So a few days ago the kid started to get this really nasty cough, runny nose, and just overall uncomfort. I just didn’t know what to do,  this cough just broke my heart every time she did it.  She sounded like a barking seal.  And the coughing just wouldn’t stop.  For a while I was convinced that she had whooping cough of something, so I took her in to see the doctor. It only took the doc about five seconds to diagnose my little girl.  She said that she had croup.  I had never even herd of it but apparently it’s fairly common among kids 11mths to three years, she said.

Its kind of like having asthma, but its a viral sickness in the windpipe or larynx.  It can make their voice sound weird, affect their appetite, make it difficult to breathe right, have a super nasty sounding cough, a low fever, runny nose, and worst of all for us parents… a really, really rough time sleeping.  Croup gets really bad at night.  the kid will just toss and turn all over the place, and cough constantly.  Its really upsetting as a parent to see you kid so uncomfortable.

Symptoms of Croup in Kids

• harsh, high-pitched respiratory sound called a stridor
• a brassy, barking seal like cough
• a hoarse cry
• difficulty breathing
• low-grade fever
• rattling sounds while exhaling
• scattered crackles in the chest
• runny nose

There are a few things that you can do make it better for them.

These are the best techniques for dealing with croup that have helped my kid…

• If they are coughing lots and having some breathing trouble, try to get them into a steamy shower for as long as you can.  The steam is key. (I don’t know why, the doctor told me…works great)
• Have a humidifier running 24hrs a day in their bedroom.
• If you can get a hold of some age appropriate cough syrup, that will ease their cough.

What the experts say to do

• Administer mist therapy which involves sitting in a steam-filled bathroom, with the window open and the door closed. Turn on the hot water in the shower or tub and let the room fill up with steam. Sit with the child in the room, with the water still running, for 10 minutes.
• Bundle the child up in warm clothes and take them outside in the cool night air for 10-15 minutes.
• Use a cool mist vaporizer or humidifier in the child’s room
• Give the child plenty of clear fluids such as apple juice, water or popsicles to suck on
• Treat the fever with acetaminophen (Tylenol or Tempra)
• Avoid smoke or smoke-filled rooms.

The humidifier really helps… I think.  At least she seems to sleep way better with it on.  So I would have to say that if you kid gets croup, or is coughing lots, get a humidifier.

There are some homeopathic remedies that lots of people swear by like Aconite or Spongia.  I don’t know what this stuff is… but people say it really works.

Natural Cures http://www.hpathy.com/diseases/croup-symptoms-treatment-cure.asp

Good Croup Information  http://pediatrics.about.com/cs/commoninfections/a/croup.htm

By the way… If your you think your something is really bad… call your doctor or take them to the ER.