Croup is a very common medical condition that growing children have. The condition is mainly caused by a viral infection. The virus that usually causes croup in children is the parainfluenza virus. Your child may have contracted the disease by breathing in the air exhaled by someone suffering from croup. It can also be contracted by coming in touch with the cough or sneeze of someone with parainfluenza virus.
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The age group that is most affected by croup is 6 months to 3 years of age. Though not a serious issue, it does cause a lot of discomfort and strains the child’s respiratory system. You can try these home remedies for croup to treat the condition effectively.
Symptoms of croup
According to Healthline,
“Symptoms tend to be most severe in children under the age of 3. This is because a child’s respiratory system is smaller than an adult’s. Symptoms that are common in most cases of croup include:
- cold symptoms like sneezing and runny nose
- fever
- barking cough
- heavy breathing
- hoarse voice
Immediate medical attention is required if croup threatens your child’s ability to breath. Contact your doctor as soon as possible if you notice symptoms like:
- high-pitched sounds when breathing
- difficulty swallowing
- blue or gray skin coloring around the nose, mouth, and fingernails
Croup that persists longer than one week, reoccurs frequently, or is accompanied by a fever higher than 103.5 degrees, should be brought to a doctor’s attention. An examination is needed to rule out bacterial infections or other more serious conditions.”
Causes of croup
According to Mayo Clinic,
“Croup is usually caused by a virus infection, most often a parainfluenza virus.
Your child may contract a virus by breathing infected respiratory droplets coughed or sneezed into the air. Virus particles in these droplets may also survive on toys and other surfaces. If your child touches a contaminated surface and then touches his or her eyes, nose or mouth, an infection may follow.”
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Home remedies for croup in children
Here are the 8 best natural remedies that will help treat your child’s croup.
1. Warm Steam
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To treat croups in your child, the first natural remedy you should rely on is warm steam. You can create this using a hot shower. It works on croup because it gives relief from congestion, which makes eases the breathing. Also, the warmth from the steam helps thin the mucus, which in turn, makes expelling out easier.
For the remedy, you need to run a hot shower and close the door of the bathroom so that the steam does not escape. Now, with your child, sit in this steam-filled self-created sauna bathroom for at least 30 minutes. Your child needs to inhale this steam.
You should repeat the remedy when required.
2. Moisten the Air
The second remedy is an extension of the first one. Humid air helps treat croup in children by making breathing easier. For this remedy, you will have to make the room where your child sleeps a little humid by using a humidifier. This will help lower the intensity of your child’s coughing fits, giving them overall relief.
If you don’t want to use a humidifier, then there is an alternative option. You can place a hot bowl of water in your child’s room. This will help moisten the air in your child’s room. Keep the water out of your child’s reach to ensure safety.
3. Prevent Dehydration
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While suffering from croup, children tend to get dehydrated. So, to ensure your child’s speedy recovery, you need to keep them hydrated at all times. This will also reduce the difficulty they are having in breathing. Also, the fluids will thin your child’s mucus, thus making their expulsion easier.
You should give you child small amount of fluid as they may refuse large amounts of it at one time. If your baby is very small, breast milk or water should work fine. For older children, you can serve soups fruit juices and fruit pops, in addition to water.
You can also serve your child some homemade bone broth. This will also give them strength as the coughing fits are likely to make them feel really weak.
To fight the infection apart from keeping our child hydrated, you need to feed them more of apple juice, citric juices and/or herbal teas.
If your child refuses large amounts of fluids at one time, give smaller amounts more often.
4. Sponge Bath
One of the most common symptoms of croup is fever. To bring it done, try giving him or her a sponge bath.
You need to use cold water instead of warm, to regulate the body temperature of your child. This will give her or him a quick relief from the fever. It will also ensure your child sleeps better. Sleep is key to speeding up the recovery process.
For the remedy, you need to soak a washcloth in a bowl of water that is at room temperature. Now wring out the excess water. Using the cloth, clean your child’s armpits, hands, groin, and feet. You can do this two to three times a day, depending on the intensity of the fever.
For older children, a cold water shower should work.
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5. Essential Oil Massage
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The next remedy requires you to gently massage your child’s chest with essential oil. This will help ease the muscles that have tightened due to the constant coughing, and this will, in turn, promote good sleep and relaxation.
For the remedy, you need to mix half a cup of warm, olive oil (make sure it is extra-virgin) with about 10 drops of eucalyptus essential oil. Apply the mix on your child’s chest, and massage gently in aa circular motion. Due to the soothing aroma of eucalyptus oil, your child will sleep better.
You can also massage your child’s feet with this mix. It will help them relax.
6. Upright Position
Whenever your child has difficulty in breathing, place them in an upright position. This will automatically make breathing easier. If you lay them flat, then you expect a coughing fit.
7. Ginger
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Ginger is another good home remedy for treating croup. Since it is anti-inflammatory, antiviral, antimicrobial antitussive, it will help relieve your child’s congestion and help treat all the symptoms associated with croup. The inflammation in the air passages due to the intense coughing is also treated by ginger.
Prepare some ginger tea for your child. For this you will need to boil 6 cups of water, and to it, add half a cup of sliced ginger. Make sure the ginger is sliced thinly. Also, add two cinnamon sticks for flavor. Let it cook at a low flame for about 20 minutes. Now remove the pan from fire, and add some natural honey. You need to give this tea to your child four times a day.
8. Rest
Rest is vital to help your child’s body heal and repair itself. You need to ensure your child gets the right amount of rest and sleep.
You need to stop them from playing or running around because the cough might get worse. It is just about a couple of days of not playing. 
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Additional tips for croup
Here are some tips that will help your treat and prevent croup.
- If your child in not even 2 years of age, dodge over-the-counter drugs, unless prescribed by the doctor.
- To prevent the virus from spreading and affecting others encourage your child to cough into their elbow.
- You need to teach your child how to sanitize their hands. They need to clean their hands frequently, and with special care before a meal.
- You need to keep your child away from possible sources of infection.
- To help build your child’s immunity, you need to expose their hands, feet and back to the early rays of sunlight. The early rays wont damage their skin.
- You should keep your child away from cigarette smoke when they are suffering from croup. This will help safeguard their healing respiratory system from further damage.
- To improve the functioning of your child’s immune system, you need to introduce probiotics and vitamin C into their daily diet.
If despite trying these home remedies your child’s croup is not cured, then you need to consult a doctor. Also you can take these natural remedies in addition to the medicines prescribed by the doctor.
That is all we have on today’s post on home remedies for croup in children. Was this helpful? Will you be recommending it to others too? If you have some remedies that you would like to share with us, then please do so in the comment section below.
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