Lifestyle and home remedies

Croup often runs its course within three to five days. In the meantime, keep your child comfortable with a few simple measures:

• Stay calm. Comfort or distract your child — cuddle, read a book or play a quiet game. Crying makes breathing more difficult.
• Provide humidified or cool air. Although there's no evidence of benefit from these practices, many parents believe that humid air or cool air helps a child's breathing. For moist air, you can use a humidifier or sit with the child in a bathroom filled with steam generated by running hot water from the shower. If it's cool outside, you can open a window for your child to breathe the cool air.
• Hold your child in a comfortable upright position. Hold your child on your lap, or place your child in a favorite chair or infant seat. Sitting upright may make breathing easier.
• Offer fluids. For babies, breast milk or formula is fine. For older children, soup or frozen fruit pops may be soothing.
• Encourage rest. Sleep can help your child fight the infection.
• Try a fever reducer. If your child has a fever, over-the-counter medicines, such as acetaminophen (Tylenol, others), may help.
• Skip the cold medicines. Over-the-counter cold preparations aren't recommended for children of any age, and can be harmful in children less than 2 years of age. Plus nonprescription cough medicines won't help croup.

Your child's cough may improve during the day, but don't be surprised if it returns at night. You may want to sleep near your child or even in the same room so that you can take quick action if your child's symptoms become severe.