Baby Has Croup,he Is 8 Months Old

I would be careful with croup in a baby this young and do what a doctor advises you. Use a cool mist like they said. I knew someone who even opened their freezer so the baby could breathe cool air, and he was a doctor. I winter dress them warm and go out into the cold and that helps.
http://children.webmd.com/tc/croup-treatment-overview

The link below is from Mayo Clinic.
http://www.mayoclinic.com/health/croup/DS00312/DSECTION=t...

You need to call his doctor back and confirm what needs to be done.

Have you tried turning the shower on full steam hot and then sitting outside the shower in the bathroom (door closed) and letting him breathe the steam? I would not give him any meds without confirming with the doctor that this croup is the same and he needs them. Look for strydor, which is sunken chest breathing. If that happens, take him to the ER.

Cindy is right. I don't know how cool it is outside, but lots of parents who rush their child outdoors to take them to the ER in the middle of the night, find that the child is breathing better by the time they get there - that cool air makes the difference.

Your baby is too young to say to you "Mommy, I can't breathe well." The last time my son had croup at 7 years old, he could say it to me. He was frightened, and therefore, so was I. He was put on breathing treatments and an inhaler. Thank goodness he hasn't had it since.

You need to be vigilant and get him to the doctor if you even THINK that he is having trouble. At this age it is terribly important to get him the help he needs.

Are you saying that you were not given medicine for this particular croup episode? That you have medicine left over from the last one? You don't give the old medicine unless the doctor TELLS you to. Then the doctor needs to give you instructions.

Good luck,
Dawn

Have you tried the hot shower in the bathroom trick? It works faster than cool mist in my experience. Close the bathroom door and put a towel at the bottom of the door to block the opening. Hold your baby upright in your arms in the bathroom. Turn on the shower as hot as possible (but DO NOT get in the shower) and just let the shower get the bathroom as steamy as possible. Hold the baby in there for about 20 minutes or until you run out of hot water. You are basically making a home steam room.

Sometimes a blast of cold air (in moderation) helps instead, but in Tennessee in September you probably don't have that option.

Good luck. My oldest used to get croup once a month and I know it's scary and frustrating. Always feel free to call the doctor. Keep on eye on your son's color and watch his rib cage when he is breathing. If you have any concerns he isn't getting enough air call the doctor. Although there can be complications, it usually sounds worse than it really is.

albuterol is given every 4 hours or if really bad every 20 mins max 4 times... steamy bathrooms help

My daughter had croup several times and we always went with the steamy shower/bathroom. It wasn't until maybe the 2nd or 3rd time that we read about the cold air immediately after the shower. So, when she was having these breathing issues in the middle of the night, I would do the shower then wrap herupa nd immediately go outside where it was in the 30-40 degree range. That worked like a charm so I see where the breathing in freezer air would help. I have also rode around in the car with the windows down and it does work. good luck....avoid the meds. Let the doc handle that part.

Aww, that is a major bummer!! Well my son had it a few times and cool mist is fine, but when they actually have croup I found warm mist worked a bit better. In fact, I usually just did both! LOL! I used the cool mist a lot if he had a cold or it was particularly dry. I also used it during the day when he had croup and added the warm mist at night. There really isn't a ton you can do. If he is really wheezy then you can take him into the bathroom and crank up the steam, but I feel you can also do that with a vaporizer in the comfort of his own bed. If you add salt to a vaporizer it will make it steam faster and warmer and although you'll be a sweaty mess, it will help your little guy. Call the doctor or a pharmacist what meds you should give when. If he ever has noticeably labored breathing or starts to turn blue, go the ER. Good luck!

I'm one of those parents who was woken in the middle of the night, threw her kid in the car, temp outside about 40 degrees, drove to the er and never noticed that by the time we got to the hospital he was breathing normally.

Both our sons get "croupy" from time to time. (A doctor once told us that that doesn't mean they have croup, so we just say they're "croupy.)

Our oldest (now 6) responds well to the hot, steamy shower and to being bundled up in the cold air. Sometimes drinking some cold juice helps, also.

Our youngest (3 1/2) pretty much needs the cold air. He gets so upset that he makes it worse. I usually hold him and try to get him to relax and drink some cold juice, but mostly I'm just stalling while my husband gets himself bundled up and a blanket ready so that he can take our son out into the cold air.

Definitely listen to your doctor. If this happens again, you will be so much more calm and will have a few ideas to try. My best piece of advice is to remain calm, try a couple of things and just see what works for your son. If he's anything like mine, he might sound "croupy" with every cold. After listening to myself during a cold once I wonder if my parents had to deal with this when I was little.

Good luck!