Croup cough – just call me Dr. Mom

My son recently woke in the middle of the night with croup cough. Normally I would have been extremely alarmed but I had experienced croup cough with my daughter a few years ago so I recognized the sound at once.

Croup cough has a very distinct sound when your child coughs. It sounds like a bark. Some say it sounds like a seal barking, but since I’ve never heard a seal bark, I’m going to say it sounds like an old dog! Or maybe even a cat coughing up a hairball. Either way, it’s not pleasant.

Croup cough is fairly common in young kids. My daughter was not quite one year old when she had it. My son has just turned three and this was the first time he ever had it.

When I first heard him coughing, I checked on him first and was scared to see that he could hardly breathe. My daughter was prescribed all kinds of medication and had to be on a breathing machine so I was worried for my son. However, it was about 2 a.m. and I wasn’t able to take him to the doctor so I hoped Vicks VapoRub would suffice until the morning.

I rubbed a bit of Vicks on the sides of his neck and at the base of his throat, just above his chest. He was instantly quiet. I was amazed how quickly and effectively it worked. I went back to bed and didn’t hear another peep out of him.

The next day he had almost no signs at all that he had croup cough. I got lucky this time. He was back to his usual cute and trouble-making self. My daughter was a lot younger and was extremely fussy for at least a week.

Croup cough can come and go very quickly, but it can also become serious so if you’re at all worried about your child, take them to your physician. If they’re having a lot of difficulty breathing you may need to take them straight to the emergency room. It’s always better to be safe than sorry.