In the middle of the night, your child wakes up with a cough that sounds like a seal barking, the voice is hoarse, and a whistling sound (stridor) is heard while breathing in. This picture is croup: swelling caused by viruses in the area below the vocal cords. It is most common between 6 months and 3 years of age.

What to Do During an Attack

  1. Stay calm and calm your child. Crying increases the swelling — pick the child up and hold them upright.
  2. Take the child into cool air: let them breathe for 5-10 minutes on a balcony, by a window, or in front of an open refrigerator.
  3. Warm steam (turning on the shower and sitting in the bathroom) helps some children; steam from a boiling pot is dangerous, do not do it.
  4. If the stridor does not improve, go to the emergency department — a single dose of steroid treatment reduces the swelling within hours.

Signs That You Need to Go to the Emergency Room

  • Stridor heard even at rest (not just while crying)
  • Pulling-in between the ribs and at the hollow of the neck
  • Bluish discoloration, extreme restlessness, or drowsiness
  • Drooling + inability to swallow (suspected epiglottitis — emergency!)

Croup vs. Other Coughs

If there is wheezing on breathing out, we consider bronchiolitis or asthma; in croup the problem is breathing in, while in wheezing it is breathing out. General cough guide: Cough in Babies

📅 Book an appointment for evaluation of recurrent croup attacks

This content is for informational purposes; please consult your physician for diagnosis and treatment. — Uzm. Dr. Hasan Keleş