I wish someone had told me about - Croup

Winter 1995. My daughter was around 18 months old.

At 5am we were awoken by what sounded like a really old dog barking in our house. Instead of a mangey dog, we found our daughter gasping for breath. It was the most terrifying thing to watch. Her tiny chest shaking irregularly to bring air to her lungs. She was exhausted and was falling asleep in between coughing..

We called the children's ward and the nurse said we should try putting her in a bathroom with the shower on, and see if steam did the trick. It actually made it worse. When she started to go pale we decided to call an ambulance.

At the hospital, the doctors had been seeing families and children with Croup all night, and we were about to find out that we were just one of them. Four hours and a handful of prescriptions later, we were home. But our days with croup were just beginning. This continued every winter until she was around four years old. And then one winter it didn't come back.

Croup is common. It affects many children in winter.

Croup is an infection of the voice box and windpipe which develops into a harsh, barking cough. It usually affects children up to five years old.

Antibiotics do not help croup
There is no specific treatment for croup - it will usually get better over three to four days. Antibiotics do not help because croup is caused by a virus. You can help your child if you:

• Try to keep them calm - breathing is more difficult when they are upset.
• Give them paracetamol if they have a fever, as directed by your doctor.
• Sit with them in a steamy room - turn on the hot water taps in the bathroom, close the door and allow the room to steam up.
• Never leave them alone in the bathroom.

Croup can get worse quickly
Children can stop breathing during a severe croup attack. Take them to a doctor or hospital quickly if they:

• Have noisy breathing (stridor)
• Are struggling to breath
• Look sick
• Become restless or irritable.

See you doctor if your child is not well
Take your child to the doctor if they have any of these symptoms:

• Has very rapid or irregular breathing
• Seems very tired
• Refuses food or drinks
• Is becoming pale or sweaty
• Their skin turns blue.