{"id":15084,"date":"2022-02-04T13:00:49","date_gmt":"2022-02-04T19:00:49","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.osfhealthcare.org\/blog\/?p=15084"},"modified":"2026-04-16T13:43:18","modified_gmt":"2026-04-16T18:43:18","slug":"caring-for-a-child-with-croup","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/osf-blog.live.imagescape.com\/blog\/caring-for-a-child-with-croup\/","title":{"rendered":"What is croup and what symptoms should you watch for in children?"},"content":{"rendered":"

When you\u2019re a parent, you know the familiar sounds of kids in the house: giggling, high-pitched squeals and the pitter-patter of their little feet.<\/p>\n

What you may not expect to hear, however, is something that sounds like a barking seal on a wildlife TV show.<\/p>\n

But that\u2019s a definite possibility if your child has croup<\/a>. It\u2019s a common respiratory illness that occurs mostly during fall and winter and causes inflammation in the upper airway.<\/p>\n

Croup symptoms<\/h2>\n

\"Does<\/a>\u201cThere are two hallmark characteristics of croup,\u201d said Jaya Wadhawan, MD,<\/a> a pediatrician at OSF HealthCare. \u201cThe first sign: the cough. Croup cough sounds like a loud, barking seal.<\/p>\n

The second sign of croup: stridor. Stridor is the high-pitched sound your body makes when you can only partially breathe through your airways, thanks to stuffiness or blockage. It also sounds like a wheezing or whistling sound, which can be a sign of difficult breathing.<\/p>\n

\u201cWhile no parent likes to see their child sick, it\u2019s important to stay calm. If a child with croup gets anxious, it can make breathing even harder for them.\u201d<\/p>\n

Other symptoms vary as the illness moves from the nose to the lungs. These symptoms include fever<\/a>, runny nose and losing your voice. Symptoms tend to get worse as the day progresses into the evening.<\/p>\n

Who gets croup?<\/h2>\n

Croup tends to affect children from age 3 months to 5 years, but it\u2019s most common in 2-year-olds.<\/p>\n

\u201cThe reason younger children are impacted is because of the small size of their airways,\u201d Dr. Wadhawan said. \u201cSince their airways are smaller than those in older kids and adults, any inflammation restricts their breathing. That results in the barking cough and stridor.\u201d<\/p>\n

Croup is contagious, so it\u2019s important to keep children out of school and their child care centers while they have croup.<\/p>\n

How long does croup last?<\/h2>\n

Like many viruses, croup lasts about three days to a week. However, the cough may linger for a few weeks.<\/p>\n

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.<\/p>\n

How to treat croup<\/h2>\n

Since croup is caused by a virus, the main treatment for croup is to let the illness run its course. However, there are two effective medications for addressing the symptoms.<\/p>\n

The barking cough is treated with a steroid that\u2019s taken orally or as an injection. Stridor<\/a> is treated with an inhaled medication, which reaches the lungs and larynx immediately.<\/p>\n

But there are also a couple of easy home remedies to provide temporary relief of symptoms.<\/p>\n

\u201cIt\u2019s funny, but dry, cold air and warm, moist air both work well in reducing inflammation in the airways and, as a result, reduce coughing and stridor,\u201d Dr. Wadhawan said.<\/p>\n

\u201cCold air works immensely well. You can open a window of your home, bundle a child up and take them outside, or even take them for a ride in the car with the window cracked open. Any of those options will allow the cold air into their airways and immediately reduce inflammation.<\/p>\n

\u201cOn the other hand, steam works very well, too. Parents can sit with their child in a bathroom with a hot shower running. The steam will reduce inflammation, open their airways and break up any mucus.\u201d<\/p>\n

When you should take your child to the doctor<\/h2>\n

Croup rarely leads to complications, but it\u2019s possible if an obstruction is bad enough. So, it\u2019s important to know when to see a doctor.<\/p>\n

\n

Is it a case of croup?
\nGet care now<\/a><\/p>\n<\/div>\n

\u201cIf symptoms are mild and a child is responding well to home remedies, it\u2019s not always necessary to see their pediatrician,\u201d Dr. Wadhawan said.<\/p>\n

It\u2019s time to see the doctor when they\u2019re<\/p>\n