5 signs your baby has croup and how to treat it

Croup is the swelling of the larynx and voice box due to cold and cough. Your baby’s throat gets sore and this might cause difficulty in swallowing food or talking and making noises. Croup is transmitted through a virus that runs rampant during the cold months. It tends to attack your child during the cold months. This makes it easier to keep an eye out for the symptoms. In the off chance that it does not cure by itself within a week, you must consult a doctor.

Look out for these signs.

1. Cough

One of the main symptoms of croup is continuous cough. It is a reflex action to get rid of anything stuck in the throat. Croup causes a swollen larynx, which is a constant discomfort for your baby and results in a cough.

2. Sore throat

A sore throat is the result of the discomfort in the larynx, making it difficult to swallow food. Even swallowing their own saliva might be painful.

3. Stridor

An evident sign of croup, a stridor is the high-pitched noise you hear when your baby breathes.

4. Fever

Your child has the tendency of picking up a low fever, which is most likely to vanish in a few hours. It is not necessary that your child might get fever as a definite symptom, but it is an evident symptom to check for in babies with croup.

5. Hoarse voice

A sore voice box is likely to change your baby’s voice. A deeper, hoarse voice is a common sign of croup. This is accompanied by a stridor, so you will know for sure that your child has croup.

These home remedies are known to cure croup.

1. Steam inhalation helps ease the mucus out of your baby’s nose, thereby helping your child breathe easier. You can add a bit of balm to the water, as this will enhance the effect of steam inhalation. Do this before your child goes to bed and your child will be rid of croup sooner than you think.

2. Keep your baby hydrated at all times. An extra portion of milk and water daily will give your baby the needed strength to flush out the virus from their system.

3. Wrap your baby in a blanket and take them out into the cool breeze. This will help with breathing. Take a slow ride in the car with the windows down, as it could contribute to clearing out the nasal path.

4. Treat the fever that is budding. Reducing the fever will help ease the discomfort your child is facing. If the fever reduces, it is a sign that the effects of croup are reducing too.