You can manage croup naturally by soothing symptoms with cool mist humidifiers, steamy bathrooms, and cool night air, alongside keeping the child calm, hydrated with fluids, and resting, but these remedies help symptoms as there's no cure for the underlying viral infection; severe cases need medical attention. Staying calm, providing fluids, and using moisture are key, but watch for worsening signs like blue lips or trouble breathing.
To get rid of croup fast, focus on keeping the child calm, offering fluids, and using cool or moist air (like a steamy bathroom or cool night air), as crying worsens symptoms; for moderate cases, doctors use steroids or epinephrine, but always seek urgent care if breathing is difficult, as antibiotics don't work for this viral infection, says Nationwide Children's Hospital.
Croup often runs its course within 3 to 5 days.
A virus is the most common cause of croup. But the illness may also be caused by bacteria, allergies, or reflux from the stomach. Viruses that are known to cause croup are: Parainfluenza virus.
The use of high-dose vitamin D or fish oil during pregnancy could be a cost-effective approach to improving young children's health, new research suggests. Children under the age of three are 38% less likely to develop croup if their mothers took fish oil while pregnant, a new study suggests.
How to care for croup
Up to 70 % of children, 4–36 months old with viral croup have deficiency or insufficiency of vitamin D. The serum level of 25(OH)D <30 ng/ml is associated with higher frequency of ARI and increased risk of severe viral croup and its recurrent episodes.
Croup symptoms generally peak 2 to 3 days after the symptoms of the viral infection begin and typically last 3 to 7 days. Symptoms are worse at night and when the child is excited, exercising or crying.
Conditions that can be mistaken for croup include:
Croup causes swelling and narrowing in the voice box, windpipe, and breathing tubes that lead to the lungs. This can make it hard for your child to breathe. An attack of croup can be scary, but it is rarely serious. Children usually get better in several days with rest and care at home.
Seek immediate medical attention if your child:
Harsh cough and breathing issues with croup can sometimes be turned around with simple measures at home like cool air from an open window, steam from steaming the bathroom, or using a humidifier.
An RSV cough is lower in the chest; and sounds wet, wheezy or rumbly. A croup cough is higher in the airway with a distinct barking, seal-like sound. Listening closely to your child's cough can help you tell the difference, but when in doubt, call your provider.
Using a humidifier or steamy bathroom may help. You want to avoid Vicks and other camphor containing products in the humidifier, as this may irritate little lungs. My child always did well if I bundled her up and sat outside with her.
Diet. Avoid milk and thick liquids. These will make your child's phlegm (mucus) thicker and make them cough more.
Like many viruses, croup lasts about three days to a week. However, the cough may linger for a few weeks. How long croup is contagious for varies depending on the severity. Your child is considered contagious for three days after their symptoms first appeared or until their fever is gone.
Commonly, croup is caused by a virus. Several viruses can cause croup but in most cases it is the parainfluenza virus. The virus can be passed on by close contact with infected people, as well as contaminated objects and surfaces. It's often spread by breathing in droplets from infected coughs or sneezes.
How is croup diagnosed and evaluated? Children with croup are usually diagnosed based on a clinical examination. Your physician may listen to your child's breathing with a stethoscope for wheezing and decreased breath sounds.
False croup is often a symptom of a virus infection in the upper airways with a swelling around the vocal chords and mucosa of the throat. The most typical symptom is a cough which sounds like the bark of a sea lion. The condition is most common in children aged 6 months to 5 years.
Be calm and reassuring, small children can be distressed with croup and crying can make their breathing worse. Sit your child upright on your lap if their breathing is noisy or difficult. A stroll outdoors, carrying the child upright in the cool fresh air may help.
Sleep. Children with croup should be allowed to rest as much as possible because this helps their body to fight the viral infection that is responsible for causing croup. However, it is common for the cough to worsen at night when they are lying down.
Although uncommon, some children with moderate to severe croup are at risk for respiratory failure if not enough oxygen is able to get to their organs. Bacterial infections, such as pneumonia or bacterial tracheitis, may arise from croup and can be life-threatening.
You can treat most croup at home. Remember that coughing up mucus is very important for protecting the lungs from pneumonia. Use a cool-mist humidifier or vaporizer in the bedroom if the air is dry. If your child develops coughing spasms, expose him or her to warm mist by going into a steamy bathroom for 20 minutes.
Symptoms of vitamin B12 or folate deficiency
At the very first sign of cold symptoms, many people reach for Vitamin C, whether in supplements, juices, cough drops, tea, or other forms. Vitamin C was first touted for the common cold in the 1970s.