What should you know about mild croup symptoms?

Croup is inflammation around the voice box and upper windpipe, usually after a viral infection. A child may have a barking cough, hoarseness, a runny nose and a raised temperature. Some children make a rough or high-pitched noise when breathing in, called stridor. Mild croup symptoms are generally limited to a cough or noise when upset; stridor while resting suggests more significant narrowing and needs prompt assessment.

Keep your child settled, hold them upright and offer regular drinks. Check breathing, colour, alertness and how well they are drinking rather than focusing only on the cough. Keep the room free from smoke. Record when the cough, fever or noisy breathing occurs so a clinician can understand the pattern. A child health consultation can help confirm whether symptoms fit croup and whether treatment is needed.

Get urgent help for stridor at rest, ribs or neck pulling in with breaths, struggling to drink, drooling, blue or grey lips, pauses in breathing, severe distress or unusual drowsiness. Seek prompt medical advice if fever is persistent, symptoms are worsening, or the child is passing much less urine. Do not wait for a cough to become severe if breathing looks difficult.

Is the noisy breathing present only when upset or also at rest? How should we monitor fluids and fever? Would my child benefit from a review or nebuliser treatment?