When croup hits, it will probably come in the middle of the night. In fact, hospitals have a term for it: Croup Hour. It is from about 2-4am. For us, it came without any warning. She had a mild runny nose when I put her down for bed that night but nothing concerning in the least bit.

We fell into this scary little window of time, coined “croup hour” when I was woken up by a terrifying sound coming through the monitor. It was a sound unlike anything I’d ever heard come from my two year old baby girl. It was a seal bark. If I had to describe it, it was like a failed attempt to gasp for air. It was terrifying and I had no idea what to do except call 911.

Within a few minutes, the coughing fit passed (which I later found out was an airway spasm) and she was breathing easy again. By the time the paramedics arrived, with lights flashing that woke up our whole neighborhood, she appeared perfectly healthy. No runny nose, no cough, no fever, and to my surprise her oxygen levels were normal! What was going on?

I spoke with the paramedic about what I heard, and he was almost certain it was croup, which he advised that we head straight to the ER. We wrestled with the notion of going to the ER or waiting until the morning. We decided to load up and head to Children’s Plano. I later would learn that the funny thing about croup is, once you’ve had one coughing fit, another one is surely on the way. So, if we hadn’t showed up at 2am, we would’ve been there by by 4 or 6.

It was scary. However, I learned from the ER doctor who treated her that June night was that croup is manageable at home, usually not requiring an ER visit and most of the time not as bad as it sounds.

Tips on Dealing with Croup

1. Better safe than sorry. When in doubt, please take your child to the doctor or ER if it happens at night, especially if he or she is under two. Their airways are tiny. A croup coughing fit happens when there is a spasm in the airway. The coughing is so intense and the airways so constricted and narrow, that the vocal chords create a “bark” sound or a “stridor.” Imagine air trying to force its way through a tiny straw, vibrating against a spams of a narrow airway. That is croup. Narrow airways and a two year old are a bad mix. When it doubt, err of the safe side. The ER doctor said we did the right thing by bringing her in. She received a dose of baby prednisone and the most expensive popsicle she will probably ever enjoy… Yes, a popsicle which leads my to my next tip! Keep reading.

2. Cold air stops croup spasms/coughing fits. Winter is quickly approaching which is good news because you can bundle up that babe and go take some deep breaths out in the backyard or out a window. Almost immediately, the cough will subside. But Winnie got croup in June. It was probably 90 degrees outside that evening. The ER doctor said if it happened again to put her head in the…wait for it…FREEZER! Taking a few cold breaths are supposed to work. Follow it up with a popsicle and the cold air will continue to flow into the throat and airways. I’m telling you, it works. I was in a complete tizzy when croup hit our house that wee hour in the morning. I was calling her name, slapping her back, wondering if she was choking or getting enough air. Completely traumatic. I wish I would’ve know about the freezer trick. If you can stop the spasm, do that first before heading to the ER or doctor.

3. It’s contagious and a fever might not always present itself! Watch out for siblings, other children, and toys. It is spread by airborne contact like sneezing or coughing, hand-to-hand contact, and even touching a surface that has been contaminated. Ew!

I hope you find some relief in this post, in that while it is a scary childhood illness, it isn’t particularly serious. It doesn’t usually warrant an ER visit but if you feel that is best for your child, don’t hesitate to do what we did and just go. I’m a better parent for learning this and I just had to share with all of you just in case you wake up to that seal bark. Been there. Done. That. Godspeed, mommas!

PS. When you’re in a tizzy shuffling out the door to get to the hospital, make sure you bring your baby socks and a blanket. This was the best advice I have ever received about emergency hospital visits. You’ll be thankful you brought those necessities because waiting rooms are cold and a little harsh!