Is croup infectious??

[laa]

My baby has been in contact with a little boy who has it and I don't think it is but does anyone know??

Not the croup itself but it is triggered by a virus which I suppose is.

According to this croup is a virus, so can be contagious.

It is triggered by a virus, but not all the children who get the virus will get croup....does that make sense?

yes -- ish. HPe was coughing over her and kising her lots (she's 6mos and he's nearly 2 and v. taken with her!! SO she could get a nasty cold or something like that but it might not necessarily be any worse than that?? I'm sorry I sound so selfish. Obviously my main concern is my friend's little boy who has had to be hospitalised and given steroids etc. He looked and sounded awful. I just thought I'd check out any risks. Do I sound awful??

Not all children will get croup. My dd had what seemed like endless colds when she was tiny, but never once got croup. Niether did ds. Try not to worry....easier said than done I know.

It isn't the virus alone that causes the problem....so you could have two kids who get the virus and one might get croup and the other just get a cold.

found this for you on line, it explains it better than me!

'Croup tends to occur in outbreaks in the winter and early spring when the viruses that usually cause it peak. Many children who come in contact with the viruses that cause croup will not get croup, but will instead have symptoms of a head cold. '

Try not to worry and remember than most cases of croup are mild

oh dear dd has had croup in the past week - didn't realise it was contagious.
hope we haven't given it to someone else...

My DS1 suffered from croup when he was a toddler. It was how his body reacted to a cold virus. The cold was obviously contagious - but the croup itself was just a symptom of it. It didn't mean that the cold was any more contagious than anyone else's cold.

Yes-ish but the other people will just get cold or flu like symptoms. Once your kid has had croup they will prob get it again rather than a cold.
Lots of steam in the bathroom for an hour or so helps that old barking cough. (Suggsted by my GP)

Thanks everyone. You've put my mind at rest. All my 3 have runny noses already - it was such a novelty having snot-free noses for a couple of months in the summer!! I shall be looking forward to more runny noses being wiped on my sleeve this winter!