond oil). This helps a lot. Homeopathic spongia tosta works well in the early stages. If he is still coughing and struggling after the steam bath, take him outside into the cooler night air (you can bundle him up). The hot air loosens up the phlegm, and the cold air helps him cough it up and out. We had one time that one child was particularly struggling. She would be struggling to breathe and then throw up because of it. We took her to the ER. It was needed. They put her on oxygen and were able to get her stats up. That was really scary. Do **NOT** under any circumstances give him benadryl or any cough syrup to help him sleep. Please, do not do this!!! If you already have, you must stay right with him all night. A friend of mine was told to do this by her doctor. She found him the next morning, as he had passed away during the night. The cough medicine caused him to sleep or not be able to respond in a way to get the phlegm out of his throat. It was devastating, of course. I don't mean to scare you, but people need to know of this deadly combination. Usually, babies are fine the next day after a sleepless night.