Patient Comments: Croup - Treatments
Have you cared for someone with croup? What treatment has been effective?
Comment from: Houston Mother, 0-2 Female (Caregiver)
Published: August 17
My daughter was diagnosed with croup at the age of 11 months. It was really frightening for us. We put her to bed with mild cold symptoms, and she woke up crying in the middle of the night with the horrible wheeze that is described. We visited the doctor that day, so I called the on-call doctor to tell them about her new status. Our doctor advised us to call if wheezing occurred. The on-call doctor immediately diagnosed her with croup as soon as he heard her wheezing. She was given a steroid treatment at the doctor, and we were given a prescription to continue the treatment for the next five days. Luckily, she stopped wheezing on the third day of treatment. She was extremely fussy for the entire illness and the medicine gave her insomnia for the last two days of the treatments. She wasn't sleeping much before that since it was hard for her to breathe. Praise the Lord, she finally slept again and turned back into my wonderful little baby girl. Was this comment helpful?Yes
Comment from: 0-2 Female (Caregiver)
Published: May 02
I am a private, home-based child care provider. I am very concerned when parents bring their children to the program with that "barking" cough and calmly state, "It's OK – it's just croup." I did some research, and found croup is very contagious. In most cases, when a child has an infectious disease, they are required to stay at home until the illness has passed and they are no longer contagious. A doctor's note is required for readmission. Teachers, staff, and other participants in the program have to be protected. So why are parents up in arms when told they need to care for their child at home until the child is released by their doctor? Was this comment helpful?Yes
Comment from: Caring Mommy, 3-6 Female (Caregiver)
Published: November 29
What works best for my toddler when she has croup (& she has it about twice a year) is giving her 1 tsp of Children's Advil & also Albuterol through a Nebulizer, both two times per day. The second doses are given close to bed time because nights are the worst. I also push fluids as much as possible and shy away from milk, especially warm milk. We watch her very closely, especially at night. She sleeps with us when she is sick. Was this comment helpful?Yes
Related Medications: Albuterol
Comment from: Spiritlifter, 0-2 Female (Caregiver)
Published: October 31
This is my first time encountering this infection. I am a foster parent to an 11 month old and she got it really quick. I noticed she had a runny nose and figured she was getting a cold. Then all of a sudden last night she started this barking and her ribs seemed to be kind of showing. Had I known I would have taken her outside, but instead thinking it was because of her stuffy nose I rubbed her down with some Vicks (I thought I was doing something old school for something simple like bronchitis). But when I noticed the barking was getting worse and she was crying more I took her to the ER. She was still her usual self, (playful, and getting in to stuff) but she was just getting irritable quicker. I wasn't too worried but I just had never heard her bark like that before. They gave her a steroid shot and I gave her juice to keep her hydrated. She is still active but I did notice that when it came to time to sleep she would get more irritable and whining than usual. So I had to do some reading on this and now I know why. I placed some warm herbal tea with apple juice for sweetener in her bottle (chamomile) and rubbed her down again with the Vicks, so far she is sleeping soundly. Was this comment helpful?Yes
Patient CommentsViewers share their comments
Croup - How it's Spread
Question: Where do you think your baby or child caught the virus that caused croup? Were other family members sick?
Croup - Experience
Question: Please share your family's experience with croup. How old was your child?
Croup - Signs and Concerns
Question: Describe your child's croup signs or symptoms. What were your concerns?
Croup - Symptoms
Question: Are you caring for someone with croup? What symptoms did he/she experience?
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My son is 5 and he's has had croup and stridor since he is 15 months old. It is very scary for me. He gets it 2 to 3 times a year between October and February. He starts out symptomless except for slight runny nose. He doesn't seem sick, but at night he will awake suddenly with acute croup and high pitch stridor sound on inspiration. We have a routine we have car keys ready, shoes and coats by the door because he get it so bad we need to get to the ER for racemic epinephrine. This drug can only be given at the hospital so we do not wait for ambulance as time is essential to get help. We also use cool mist and steam vaporizers during winter. The croup barking cough is one thing but if your child has stridor, high pitched inspiration get to the ER and stay calm and tell your child he or she will be just fine and that you need to take him for medicine. Drive with the windows down the whole way to the ER. The cold air shocks the lungs and opens the airways temporarily.