Make Sure It Is Croup

• Croup usually starts in the middle of the night. An apparently healthy child with a slightly runny noise goes to bed only to wake up in the middle of the night with a loud cough that sounds like a bark. A low fever and a rasping or hoarse gasping sound when he breathes may also be present.
  Croup mimics many other ailments, including pneumonia. It is very important to get a firm diagnosis of croup before treating the illness at home. This is particularly true if the child's breathing seems to be labored or she seems to be in great distress. Do not delay a trip to the doctor if your child seems to have any difficulty at all breathing.
  Furthermore, a child may start out with croup and end up with something worse. Croup passes in two to five days. If you child has had the illness for any longer than that, she should go to a doctor. Symptoms of croup should improve after the first or second night.
  
  

Once You Have a Diagnosis

• Expose your child to a cool mist. It is important that the water in the air not be warm. It must be cool and very find. A vaporizer makes this easy. You should not put anything in the vaporizer. Cool vapor, alone, is what is needed to loosen the throat, which is where the infection resides.
  Provide your child with the correct dosage of Children's Tylenol or Children's Motrin. This may help with the pain caused by the coughing.
  
  

Many Viruses Can Cause Croup

• Croup occurs most frequently in infants, but it is not uncommon in toddlers. Children over 6 rarely get this illness. If your child gets croup repeatedly, year after year, he should be assessed by a doctor for allergies or a compromised immune system.