Croup - Sandy, UT

The only thing that worked for my son was running the hot shower with the bathroom door closed. We slept on the floor in there for a couple of days, but it was worth it!

When my kids have croup I have them sit in the bathroom while the hot shower is on. Ten minutes later they are usually breathing normally and feel much better. They can relax and go back to sleep. And so can I!

Upper resp. illnesses in kids can SOOOO easily turn to pneumonia so please, please make sure your doc knows and examines your little one each and every time he gets sick...even if you already know what it is.
~L.

I would definately bring him in to the Dr. - they usually can give him a steroid medicine to help reduce the swelling in his airway, The only 2 good home remedies that i know of is to bring him to your front/back door- wrapped in a blanket, and hat, and let him breathe the cold air-even if just for a minute or 2, helps open the airway- OR put him in the bathroom- hold him of course, shut the door and run the shower for 15 minutes- hot water only, let him breathe that mist in and that may hlep him breathe and sleep.
when my son was little, (he's 15 now) and had this several times, i was scared every single time- it got pretty bad a couple times, once he was about 7 and i could barely carry him, he's a big kid- and he could barely breathe because his airway was almost closed and he was turning blueish -pale color- so i'm helping him walk to the ER. i thought he was going to pass out on me, i hollered at the nurses to help me, & that he looked like he was barely breathing, they gave him a steroid shot, to reduce the swelling in his throat, and they also gave him a nebulizer treatment, to calm him, so he can get enough oxygen. i DID HATE THOSE DAYS!!! So i feel for you, and i pray he will be fine, and i pray my other 2 toddlers don't ever have to go thru this!!
Good luck!
let us know how he turns out.

My 2 year old just had his first 2 rounds of croup Oct-November as well, and the doctor said that either sitting them in the bathroom with the hot water going (not in the shower of course) or to take them out into the cold air...it sounded weird to me, but it worked...whenever we had to go anywhere, as soon as we got outside, his cough would get a little better.

My kids just got over that a few months ago. I got some tricks from my grandmother & oddly enough, my dr. agreed with them.
Put them in the bathroom while the shower is running, the warm steam helps open the airways. Before the child goes to bed is best, put vicks vapor rub on their feet (with socks over top) while they sleep and let the humidifier run through the night.
Pedicare makes a menthol vapor plug in (which helps too)

If your son worsens make sure you see your doctor, they might have to put your son on a nebulizer with breathing treatments. (my middle son always gets the sickest of the 3 and he is more likely to get put on this while the other two mend quicker)

Hang in there Mama, I know it's rough to have your baby hurting and find little to help them. Croup is one of those illnesses that sucks for everyone!!

I found this for you too.... hope it helps! :)
http://www.medicinenet.com/croup/page2.htm

Hi There,
My daughter had croup this fall and I am also a Respiratory Therapist. The BEST BEST thing you can do is bundle him up and take him outside for a while. His barky cough will probably almost disappear. Also if you don't want to go outside, sitting in front of the freezer for a while will help with some relief also. Also anything warm and steamy like a nice warm bath will help. Unfortunately it's a waiting game, but it's a scary one. My daughter had it really bad - almost to the point of being admitted and even as a respiratory therapist it freaked me out. Try some of these suggestions and I hope they help a bit at least. Good luck

I had croup as a baby and so did both my daughters, as crazy as it sounds the best and fastest relief is to bundle them up and take them out into the night air for about 5-7 minutes. It helps better then anything else I have tried. My mom also gave me benalyn cough syrup when she first noticed it coming on and that would often help keep me from getting it. Hope he feels better soon!

Hi G K,
My kids get croup at least once every season. Did you bring him to his dr.? If it is bad they can prescribe steriods or a breathing treatment. If is not that bad make he is drinking plenty of fluids. Also when he is having an attack steam up your bathroom with hot water. Sit with him for at least 10 minutes so that it can help break up the mucus in his chest. That should give him some relief. I hate when my kids get this cause there isn't a lot that you can do to make him feel better. If he is having stridor he needs to go to your dr. or emergency room immediatly. Good luck.
Chris

This sounds crazy, but I have been told by reliable sources that it does alleviate coughing for a few hours. When you put your son to bed rub vapor rub on the heels of his feet and put socks over them. Something about this relieves the coughing so he can at least get some rest. Both my mom and brother-in-law have tried this and swear it helps for a few hours. I haven't had to try it yet...

It may have been suggested already, but "steaming" the bathroom helped alot when my son had croup. Turn the shower on hot, close the door and sit in the steamed bathroom for 15-20 minutes. Also, if he is really suffering, try asking the doctor about some albuterol nebulizers (med in inhalers but in steam form). Croup is an inflammation of the upper airway and Albuterol is an antiinflammatory that specifically targets the lungs. If this is the second time that he has croup are they looking to see if it is allergy related? Some singulair might help. They gave it to my son, just incase.

Good Luck and God Bless,
A.

Croup is caused by the larynx (voice box) getting inflamed. Since the larynx is at the top of the windpipe, this can cause problems breathing. Moist air can help sooth the larynx, cool air can reduce swelling. Bring him outside for a little if it's cool (warmly dressed, of course). If his breath is making sounds when he breathes OUT as well as in, you may need to take him to the emergency room for some steroids that will quickly reduce swelling. When young children are using extra muscles in their neck, shoulders, and belly just to breathe they can get into trouble if they tire out. It gets worse at night, because his natural steroid levels (cortisone) are lower at night, so the swelling is worse. Good luck!

Hi G K,

My family uses essential oils (aromatherapy) to treat a lot of common illnesses like colds, coughs, headaches, blisters, etc. If you're interested, I would try a bath with orange oil. It's very soothing, helps build the immune system and helps calms coughs. Also, using a couple of drops each of tea tree oil and eucalyptus in a mug of boiling water (as if you were making hot tea) and then leaning over the warm steam to inhale helps loosen up what's in the chest when you're congested. I hope this information helps!

If you'd like to know where my family buys our essential oils (they are organic, don't have filler chemicals or fake chemical scents) then shoot me a reply back.

Good luck!

E.

My son had this problem for quite awhile, since he was a tiny baby. We thought it was because we heated with wood. But even when we moved, any cold he got would manifest as this croupy cough. It gets better with time, though, as their bronchial passages enlarge. The things I found to be the most helpful were herbal remedies.

If you have a natural foods store near you, you may be able to find these things in bulk..(jars with the herbs in them that you can just take a little from) or in bottles. One remedy is called Herbs for Kids, and they have a small (1 oz) dropper bottle of medicine called Horehound Blend: Respiratory and Lung Support. This has Astragalus root, mullein root, horehound herb and some other soothing things that really help the throat and lungs and also help boost the immune system. Herbs for Kids also has Cherry Bark Blend: Respiratory and Throat Support which seems to sooth the throat more, but it doesn't have the Astragalus root, so it doesn't seem to kick the bug as quickly. If you wanted to buy just a small amount of Astragalus root in bulk, it would only be a couple of dollars. You can get it shredded up, or in peels. Either way, you just put the shredded bark in boiling water for 20 minutes and then serve it in something yummy like hot chocolate (made with water not milk) or even soup. It doesn't taste like much and most kids don't even know it's in there. It really helps boost the immune system.

Sorry this is so long, but I had to figure this all out on my own. Hope it helps! ~V.

hot steamy shower. sit in the bathroom and play or color for a while.

My son had the croup in November and the things that worked the best for us was to take him into the bathroom with the shower on as hot as it can be and letting the bathroom fill with steam then strip him down to his diaper and me down as much as I can because you will both start sweating a lot and then just sitting in there for like 15 to 20 minutes and letting him breathe in the steam. After that the next time I will bundle him up and sit outside with him because the cold will help to open up his lungs. It seemed to help him sleep a lot better and it didn't last too long. Those are the things that I did. Hope it helps.

My little guy gets croup pretty bad...his doctor prescribed a very low dose of steroids for when this happens and we really worry about his hoarse breathing and barky cough. Talk to your doctor about that. Otherwise, high moisture is best. I got a Vicks "warm" humidifier (brand new and only cost $12 at Wal-Mart). Also buy a humidity gauge (very cheap also at Wal-Mart) and get it up to about 70% before he goes to bed, then keep his door almost closed, but not closed tight, and the humidity will balance out at about 50% overnight. That seems to help my boy as a preventative/comfort measure. Hope that helps--I believe he will grow out of it, if that is any comfort!

A couple things that you can do are to sit in the bathroom with him with the hot shower running for about 15-20 mins. The steam will help him breathe a little easier. You can also bundle him up and take him outside in the cold weather and let him breathe the cold air. That should help as well. Poor guy, they seem so miserable when they have croup.

Hey GK -

I am a pediatric physician assistent and as a general rule I think all medical advice should come from a doctors office. I have about 10 questions I would ask you about your sons condition before deciding about what he may have.

A barky cough can be a lot of things that aren't croup. If he has a cough that is bad enough that it keeps him up at night, decreases his appetite, or causes him to gag or vomit, you need to go in and see your doctor.

Typically for croup - the home treatment is humidification and cold air. Wrapping up in blankets and heading out side to breath in some cold air is a highly effective treatment. This is why some kids can be hardly breathing at home with croup - but by the time the reach the ER - they are fine. It was sitting in the cold car that made things better.

Ultimately, I think you should call the doctors office.

Good luck!

E.

We have had SEVERAL bouts of croup here. We do the cold air, steam shower room, and also popsicles! The popsicles help relax the cough for awhile and take the swelling away.

We just got over the croup with both of our kids. Our doctor had us do a couple of things. First off, Ibprofen every 4-6 hours will help reduce the swelling of the trachia. Also, she had us saline mist them 6-8 times a day to keep the sinus passages moist. We also used a decongestant twice a day for our daughter. Cold air will also helps during a coughing fit. Also, we put vapor rub on both of them night and day. But, the saline and Ibprofen seemed to help the most.

Have you brought him out into the cold at all? That helps shock the airway open a bit. My boys are prone to getting croup and we ended up getting a nebulizer prescribed from the Dr. It helps A LOT. Some kids just have smaller airways and a common cold can make them get really tight. I would talk about it with his Dr., and perhaps they can give you a nebulizer to keep on hand.