My 2.5 year old just started preschool & of course has already been sick :-( He had croup and pink eye. Our pedi gave him a steroid to take for like 3 or 4 days. His symptoms improved greatly, but he has started coughing again and has a clear runny nose. Is this just the "getting it all out because I'm better cough"? I just wanted to hear from you who have had little ones with croup. I'm calling our dr on Monday I just wanted to see your experiences with this.
wow....don't know what I'd do without all of you! :-) thank you!!!!
My son had croup as an infant and toddler. It isn't the cough you need to worry about as much as that awful sound on the inhale. If it is sounding like a normal cough and he isn't having trouble breathing, the croup is probably gone, and he's just dealing with the cough from whatever the original virus was he picked up.
Not every cough turns to croup.
Keep a humidifier running in his room at night.
Keep up his fluids.
If he's coughing but it's not the labored barking seal cough then let it be, it's him clearing out his lungs and the post nasal drip from the runny nose. If he is still making the barking sound and having problems breathing becuase of the cough I would check with his doctor, it could have developed into something else.
I had my son go from croup to borderline pneumonia, we caught it fast enough that it didn't turn into a full blown case. We were watching him closely obviously.
If it's just a normal cough it just needs to run it's course. Keep fluids in him. A spoonful of honey can help coat the throat and lessen the coughing. Run a cool mist humidifier in his room when he sleeps and elevate his head if you can with either a pillow or a rolled up towel under the head of his crib mattress.
Depends on the cough. If it is still the croup-y/stridor (you can hear them breathing) stuff, then he might need something else. Generally, the meds will clear up the croup and the virus will stay and run it's course. Good luck!
Whenever my son gets a cough it is croup. Unless he is having trouble breathing, no medicine at all except some cough syrup at night to help him sleep. Like the other moms said, cool mist humidifier every night and turn it on high when he is sick. I also give my son Lil' Critters Immune Boast gummy every day and it really works! Your son might have some lingering symptoms or may have gotten sick again from a lowered immune system.
My Son had that EXACT SAME THING.
But his meds, helped.
He even had the Conjunctivitis. For which he had antibiotic eye drops.
The Conjunctivitis is basically the Croup, but in the eye. And is common.
Take your son back to the Doctor.
With Croup, the airways/throat can get constricted. That is why he was prescribed the corticosteroids.
But it cannot be taken for long.
Steroids, only helps with the inflammation/constriction of the airways. It does not cure the illness if it still there.
Watch for secondary infection.
And any change in symptoms.
Young children cannot spit out mucus very well nor effectively.
Hence they keep coughing... due to the Post-Nasal dripping down their throat... this is then a gag reflex, and they cough. As the mucus drips down.
Also watch for coughing from the chest.
Coughing... originates from either:
1) the sinus/post-nasal dripping, or
2) the chest.
3) or both.
The cough is most likely a result of the runny nose... the mucus runs down the back of the throat and triggers a cough reflex.
My 9 month old got out of the hospital a couple weeks ago. Drs admitted him on suspicion of croup, Phenomena, or Bronchitis. He had Bronchitis which was caused my the croup at least that's what the drs said. He was in the hospital for 4 days. The meds didn't seem to help at first but they did, I then got him home and had the meds for an additional 4 days. He's healed now and clear as ever. Drs also suggested a humidifier (warm mist) and a nebulizer with meds. Because that's one of the treatments he had. But be advised my son was treated in a Korean hospital so they do things differently. :) Hope your son feels better soon.
My sons tend to get the croupy cough (not necessarily croup, but the barking seal cough) when they get a cold, and it's always worse in the middle of the night. If they remain calm, we can usually give them a cold drink to help them clear their throat and feel better. My youngest will sometimes get upset and start crying and it becomes harder to help him. We take him in the bathroom with the shower running for a few minutes. Then we bundle him up and take him outside to breath the cold air. Once he's been outside for a few minutes, he's usually fine and ready to go back to sleep. We also run a humidifier in their room, but that's not always enough.
Our older son is now 5 1/2, and he hates the cough, but he doesn't usually get upset. We usually just give him a drink, and he goes back to sleep. So it really does get easier.
Good luck! So sorry you and your little one are going through this.
