6 1/2 month old with Croup

Crystal - posted on 11/02/2009

Hi there Katarina, Glad to see well shall I say relieved to see my daughter is not the only one suffering of this problem.. However the fact that there is not much you could do could possibly be slightly under estimated.. Here are a few suggestions;

1. Please take your son to an ENT specialist to figure out whether he might have middle ear infection which is a major cause of this croup problem..

2. To help relief your little one here are a few things I have found really helps my daughter (18 months)

a. Invest in a nebuliser: Then you could get stuff over the counter from your chemist - COMBUVENT and steam him for 10 minutes every second to third evening at bedtime.

b. Get some Karvol vaporub not vicks!! rub on his chest, back and under his feet and rap him up warm.

c. Try as much as possible until you get clarification from an ENT to keep his ears closed with cotton wool or at bath time you could put some prestick in his ears just to keep the water out.

d. When you put him to sleep, I know it's difficult but let his upper body lie high up, perhaps on three pillows if too high then two, this will stop the muck from running into his chest which causes the cough.

Mary - posted on 10/31/2009

My daughter is now 10 years old. She was born 6 weeks early. She had croup before she was 3 months old and has had it at least one time per year of her life. I thought she'd outgrow it around 5, but she just had it this summer. Some kids are just prone to it. I usually alternate sitting on the toilet with her while the shower runs on HOT (steam room quality), opening the freezer door and letting her breathe in the cold air. One or the other usually helps. What has been the best, though, is bundling her up, getting in the car, and driving around with the windows down OR bundling her up and sitting in the back yard. The cool night air usually provides quick relief. I have had a FEW times that we have ended up going to emergency to get a shot, but usually the hot steam or cold air keep it in check. The croup usually flares up at night and goes 3 or 4 days, quite often with a fever. When she gets the croup, I usually have her near me at night so I can be attentive to her needs. Good luck -- I know it's scary. Be patient, try the above remedies and it should get easier.

Katarina - posted on 10/31/2009

We bought the Vicks Cool Mist Vapour Humidifier. Thanks :)

Karen - posted on 10/31/2009

remember to put "liquid" vicks in the dehumidifier not the solid stuff...that "gacks" up the machine...you don't want to know how I found out :0)



Also I have used an old fashioned technique...a "mustard plaster" for their chest!

Katarina - posted on 10/31/2009

We took a trip to the emergency room last night and thankfully it's just a mild case. Very scary though. Nothing was prescribed. The Dr. said they don't like to over prescribe steroids because on potential side effects. Till then, we've spent lots of time bundled outside and Motrin to make him comfortable. Thank you all so much ladies! First time mom's worry, you really helped.

Lisa - posted on 10/31/2009

My daugher had croup many times...they usually prescribe 3 days of steroids to help open passages if there is stridor when they inhale. you might want to ask you Dr. Also, sit in the bathroom with the shower on all the way hot...the steam always helped her...a cool mist humidifier in their room also helps...good luck..

Amy - posted on 10/31/2009

My son had it three times when he was around that age. He also had a sinus infection with it so he had an anti-biotic for that. But we used to bundle him in a blanket and take him outside at night because it was winter. The cold air helps a lot. So I think that you need not to worry and do give that first morning or late night air for him. It will pass. Hang in there!

Ashley - posted on 10/31/2009

The steam from a shower. I go though this every yr with two of the four children I have. If your baby can't or is having a hard time breathing call 911. They can give the baby breathing treatments. Good luck and I hope you the best

Rochelle - posted on 10/30/2009

When my son had coupe our Dr. Told us the same thing you got told. It was my grandma who was the biggest help. She said to take his humidipher and put Vicks in it. Than take a heavy comforter and place over humidifier. Make if big enough for you both to fit. We did this for 20 minutes at a time for 3 hours and again before bed it helped. He got better. You may have to do this a few times but when u come out from under the blanket I could hear a difference. Hope this helps.

Kristy - posted on 10/30/2009

It is very scary. I'm going to school for Respiratory therapy so I can tell you what they've taught us. First thing you can do is get a humidifier (cool mist), that'll help soothe his throat. Keep an eye on how many wet diapers he has in a day and if there are tears when he cries. Also, if he gets a high fever (above 102) and/or seems abnormally lethargic then take him to the ER. Also, remember that infants are nose breathers, so if he seems to be in respiratory distress like he's breathing with his mouth open a lot or his belly and chest seem to move a lot with his breathing you might want to take him in. Sorry if that was a lot of info, I'm sure he'll be fine. Kids get croup all the time and they bounce back pretty fast. The most important thing is to keep an eye on his breathing. Also, if for some reason he seems to be not breathing normal, just check to see if his hands feel cool and if his belly and chest are blue. Good luck

Margie - posted on 10/30/2009

My daughter had terrible croup as a baby, I bought a humidifier (or a steamy bathroom helps) with eucalyptus oil this loosens up the chest and helped a lot. She's a teen now and has asmtha but this is very mild and she swims which helps.

Sara - posted on 10/30/2009

My daughter just recovered from the croup. The best thing you can do is put a cool mist humidifier in his room at night. The moist air helps to ease the coughing. Also, our doctor did put her on steroids, which helped a lot...I would ask about it if your son is not getting any better. Good luck!

Katie - posted on 10/30/2009

my son used to get that alot he was born 2 months early what they did to help get him over it was give him some liquid polmocort that they use in neb treatments but the safe kind for them to swallow not the kind for the nebulizer and that helped alot, he also then ended up eventually goin on a nebulizer. But to help at home you can take a shower with your baby and get some nice steam going in there it will help losen things up for him. Another thing is have a mister in his room. I know its very scarey when they have spells where they stop breathing for a moment, but son had breathing problems alot but if they just stop for a few secounds you have nothing to worry about, its actually very normal for babys to do that, if you watch your babies healthy or not they all do that when they are in a deep sleep they stop beathing for a few secounds and they gasp and then go back to breathing normal

Bringing your son into the cold air or in front of the freezer to help them calm down does help and if he stops breathing its due to the shock of the air just keep him out there by the cool air for a bit. I would if your very worried about it bring your son back in to the doctor and ask them about the liquid pulmocortthats taken oraly it truely help my son they can also give them a shot to help i believe its a cortozone shot that they give. If you arent able to get any of the home remodies to work. Hope I helped

Jennie - posted on 10/30/2009

Yes, actually there is!!! My son gets this everytime he catches a cold. Here are a few remedies you can do:

-use a humidifier in his room when he sleeps.

-bundle him up and take him outside for the cold air

-you also sit with him in a restroom with hot water running for the steam (if you have any eucalypsis oil put a few drops in the hot water)



And if he get really bad with the breathing take him back to the doctors so they can give him a breathing treatment and prescribe you some meds like a inhaler with a mask to open up his airways.



I hope this helps, the good thing is the worse of the croup usually lasts no more than 4 days. I hope your lil' one gets better soon!!! Take care.

Brandie - posted on 10/30/2009

Get a cool mist vaporizer? Keep it in the room with him during the day and in the room where he sleeps at night. It will add moisture to the air. Lots of liquids. The cough should improve within 3-5 days, if not or if he develops a fever, call the doctor. Don not let them tell you it is nothing to worry about. After the 5th day with no improvement he may need something to reduce the swelling in his airway. Keep a close eye on him when he sleeps. Good luck.

Lianne - posted on 10/30/2009

Can give him tylenol/tempra to help if he's uncomfortable, put a cool mist humidifier on in his room to help him breath while sleeping. Take him for a walk outdoors, or car ride with the windows partially down. It's true when they say fresh air helps. The only time my son didn't cough was when we were on our way to the hospital in the cold January air. Hope he feels better soon.

Robin - posted on 10/30/2009

Katarina, both of my sons have had croup many times. I hate it, it is scary. The thing that helps most is steroids. If you can get your dr. to prescribe Orapred, that will reduce the inflammation in the throat causing the problem. As your son gets older and his throat gets bigger it will be more manageable. (If he gets it again.) But with him being so small, I would insist on steroids. You obviously don't want to give steroids unless necessary but when you have a small baby that is wheezing and gasping for air I think it's justified. Not all doctors agree with me but done selectively nothing else works better. Good luck and call your doctor to ask. Robin