Croup Cough in Children

Nothing can be more painful for a parent than to see their little one suffer helplessly. Imagine being woken up in the middle of the night by a hoarse bark, cursing the neighbor's dog, only to find out that it's your little angel making that horrible sound. Your child could be suffering from croup - a common illness in children below the age of five. It's a viral infection that leads to swelling of the tissue around the vocal chord and constriction of the wind pipe, resulting in a bad cough that sounds like a bark.

Croup can be caused by the virus that is responsible for the common cold, and so there is no antibiotic that is sure to work against it. Also, some children are prone to it more than others. If two kids playing together are infected by the same virus, it is quite possible that one may get croup and the other may end up with a simple cold. Kids who were born premature have had some sort of breathing trouble early are usually more prone to croup cough.

Croup is worse for younger kids; the younger the child, the worse it is. And when in a situation like this, little kids may cry a lot, which worsens their condition. So as difficult as it may seem, try and calm your child down as much and as fast as possible. Croup gets aggravated at night, and is eased by cold or moist air. So if it's the winter, make the effort and take your child out into the cold air. One would normally avoid exposing their child to such cold weather, but this is one case where it most definitely helps. Another option is to use a cold mist humidifier in the room which will increase the humidity, which also helps with croup. Some people also use the steamy bathroom - keep the hot water going in the bathroom and let your little one take in the steam. Using a normal vaporizer comes with the risk of spreading the infection and is usually not recommended.

With kids being so young, the coughing gets too much for them and at times they are simply unable to breath. If you sense anything of that sort, rush to the doctor. It's not worth waiting. And it's not a bad idea to sleep with the child when he/she is in such a condition. Also remember, doctors are there to help you, so take their help!