If you have experience of croup, please could you advise?

[ItllBeLonelymumThisChristmas]

Ds3 (aged 2.9) has croup, or so my mother, who is a doctor, thinks, although she has only heard me describe the symptoms over the phone.

He isn't too bad with any of his symptoms, but after my mother said croup, I looked it up in a medical encyclopaedia, and he has all the symptoms: hoarse voice, hacking cough and noisy breathing at night (really noisy; you can hear him down the corridor!) although my mother said the noisier the breathing, the better as the breathing goes quiet when they are really struggling to get air. He has no temperature and seems quite cheerful though not really much appetite.

The thing is, he seems not too bad, but my dh is away tomorrow night and I am terrified he is going to get worse. I understand some children need hospitalisation for help with their breathing. I am being stupid and panicking before the event, I know, but I wonder if anyone can give me any idea what to expect. Do you think that if he is not so bad now (and he has been ill for several days now) he will not get worse, or is there still a chance he will go downhill? I am keeping him away from playgroup today, not because he is too ill to attend, but because I don't want him mixing with other children, picking up further bugs whilst he is at a low ebb.

Also, does putting a bowl of water in his room at night really work? How else to humidify the air? He shares with his brother who is asthmatic, so humidifying the air won't make it worse for the asthmatic one will it? Any other tips for the night?

Thank you.

The only piece of advice I can offer is if he seem to be having trouble with his breathing you should sit with him in the bathroom with the door closed and the shower running as hot as you can get it - not to get in, just for the steam. DD has occassionally woken up during the night with quite a bad croupy type cough where she seemed to be wheezing and struggling to catch her breath and this always does the trick. We usually sit in the steam for maybe 20 minutes and then she's ok. It's saved us several trips to A&E in the middle of the night.

Then again, I'm not a doctor and I wouldn't want to suggest you shouldn't go to the hospital if you felt your child needed it! Hope he's ok.

LM, my little sister used to suffer with croup, it's a long while ago (she's 25 now!) but from what I remember she only used to have real problems with it at night-time, after she'd been in bed a couple of hours, then she'd start with the barking cough and gasping breath.

The GP at the time told my mum to raise the head of the bed, and if she had an attack to take her into the bathroom and run all the hot taps to get the room steamy. Otherwise take her into the kitchen and boil the kettle to make plenty of steam. I think that these days they're wary of giving that advice in case children are burned but as long as you're with him then that's not a problem. In that GP's opinion a bowl of water in the room was a waste of time, but that may just have been his personal opinion rather than accepted medical fact.

I would also take him to see a doctor - I appreciate that your mother is one, but diagnosis over the telephone isn't ideal and I would be inclined to take him just to make sure that there wasn't anything else like a chest infection going on too.

Hi, I'm sure your mother knows better, since she's a doctor, but based on my own experience (my ds had croup last year) I would think there is not much to worry since he is almost 3 y, and is only younger babies who happen to be at risk. In any case, if I was in your situation, I would take him to hospital to have him checked - alway better to do this during they when you can organsie childcare for the others. I thought it was very difficult to asses it properly (and got it all wrong), but then mine was just a year a the time. HOpe this help and the he gest better ver soon.

Agree with Sugarmag , this is what I do with DS when he has croup.

Tho I have been told to open the front door and put him by it as the cold does the same job as the steam.

Croup is horrible.

Thanks for the advice. My mother said there was no need to take him to the doctor (but then she wouldn't have the need, would she?! - the first time I visited a doctor was when I was 18 and even then, primed by my parents as to what was wrong with me, I just went in and asked for a certain type of anti-biotics by name! The doc must have found the new approach somewhat amusing, but he knew my parents anyway!)

Anyway, that aside, my mother said not to takew him to the doctor, and I have to agree at the moment as he is not really that ill, but I am so worried about the nights and thoughts of not being able to breathe properly are really scary, aren't they? I have to ring the surgery later anyway, to fix up another appt for my asthmatic son, so perhaps I could mention the croup then?

Dd was diagnosed with croup by GP by my description of barking cough disrupting sleep. GP did not prescribe anything besides steam - suggested the kettle whilst holding on tight to dd, though. Found that really impractical. Steamy shower room sounds better.

Dd licked it the next night. Going to a GP has that effect - by the time it is bad enough to take her to the GP, the illness is on the way out anyway!

Truthfully, LM, they can get worse at night and ds2 (11months) did and I had to take him to hosp at 2am.

They do advise cold air as well as hot air as it can open the airways.

Poor ds was v poorly and had 4 lots of steroids instead of just one as is normal. I would take your ds to the dr to check for a chest infection and then at least your mind is at rest.

Hope he is better soon. Croup is horrid and scary.

I read in my book about maybe taking the child out into the cold night air to ease breathing (in other words, I suppose, if they are in bed, opening the window) but would that be good for asthmatic ds2? God, what a nightmare childhood illnesses are!

we normally do the open window thing - I don't leave it open but if one of mine is very croupy, I just let them sit on the windowsill (with me holding on!) and breathe the cold air for a bit and then put them back to bed. Dd is asthmatic and it's never done her any harm so I guess it's OK (but I wouldn't leave the window open all night)!

ds3 (age 2 years 10 months) got it a few weeks back - woke in the night crying and coughing and to us wheezing very badly - we thought it may be an asthma attack and he appeared to be having problems breathing. We called an ambulance - they took him in and on the way gave him an oxygen mask with ventolin (I think) - which stopped him coughing and reduced the "wheezing" - which is apparently the wrong medical term because it is in the throat.

Apparently some kids get a cold and it goes to their throat (laryngitis in adults) - can come on very quickly, worse at night, lasts for 2-3 days.

Things that help stop it - sleeping propped up, keep room moist - eg bowl of water nearby, put some drops of karvol in the water. If they get croupy in the night - sit in a steamy room until breathing eases, then do the above. A breathe of cold night air is also supposed to help.

If their chest is pulling in, or they go blue round the lips it means they are not getting enough air in and you should call an ambulance.

Apparently they grow out of it by the time they are 5 - but if they are prone to it you may get it a few times a year in the cold season.

yes it's strange how they can look seemingly alright during the day and then become barking seals at night!

Thanks to everyone for your reassurance and advice, and to you HF for your aside - so much appreciated!

I have just rung the GP and a doctor is ringin me back later this pm as I said I didn't know whether he should be seen or not. He is really quite OK in himself - at last eating some lunch and asking about playgroup although he has missed it for today, but last night, his breathing was so loud - like a goose honking - that I was really scared. Dh is here tonight, but the thought of being alone with ds3 tomorrow night is scaring me to tears. It doesn't help that dd also has a cough, but a dry tickling one, not at all like ds3's, which means we have been disturbed for the last few nights.

It's definatly their stomachs you need to watch, if thier chest and stomach is pumping then they are not getting enough oxygen, my 19 month had it last month we took him a&e at 6p.m they sent us home, called an ambulance at 9.45 but by time they got here he was ok again but by 3.30 a.m he def couldnt breath we ended up with anaesthnatist ready to ventilate him he was so bad, so it can change really quickly bu the older they are the bigger their tubes are and the less likely that they need medical intervention, if it gets to the stage where cold air doesn't work then they prob need a dose of steroids.

usually they are gfine during the day - maybe a residual cough and a bit croaky. Something to do with laying down making the tubes contract makes it worse - hence the propping them up seems to help.

It is usually gone again within 2-3 days.

If you know what it is - it is nowhere near as scary. It helps you keep much calmer and just dela with it.

Thanks again. Everything you have all said was told me again by the GP this afternoon when he rang up, eg, it being worse at night because they lie down and the tubes swell, breathing difficulties are less likely as they get older as their tubes are bigger, he even said it is common for parents to ring the out of hours doc or ambulance only to find their child gets better after 15-20 minutes.

I am lucky in that my son is 2, nearly 3 so unlikely to have severe difficulties. Thank you so much for being so reassuring and consistent in your advice and experiences. It helps!

Hi, havent read all posts but would like to offer a couple of my top tips as my ds has suffered from croup since bieng about 12months old. He has had it a dozen or more times and is 2.5 now.
~put a wet towel over the radiator in the bedroom so that the water will evaporate into the air through the warmth of the radiator.

~Put a few folded towels under the head end of the mattress to raise the head, keep upright as the breathing becomes far less strained and distressed if the child is upright.

~If you have an electric veg steamer, fill it and put it into the room (out of reach) and switch it on.

~Be reassured that croup is viral and doesnt last for more than 3/4 nights. Its worse at night.

~it may reoccur BUT you will know what to do and will feel far more prepared and confident treating it if it does. (whenever my ds gets a cold...it turns to croup.

Drinks of cold water out the fridge help to sooth my boys throat, comfort measures are all you can offer, so loads and loads of cuddles and calm reassurance for your angel.

Good luck and dont worry, he will be fine x

Have not read the other replies but my dd1 always needed hospitalisation for croup - usually short stay but she needed steroids or adrenaline depending on how bad the bout is.

We were told a number of 'old wives tales' such as steaming them, taking them into the cool night air etc. The hospital told us that the only effective thing was for the medication to open the airways - the wheezing and the horrid barking cough - sounds like a seal.

We now have some medication at home that we can give to her when we feel she is going to have another bout. Often they get a repeat performance the night after. Our dd1 has sometimes had a small bout of coughing in the morning and been fine as the day warmed up but we have then given her the medication that night and it seems to ward off an attack.

Surprisingly our dd1 never had croup when we lived in the UK - and even last winter in Aus - jsut this winter. Often it can accompany an infection or cold - our dd1 seems to get the croup and then come down with the cold or infection.

It is more common in little babies but dd1 is 3 1/2.

meant to add that the steaming etc never worked for us.....

Katie was taken to hospital last night and diagnosed with croup. She is athsmatic and so I was convinced it was a chest infection making her athsma worse. She had steriod nebuliser and Salbutamol nebuliser and oral steriods. Thankfully they let us home with some more oral steriods.

I asked about the steam and the doc said to be honest it doesn't really work for most kids but she did say cool fresh air was effective and not to keep her indoors the whole time.

Its the coughing thats awful though and I feel so useless

Thanks for asking. Well, ds3 was OK. I only heard him cough and make that dreadful croup noise once as I was going to bed. If he had any other attacks in the night, all I can say is, neither dh nor I heard him. We raised the level of the head end of his mattress and (I only found out this morning) dh apparently gave him some cough medicine ( as it is a productive cough) and some Karvol on his sheets. So he was OK thank God.

Dd though, with her tickly cough which has been waking us all up every night for several nights now, had another coughing fit (though a bit later than usual: 4:30 instead of 3ish) and really didn't seem to settle again, poor thing she was coughing and coughing dsespite the medicine. She finally stopped coughing and went to sleep but I couldn't wake her at 8 so I let her sleep on until she woke naturally at 9:15! She didn't get to school until gone 10 (she is fine during the day).

I really hope she is better tonight (though don't hold out much hope after nearly a week of relentless night coughing) as the whole school is going to the pantomime tomorrow and she has to be in school by 8:10.

Anyway, at least ds3 doesn't seem to be too badly affected by this croup business. Just a bit miserable with the cold part of it.