Croup - Cleveland, OH

Humidifier and eucalyptus oil. You can even breathe this right from the bottle. It's amazing how you can HEAR breathing change so quickly...but trust me.....you do!

Both of my children (now 17 and 14) experienced croup at the turn of winter to spring and fall to winter. My daughter was even taken by ambulance to the hospital and kept in a "mist tent" overnight (very scary for us). I learned to take them outside into the night air on my front porch and to stay as calm as I could. We looked at the stars and I talked soothing. If the air is especially cold outside, it really helped open the airways. I also tried the steam from the shower and sink but our hot water always ran out. The outside was always a success. It is usually cooler at night. You don't need to expose their entire bodies to the cold, just their mouths so we would bundle up with a blanket and rock until he/she was able to talk without barking or sounding like they didn't have larengitis. This went on for years (longer than most kids) and I never felt so scared again. The sign that they were going to get croup in the night was as the daytime turned into nightime, their voices sounded like they were losing their voice or very raspy. Hope that helps. cool mist vaporizors in their bedrooms is a must.

T. H.

My son had croup. We used a humidifier and put him in the bathroom with us when we took showers (the steam will help him breathe easier). Saline drops and suctioning his nose might help as well. Good luck!

My 2 year old son was in the hospital in mid September for croup. Our problem wasn't that horrible cough (we're used to that now); it was that he had loud, labored breathing between coughing. The doctors there told us to use a humidifier in this room. When it got bad to get him in the bathroom with the shower going on high and hot to really get it steamed up. If the shower didn't work, you can bundle him up and take him outside in the cold night air. If it's not a cold night (our September night was hot and humid), open the freezer door and have him breathe that in.

The good news (if you can call it that) is that one of the docs said that they RARELY have to take drastic measures,like a breathing tube, for kids with croup. They also said that after 3 yrs old, the kid's airways are big enough that the cough may be there, but the breathing problems are not. Good luck! Let me know if you have any other questions.

Tis the croup season....My son is 3 & still gets it every year. Has already had it twice so far this season. My best advice is as soon as you know he is starting to get it go straight outside to the cold or open the freezer so he is able to breath in as much cold air as possible. This will help reduce the swelling in his throat. Also keep cook liquids...check with your ped to see if you can do apple juice or just do ice water. If you can keep the swelling down in his throat then you will be so happy in the long run. Good Luck!

i can honestly say YES!!! i feel your pain my son has gotten it AT LEAST once a year since he was 6 months if not younger
first hopefully you have a nebulizer because that can help you slow it down. second does your son have asthma?

ok so now that your home me personally once the hospital gives my son a steriod usually by mouth once was a shot hes usually fine n by the time we leave the hospital hes up n running around the hospital.

but usually you are asked to do "treatments" with a nebulizer at least every 4 hours
when my son gets croup usually he ends up with something else like pnemonia or bronchiatis but i don't know if thats to do with croup.
my son used to get it almost every month so they took his abnoids out which after that he only got it once maybe twice a year.and usually kids grow out of it by the age 3 i think is what i've been told. and by the way my son is six and just last wed he had croup but thank GOD i think the first time EVER i didn't have to rush him to the hospital
so good luck and i hope this helps at least a little and feel free to e-mail me if you ever just need to talk about it or have a question or whatever
____@____.com

Elevate the crib mattress, suction his nose before eating and going to bed,think about getting a cool-mist humidifier for his room and just wait it out!!! it has to run its course..you can even run a hot shower to let the bathroom steam up and sit in there with him so he can breathe in the warm air and then stand in front of your freezer to get a blast of cool air(this helps wonders to open up their airways and make breathing easier) GL!!!

My niece had croup and the doc told my sister to stand in the bathroom with her and steam up the room with the hot shower on. I know that is what my parents did for me when I was a child. I hope that it helps.

You mean he was hospitalized to treat it? My son gets croup every year (knock on wood he hasn't had it yet...) and he is now 6 1/2. It's viral so not much medication wise, but they can prescribe prednasone (orapred) to treat the stridor that sometimes accompanies it (the wheezing sound when they breathe). It often takes a long time (a few weeks at least) for the cough to completely clear up - it usually changes so it's not as harsh sounding, but my son always misses a week of school because his cough is disruptive. Keep him hydrated, if he's having a coughing fit steam up the bathroom and sit in there with him, use a cool mist humidifier in his room. That's what has worked for me in the past - I hope this helps!

Sorry - I just re-read your post - I thought it said 3 1/2 YEAR old, not MONTHs. I don't know whether they can give steroids to someone so young, but any of these cool mist or steamy solutions usually helps calm the symptoms