Pedemy · For parents
Croup and barking cough — notes
Note the pattern below and bring your questions and current medicines to the visit. This record does not diagnose or choose treatment.
Use these notes with your child’s clinician. This tool does not diagnose illness, prescribe treatment or confirm that home care is safe.
Emergency help now
Call local emergency services for severe breathing difficulty, blue/gray lips, collapse, a seizure with failure to recover, or a child who is very difficult to wake. Do not delay to complete this tool.
Contact a healthcare professional
Stridor while resting, chest pulling in or difficulty drinking needs urgent assessment. Blue/gray lips, exhaustion, severe breathing difficulty, drooling with inability to swallow or reduced responsiveness are emergencies. Do not delay for a diary or home remedy. A baby younger than 3 months with a temperature of 38°C (100.4°F) or higher needs urgent medical assessment, even if they look well. Do not delay assessment to try medicine or complete a diary.
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Care reminders
- Croup is usually a viral swelling near the voice box. It causes a barking cough and hoarseness, often worse at night. A harsh sound when breathing in is called stridor; it differs from a wheeze when breathing out.
- Keep the child calm and comfortably upright while awake. Offer small drinks if swallowing is easy. Contact a clinician: a steroid may reduce airway swelling. Avoid hot steam because of burns; cough medicines do not treat the swelling.
- Stridor while resting, chest pulling in or difficulty drinking needs urgent assessment. Blue/gray lips, exhaustion, severe breathing difficulty, drooling with inability to swallow or reduced responsiveness are emergencies. Do not delay for a diary or home remedy.