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The information provided by The Pediatric Group, PLLC website is information of a general nature and is intended for informational purposes only. It should not be relied on for personal medical reasons and should not be relied upon as providing specific medical advice or for diagnosis or treatment. All information contained on this website is presented as is, without any warranties of any kind, express or implied.
Please note that visiting this website alone does not establish a physician-patient relationship with any physician engaged by The Pediatric Group, PLLC. You should consult your own physician for specific advice for your own personal situation.
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Croup Definition: Croup is a bad cough usually caused by a
viral infection in and around the larynx (voice box). It usually
is accompanied by cold symptoms and possibly by fever, and causes
laryngitis and a tight cough that sounds like a seal’s bark. In
severe cases, you may hear a harsh, raspy sound as your child breathes
in. This is called stridor. Some people describe
stridor as
a crowing noise.
Croup usually lasts 5-6 days and becomes worse at night. Your
child is contagious for about five days, but can return to school or
day care after the fever is gone.
Home Care:
- Dry air makes croup worse. Run a warm mist
humidifier in the bedroom.
- For coughing spasms in children older than 4
months, give warm fluids to relax the airway (warm apple juice or
caffeine-free tea).
- For mild cough, children 12 months or older can take 2-5 mL of
corn syrup, which may thin the mucus
secretions and loosen the cough. However, this is less helpful
than warm mist. Children age 6 or older can
suck on cough drops or hard candy.
- For severe cough, you may use dextromethorphan
(DM), which is present in most over-the-counter
cough syrups.
- If croup is accompanied by elevated temperature
over 102°F, you may give acetaminophen or ibuprofen.
- It may be worthwhile to sleep in the same room
with your child for a few nights; croup can suddenly
become severe at night.
- Your child should avoid tobacco smoke; passive
(second-hand) smoke makes coughs much worse.
- For stridor, try having your child inhale warm
mist from a wet washcloth, a warm mist humidifier, or a foggy bathroom
for 20 minutes. If that fails, inhale
cool air from breathing near an open refrigerator
for a few minutes, or by taking your child outside for 10 minutes.
Contact our office urgently if:
- Your child is less than 12 months old and has
difficulty breathing not helped by cleaning the nose.
- Your child is older than 12 months and has
difficulty breathing when not coughing.
- Your child’s ribs are mildly pulling in with each
breath.
- Stridor doesn’t respond to 20 minutes of warm mist
or cool air.
- Your child can’t bend his/her neck forward.
- Your child has sudden onset of stridor and fever
after two days of croup.
Contact our office during regular hours if:
- Stridor attacks do not respond to mist.
- Your child has continuous (non-stop) cough.
- Your child is less than 3 months old and has had a cough for more
than 3 days.
- Your child also has an earache (pulling at ears, fussy).
- Your child has had a barky cough for more than 5 days.
- Croup is a frequently occurring problem for your child.
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