Croup - can you stop them getting it and what causes it?

[mummytowillow]

My DD 14 months and has in the last four months had two really nasty bouts of croup, both needing hospital treatment with a nebulizer? First time I was out and hubby didn't hear her on the monitor when I got home she was blue around the lips (cleared when I sat her up though) and we rushed her to hospital (now know we should have called an ambulance).

Then last weekend she had it again, we were both out this time and the in laws were looking after her, we got in and they were holding her with the complete look of panic on their faces, luckily she had only been making the awful barking noise for a few minutes?

So can I prevent it from happening, we have been given Prenisolone and an inhaler with mask for next time, but I'm terrified she will get it again, any tips or is it just one of those things?

Terrified of going out again!!

it's a virus.

most kids will just end up with a cold-some get croup.
nothing you can do i am afraid.

it's horrible isn't it?

mine thankfully{touch wood] seem to have grown out of it now.

I bought a humidifier for our DSs' bedroom when they were younger. One of them was particular suseptible to croup (many a night sat in a steamy shower room!). Whenever one of them gets a cold we tend to use as it gets rid of the dry atmosphere you can get with central heating. With our one, we can set the humidity to as high as necessary.

It is horrible though - my DH really panic when DS2 got it (his 1st child, my 2nd).

It's because their windpipe is so narrow at this age. In adults it would come out as laryngitis. Both mine dc's used to get it as babies, we used to sit them in the bathroom and run the hot tap/shower and made sure we had those humidifiers/vase things that hang on the radiators and make sure they are kept topped up.
They do grow out of it thankfully.

I don't think you can do anything to prevent it, it's a virus.

You're lucky though that they've given you stuff in case there's a next time. We just end up legging it to A+E and queuing for hours every time. It's that time of year again and every time I hear a cough on the monitor I panic. DS1 is nearly 5 but hasn't outgrown it yet We've tried steamy bathrooms, humidifiers etc etc but nothing works - we always need steroids.

Good luck x