Do you have any home remedies that can calm a child with The Croup?

Question

She is 3, I talked to the dr and the doctor told me what medicine to give her, He did tell me about the steam bath but not the cold air..Good thing I am in the northeast its nice and cold out now..thank you everyone for your input..I appriciate it!

Answer 1

One way to humidify the air is with a cool-mist humidifier. Having your child breathe in the moist air through the mouth will sometimes break a croup attack. Or try running a hot shower to create a steam-filled bathroom where you can sit with your child for 10 minutes. Having your child breathe through a warm, wet washcloth placed over the nose and mouth.
Try cuddling and reading a bedtime story while doing this to help calm your child.

Sometimes, during cooler months, taking your child outside for a few minutes can help break the attack because the cool air can shrink the swollen tissues lining the airway. Parents can also try driving the child in the car with the windows down to bring in cool air.

If your child has croup, consider sleeping overnight in the same room to provide close observation. If you are not able to break your child's fast breathing and croupy cough, call your child's doctor or seek medical attention as soon as possible.Most children with croup will get better with treatment at home. But if your child's croup symptoms are severe or don't seem to be responding to home treatment, call your doctor. He or she may prescribe medication to help reduce the swelling in your child's airways.

Answer 2

When the coughing and weezing gets really bad, bundle the kid up and take him or her outside to breathe the cold air. That's why so many parents with croupy kids that leave in the middle of the night for hte ER afraid of their kids breathing, end up showing up at the ER with them breathing just much better by the time they get there.
Also, start your shower (not bath) running HOT and close the door to let the steam build up. The take the kid in there to sit for awhile.
Also, you didn't mention how old the child is, but if it's a baby or very small child, you want to really keep track of how fast they're breathing. If a baby is having a hard time with croup and is weezing really bad, it's probably having a really hard time keeping up and is takeing fast shallow breaths. That means you better go on to the ER and get a breathing treatment of some kind.
Keep the humidifier going at all times and change the water dailey.
Good luck!

Answer 3

Best thing for croup is Sitting the child in the kitchen (door closed) and boil the kettle with the lid off so it continues to boil and the kitchen steams up let the child breathe in the steam for about 5 mins - if your kitchen is too big to get steamy that way then run the hot taps in the bathroom (door closed) until there is lots of steam and do the same as before - it really eases it

Answer 4

My daughter has had croup plenty of times, and the thing that worked for her the best was the cold air. I would bundle her up and go out side and have her take deep breaths. It always made her feel better and look better. Also a nebulizer (sp)treatment works great, but costs quite a bit to rent the nebulizer from a medical supply store.

Answer 5

i used to get the croup all the time as a kid. the only thing that helped me breath during a coughing spell was to stick my head out the front door (winter in boston) for the cold air. the cold alsmost made me stop coughing immediately. my doctor told me to try steaming the bathroom with my 11 month old... but that didn't work for her. everybody's different so talk to your childs doctor about it.

Answer 6

Humidifier, or cold air. Sometimes I will crack the window in my sons room since the cold air seems to stop the coughing. Good luck

Answer 7

When that seal bark starts, go into your bathroom and run the hottest shower you can - get the room all steamy and sauna-like. Take your child in there, and let her play in the room while the shower runs.

If that doesn't cut it, bundle up and go outside - that should do the trick.

Answer 8

we used to shut bathroom door and open shower door turn on the shower as hot as possible then sit on the closed toilet while the bathroom steamed up for 15 min. it helps a lot my friend was told to put a hat on their baby and take him outside in the cold.

Answer 9

This sounds weird, but my Grams taught me this one and it works like a charm....cooled peppermint tea. The tea breaks up the "junk" that causes it, as she would say. Be kind and add a little sugar though. :)

Answer 10

http://www.moondragon.org/health/disorders/croup.html
At first, a child may have cold symptoms like a stuffy or runny nose for a few days and may have a fever. The upper airway (the lining of the trachea and larynx) becomes progressively inflamed and swollen. Croup is a respiratory infection that causes the larynx (voicebox) or trachea (windpipe) to narrow due to swelling. The larynx goes into spasms, and the sufferer experiences difficulty breathing; a harsh, loud, barking cough (resembles the barking of a seal); hoarseness; tightness in the lungs; and feelings of suffocation, especially when a child is crying or upset. Mucus production may also increase, further clogging the airway. If the upper airway becomes swollen to the point where it is partially blocked off, it becomes even more difficult for a child to breathe. This happens with severe croup. One of the trademarks of severe croup is a harsh, high-pitched wheezing noise or squeaking noise (called stridor) that is made when air is breathed in through the constricted windpipe and over inflamed vocal cords. Fits of coughing is another characteristic symptom. A child will tend to breath very fast, and the stomach or the skin between the child's ribs may seem to pull in during breathing. The child may also appear pale or bluish around the mouth because he or she is not getting enough oxygen. In addition to the effects on the upper airway, the infections that cause croup can result in inflammation further down the airway, including the bronchi (breathing tubes) and the lungs.
Croup most commonly occurs in young children between ages 3 months and 5 years (1 to 3 years most frequently), whose airways are much narrower than those of adults.

Attacks occur frequently at night and croup usually lasts 5 to 6 days in duration (peaking 2 to 3 days after the symptoms of infection start). Incubation period (the time between infection and the onset of symptoms) depends on the virus causing the croup. For parainfluenza virus, it is usually 3 to 5 days. Croup resulting from viral infection usually lasts less than a week. Croup is most likely to occur in outbreaks during the winter months and early spring when viruses that usually cause it peak, and symptoms are most severe in children younger than 3 years of age. Many children who come in contact with the viruses that cause croup will not get croup, but will instead have symptoms of a head cold. Most croup due to viruses is mild and can be treated at home, though rarely viral croup can be severe and even life-threatening. Some children are more prone to developing croup, especially those who were born prematurely or who were born with narrowed upper airways.

Spasmodic croup is a term used to refer to a condition similar to viral croup, except that there are no accompanying symptoms of an infection. The cough frequently begins at night with a sudden onset. The child usually has no fever with spasmodic croup.

The majority of children recover from croup with no complications. Rarely, some children will develop complications such as ear infection or pneumonia. Children who have a history of lung disease (such as asthma) are more likely to develop more severe symptoms of croup and may require hospitalization. Croup very rarely causes any long-term complications.

Prevention is better than solving a problem. Frequent hand washing and avoiding contact with people who have respiratory infections are the best ways to reduce the chance of spreading the viruses that cause croup.



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CAUSES


Croup is usually proceeded by a cold, bronchitis, or an allergy attack, but can also occur if a foreign body is inhaled. Most croup is caused by viruses, but similar symptoms may occasionally be caused by bacteria or an allergic reaction. The viruses most commonly involved are parainfluenza virus (accounting for most cases), adenovirus, respiratory syncytial virus, influenza, and measles.



TREATMENT
HERBAL & HOLISTIC RECOMMENDATIONS

HERBS


The following herbs are recommended for croup: Echinacea, fenugreek, goldenseal, and thyme. Echinacea tincture should be taken if a fever is present. Take 15 drops in liquid every 3 to 4 hours. Caution: Do not take goldenseal on a daily basis for more than a week at a time, and do not use it during pregnancy. If you have a history of cardiovascular disease, diabetes, or glaucoma, use it only under a health care provider's supervision.

Put a few drops of eucalyptus oil in a vaporizer and inhale the steam.

Give a child with croup very warm ginger herb baths; then immediately wrap the child in a heavy towel or blanket, and put him or her to bed to perspire. This helps loosen the mucus and rid the body of waste.

Fenu-Thyme combination from Nature's Way Products is good for congestion.
RECOMMENDATIONS


Most children with mild croup can be treated at home. You should make your child as comfortable as possible. Cough medicines are generally not recommended. You may give your child acetaminophen (Children's Tylenol, Infant's Tylenol) for is or her chest discomfort or discomfort due to fever.

Give a child with croup plenty of liquids to help thin the mucus. Steam-distilled water, herbal teas, and homemade soups are good choices.

Make sure the child gets plenty of rest.

Apply hot onion packs over the chest and back three times a day. Slice onions and place them between cloths, and then apply the pack and cover it with a heating pad. Onion packs open the pores and relieve congestion.

If your child has a mild attack of stridor, try having him or her breathe moist air. This is called mist treatment. You can give your child a mist treatment at home in a variety of ways:

1. Have your child breathe through a warm, wet washcloth placed over the nose and mouth.
2. Run hot water in your shower with the bathroom door closed. Once the room has become steamy or has fogged up, sit with your child in the room for about 10 minutes. You can cuddle your child and read a bedtime story to help calm him.

3. Sometimes it helps to take your child outdoors during the cooler months for 10 minutes or for a drive in the car with the windows down to bring in cool air. The fresh air can help with breathing difficulties by shrinking the swollen tissues lining the airway.

4. You can purchase a water vaporizer at most drug stores that can help put moisture back in the air. Some use cool water (cool-mist humidifier) and some are steamer vaporizers that produce a steam vapor. Ask your health care provider which would work best for your particular situation. Some children will respond better to one than the other.


If your child has croup, consider sleeping overnight in the same room as him or her to be able to provide close observation. If you are not able to break your child's fast breathing and croupy cough, call your child's health care provider.

If a child with croup is having difficulty breathing, take him or her to the emergency room of the nearest medical facility for treatment and for X-rays of the larynx to rule out any other reasons for the breathing difficulty, such as a foreign object lodged in the throat or epiglottitis (an inflammation of the epiglottis, the flap of tissue that covers the windpipe). Typical findings on an X-ray if a child has croup includes the top of the airway narrowing to a point, which health care providers call a steeple sign. Antibiotics (for bacterial infections) and oxygen may be needed. Medications such as epinephrine or corticosteriods may be given, and sometimes a child with croup will remain in the facility overnight for observation.

Milder cases of croup can be treated at home, but parents should be alert for signs of increasing difficulty.

If antibiotics are prescribed, use some form of acidophilus.


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Nutrients
Supplement Suggested Dosage Comments
Essential
Vitamin C 60 mg 4 times daily for children 6-12 months old; 100 mg 4 times daily for ages 1-4. 500 mg 4 times daily for children over 4. Helps control infection and fever by boosting the immune system.
Zinc Lozenges (Ultimate Zinc-C Lozenges from Now Foods) 5 mg once daily for 3 days for children 6-12 months old. 5 mg twice daily for 3 days for ages 1-3. 5 mg 3 times daily for 3 days for children over 3. Promotes immune function and is necessary in healing. Use lozenges for faster absorption.
Very Important
Vitamin A 2,000 IU daily. Needed for healing of the mucous membranes. Use an emulsion form.
Vitamin E 10 IU daily for children under 3. 20 mg daily for ages 3-6. 50 mg daily for children over 6. Destroys free radicals and carries oxygen to all cells. Use an emulsion form.
Important
Acidophilus As directed on label. Take on an empty stomach. Replenishes essential bacteria if antibiotics are used.
Cod liver oil 1 tbsp twice daily in juice. Can be used for children in place of vitamin A.
NOTIFY YOUR MIDWIFE OR HEALTH CARE PROVIDER IF...

Your child starts drooling or has trouble swallowing.

Your child's lips and skin are pale, bluish or turn dark.

Your child's breathing doesn't sound better after mist treatment or develops stidor.

Your child is cranky or is constantly uncomfortable.

Your child's breathing becomes more difficult, including rapid breathing, belly sinking in while breathing, or the skin between the ribs pulling in with each breath.

Your child seems to feel worse, has a high fever, or a very sick appearance with a greater inactivity than usual when ill.

You are worried.