Symptoms:Symptoms to look for in your child are a loud cough that resembles the barking of a seal and may be accompanied by fast or difficult breathing and sometimes a grunting noise or wheezing while breathing. The cough is often worse at night. At first, a child may have cold symptoms like a stuffy or runny nose for a few days and may also have fever.
Actions:
If your child contracts croup, most doctors recommend measures to ease breathing until the infection subsides. These measures include rest or quiet play, Ibuprofen (Advil and others) or acetaminophen (Tylenol) to relieve any discomfort, drinking plenty of fluids, (which will prevent dehydration and help to move mucus out of the airways), and a cool mist vaporizer, (because cool mist soothes and moistens the inflamed airways and promotes mucus flow). If you are not able to break your child's fast breathing and croupy cough, you should call your child's doctor.
Thank you for your support. By working together we can keep all our children healthy.
Find more information about Croup at the Centers for Disease Control at http://www.cdc.gov/health/