Croup Question

be careful with home remedies. have you had this diagnosed by a doc? I remember my middle DD had a "croupy cough" I called the doc, he heard her cough (over the phone) and said it was croup and to use steam in the shower. She was later diagnosed with asthma (extreme) and the hospital said the steam could have potentially killed her, steam is not good for asthma. If it is diagnosed as actual croup, try a humidifier or a boiling pot of water with eucalyptus in it. (which you can buy at the drug store)

If it does turn into croupe you will be able to hear it with most of the coughs or even if she gets upset or cries. My son has had it twice! No Fun!! Both times we ended up takin him to the ER and he got steriod shots and some Rx. The steriod shots make things better with in 24hrs but not completely gone, the Rx takes care of the rest! Your ped should be able to better examine whats going on! Good luck!

Our experience with croup is it comes on very very suddenly in the middle of the night. My oldest is 3 and asmatic. He has had croup twice this year, June and September. Both times ended up in the ER with epinepherine mist and steroid shot. Be careful with home remedies. His swelling and bark was so sudden his body basically responded with an anaphlactic reaction. Not only does he wheeze, now we have stridor, too. Wheezing is the fast, tight exhaled breathing and stridor is the high pitched inhale before the bark. It's all caused from swelling either in the lungs from wheezing or larnyx from stridor. Keep your eyes and ears open.

My oldest daughter was a croupy kid. She had her first episode at 3 mos. and for the next 10 years we dealt with it. Her cough sounded like someone stomping on paper cups! We used a humidifier, especially when the seasons changed from warm to cold. If she was having difficulty breathing, we took her out into the cold air and she would usually throw up phlem (sp?) Many times the croup would escalate to a bronchial infection which meant fever and a trip to the pediatrician. Most of the time it would pass. I've heard of others having scary episodes, but after our first one when she was 3 mos. old (and she was our first child!) we learned what worked. My other two never had croup. Go figure!

I feel like I'm a pro with croup...All 3 of my kids have gone thru it (7, 3, 8mos). My 8mo old just had it last week. I had her in the ER, just to make sure. All that can really be done is cool mist vaporizer, and steaming. My best solution was steaming the bathroom, then immediately taking her outside or into the garage where it's a bit cooler. That sudden change makes a huge difference!
There really isn't much else that can be done. But, don't worry, it does go away, usually the same day!

Hello,
I would personally have my child seen by her Pediatric Doctor, or take her to the emergency room. My 2yr old had a very bad cough 2 weeks ago(she was coughing so bad she was vomitting). This was going on for 1 day so we deicided to take her to the ER. We found out she had an upper respiratory infection as well as CROUP. The doctor prescribed her with a steroid(for her wheezing and to reduce the swelling) and amoxicillin. So I would strongly suggest getting her seen, depending on how long she has had croup it can be deadly. Good luck and I hope your little one feels better:-)

Cold air is supposed to help. Take your baby outside (although today won't help unless you do it right now, since it's supposed to get into the low 70's today - I live in F.M. too)! Crisp cold air. My 2 y/o recently had croup and I took him to the doctor and they gave him a steroid shot. They said it would help the croup go away quicker. You don't have to take your child to the doctor, however. It will go away on its own, but it is a horrible sound! Maybe you should bring your baby to the doctor in case it is something more than croup, like pertussis (whooping cough). Good luck!

We did classical homeopathy and it really helped and no drugs.

You poor thing! She'll never remember this, which is why I think these things are so much harder on the mama than the child. Hug to both of you.

A potential word of caution: Cold air is best, as is a cool mist humidifier. Hot steamy air (like a bathroom) can make the swelling worse. Call your doctor's office (or your health insurance, if they have one of those 24-hour, nurse-answered help lines). Not sure if it's just my kids and me (we've got a bunch of asthmatics here) but the hot steam can really cause a problem. We've found success in colder damp air. At times, a cool mist humidifier in a smaller room (like the bathroom) helps gets the moisture to a good level.

Hang in!

If it is genuinely croup (barky cough that sounds like a seal... it is pretty unmistakeable).. then you should have your child seen by their doctor. There are meds available to help.

Cold air is best, or steam from the shower. Steam never did much for my son, however... only cold night air. Also, running a humidifier in the room at night can help a little in the prevention department.

Actual croup is a swelling in the vocal chords.... not just a bad cough. It can become serious and can be very scary. I wonder if your child has actual croup, though, simply because it typically appears during the night hours and is absent during the day (don't ask me why).
http://kidshealth.org/parent/infections/lung/croup.html#