Croup

[rumandbiscuits]

I'm pretty certain my LG has croup (she is 20 months old) I'm not exaggerating when I say she hasn't stopped coughing alllllll day! I think she's perhaps had a 5 min break of coughing every hour. It's relentless. She still has energy and is walking around not really knowing what to do with herself. I have been giving her calpol and ibruprofen alternately and cough medicine. Not sure what else I can do for her?
I don't want to use the nhs unnecessarily and I know I do tend to over react.
If anyone else's LOs have had croup have you contacted a doctor or left them to fight it off themselves? I feel so sad for her.

Anyone?

If your daughter has croup she will have a very distinctive cough, like a bark. If it’s really bad and needing hospital treatment she will be struggling to breathe. When my son first had croup age 7 months I thought he was having an asthma attack.
It sounds like she might just have a bad cough. If you have any concerns about croup then ring out of hours or go to A&E and they can treat with steroid medicine. But, like I say, croup cough is very distinctive and not like an ordinary hacking cough. All the best.

Does she have the distinctive cough that comes with croup?
My DS got it loads as a toddler and we took him to the GP as he couldn’t catch his breathe and would go slightly blue. We were given the oral steroids for him which helped hugely. It had got the point though that when I was at work my DH nearly called 999 as Dc went blue and floppy...
Most croup just sorts itself out, steroids are really only needed as a last resort

She was put on steroids last year for croup by the GP and after her first dose I was amazed at how much better she was. It's like a hoarse chesty couch and it's relentless. She is waking every ten mins and just can't settle with it. But it could just be a very bad cough. It's upsetting to see her like it but she is breathing ok (her nose is blocked) so breathing through her mouth which isn't helping the cough. I have a humidifier on in her room and a calpol plug in. I have also rubbed baby vics on her feet and put socks on but nothing seems to be helping her I will keep checking on her threw the night and get her a gp appointment in the morning. Thanks for your replies.

Nhs24? My lb had croup several times. One early occasion he ended up at out of hours for steroids and they then sent him to children's hospital for a second dose. That morning though we had called nhs24 and they listened to his breathing/wheezing over the phone.

My eldest and second sons had bad croup some 20 years ago and I can remember shutting ourselves in the bathroom and running the shower on the hottest setting to generate plenty of steam.. When the eldest had croup, the doctor came out to him, but with the next one (18 months younger) we had to take him to A&E and he stayed in overnight.

It is very frightening when small children are struggling to breath, but the hot, steamy atmosphere did help. Good luck, OP.

Steam isn't recommended for croup (but I know people who swear by it). Instead, we used to take my wee one to the back door and let her breathe in some cool air. The key with croup is to calm them down and regulate the breathing but that isn't always easy when they're scared and sore with coughing.

Good news is they do grow out of it.

www.nhs.uk/conditions/croup/

Apologies, kirkandpetal, I can see I am very out of date!

Oh goodness Boiled, Im sorry, I didn't mean to make you sound like you were doing wrong! A few folk I know use the steam method and it works for them. And when it's 3am, you'll do whatever works!!

Cool air is excellent for it. Take her outside wrapped up warm.

Cold night air is your best bet for croup. DS (2 years old) gets it a lot, ends up at the hospital every time.

There's no need for the hospital unless there is stridor at rest. Very normal with croup for stridor when upset/running around, so try and keep them as calm as possible. It's usually self limiting and sounds a lot worse than it actually is!

If it's croup you will 100% know! It doesn't sound like a chesty cough it sounds exactly like a seal barking, it's called a strider! Phone nhs 24 for advice as if it is croup she could deteriorate!

kirkandpetal No offence taken, I'm interested to see how treatments have moved on and improved. As you say, the good news is that children do grow out of it.

Thank you so much all for your replies.

I know I can be a little over sensitive/over anxious when it comes to my LG being poorly and I panic.

Her cough as been a lot better today so now I am thinking it probably wasn't croup at all just a bad cold. She is still struggling with it and having awful difficulty sleeping with it bless her fingers crossed tomorrow will be a better day!