Croup - Dr today, tomorrow or not at all?

[Whyismycatanasshat]

I have two ill children in the house and am exhausted so bear with me…

I suspect DN has croup. He is almost 4. Started early hours Friday. Barking cough, worse at night. Hoarse voice. Loud breathing at night. Quite tired. Not much appetite. He’s been quite distressed over night. But brighter during the day.

Do we need to see a Dr or ride it out - I know croup is quite short lived. Online guidance from NHS seems vague.

Thanks all.

I let mine ride it out - I’d take them to A&E during the night if it progressed to them really struggling to breath. Touch wood so far we haven’t had to and they get croup 3/4 times a year :(

Ah! Croup is the worst. One of my DDs went through a stage of getting croup between ages 2-4/5. Was awful. We did end up at a&e once or twice and she needed help as she was really sucking in between her ribs when breathing. Otherwise we usually just stuck it out. Cold air helps reduce the barking cough. We used to stand outside at night or by an open fridge occasionally.

Thank you both, my gut is to ride it out as it’s quite mild, as in, he’s not struggling to breathe and it’s the coughing that’s distressing him.
He’s had a mild temperature, not even hitting red on the thermometer and requesting honey over Calpol so hopefully he’ll be on the mend shortly, he’s desperate to go to nursery tomorrow for their fireworks breakfast.

The dreaded croup.
All of my 3 boys have had it at some point. A couple of times like wise above, we have ended up in A&E when they've really been struggling to breathe with rib dips and the neck dip.
Unless he's to that point then try and ride it out. Again like above, outside and fresh cool air seems to help. And we also have a cool mist humidifier which I leave on as and when, especially at night in their bedroom which seems to help too. I hope he feels better soon x

@Adeleex Thank you, he’s been ok today, telling me he feeling all better and needs to go to nursery tomorrow!

Glad he is feeling better! I hope it continues lol x

DD2 (age 21 months) is prone to croup. We ended up in A&E once when she became incredibly distressed. Her breathing wasn't too bad, but she was so so upset and we just couldn't calm her down at all. I had never seen anything like it from her. They immediately gave her steroids and monitored her for a while. She's just developed a cough today, so I'm really hoping it doesn't turn into croup!

My 4 year old is just over croup. He had a mild temp and was off his food and lethargic for a few days. Coughed himself sick at night but he got better on his own with plenty of rest.
hope yours is on the mend too

@BrewandBiscuit That sounds exactly like what we’ve got going on.

He is absolutely distraught about missing nursery, which is not helping as he’s coughing and crying; the level of distress will be partly the feeling poorly and partly the fact that even interruptions to his routine through illness really throw him, poor little chap.
And of course DD is poorly with the sickness bug DN had 10 days ago that we thought she’d dodged!

It’s never ending with kids isn’t it! Mine is in reception and thankfully was Ill the week of half term. He was adamant he was going back when school started again as school have cinema trips for full attendance!

I had horrific (hospitalised) croup as a child and DS2 really struggled with it as an infant.

The answer is steam. My Dad used to boil the kettle in my room with the lid off for 15 minutes. Water would run down the walls but I could breathe! My mum had me breathing in friars balsam in the pifco facial steamer (could this get any more 70s?) for fifteen minutes multiple times a day. It kept me out of hospital.

i went for a more HSE friendly version with my DS - shut us both in a steamy shower room with the shower running for half an hour while he had a cuddle/slept. Worked wonders!

Old wives tales - sometimes bollox, but do give this one a try!

@Ageneralsenseofproundconcern Apparently the steam thing is old hat now; cold air is meant to be better… however DN had a bath in a steamy bathroom earlier and he was a lot better.
I had the shower running on Max temperature for the time it took to run the bath, thankfully DP is working away or he’d have had a utility bill cost induced heart attack!

@BrewandBiscuit Absolutely endless! Not helped by me working in education too so I bring the bugs home and get sick for the holidays!

Night time cold air really helps. Usually on the walk from the car to a&e entrance!

Steam works, old fashioned or not. It was standard treatment when one of my children was prone to croup and always relieved his symptoms.
I'm a retired nurse and sometimes amazes me that treatments which worked suddenly are out of fashion.

We mostly treated it at home. During bad coughing fits at night wrapping then up and taking them out to breath the cold air helped a lot. We also used a humidifier and tilted the bed or mattress. My older daughter had breathing issues as a toddler so needed her inhaler. We had to call an ambulance when she had croup once as she was really struggling to breath: her lips went blue and her chest was recessing. They nebulised her in the ambulance and that sorted it out.

With croup they are always fine in the day, just a clear runny nose.
It tends to peak on night 2 or 3 of 4.
Sitting upright by an open window works best.
Stay calm.
If any panic or sucking in at neck or under ribs take them in for steroids.

My four year old daughter had a barking cough last night so off to nurse today and been given Prednisolone as it helps to reduce inflammation. Best stuff ever when croup happens.

Thank you for the support, I really appreciate it!
We are still plodding on. He is no worse but not a lot better. I kept him off nursery today and he has been very upset all day about that. But not too bad in himself, reduced appetite still.
DP is away working, saw him on FaceTime and thinks he should have been at nursery…
I think we’re through the croup as the cough is more a cough than a bark as it was previously; looks like we’ve moved into the heavy cold phase.
By 6pm he was asleep on the sofa, bedtime is usually 7-7.30, and he’s in bed now doing the occasional whimper, poor chap.

DD however is now in the grumpily lethargy stage of recovery from her sickness bug and was not happy that DN had energy to play about today!