Sypmtoms of Croup

Today's first time parenting tip - Learn how to spot the signs of croup in your baby

A co-worker was telling me the other day about how his daughter ended up in the emergency room because of croup, and it made me hop online to check out the symptoms to make sure I was prepared.

Croup is a viral infection that causes swelling of the airways. From what another co-worker tells me, it causes your infant to bark like a seal with they cry or cough. Doesn't sound like something you could easily miss.

In addition to the cough, your infant might be having trouble breathing, or they may make a high pitched squeaking noise while breathing really fast. This is when it's serious and you should get medical attention immediately.

You can treat croup with a cool mist humidifier. You can also try to take your baby outside if it's cold (with a jacket, hat, mittens - the works). Breathing in cold, moist air will help with the swelling of the airway.

If you aren't able to treat the croup on your own or it gets serious, get medical attention. This is one you want to monitor closely, so if you're sleeping separately, conside spending the night in the same room.

Reference - Kid's Health

See all the first time parenting tips