A child suffering from a bad cough can make the you-know-what out of mom scared. Some small children have any unability to deal with big and severe coughs, hence, preparation is the key for all handy mothers.

What is Croup?

Croup is a disease of children in which their upper airway is infected. When it comes to Croup, the children’s breath is obstructed and often accompanied by barking cough ^[1]. The disease can be extremely scary for the all of the family members.

Who are More Prone To Croup?

Croup is commonly seen in children and even infants.

It mainly starts as an upper respiratory infection or as a cold and often occurs at nighttime as a barking cough. Croup can be simply treated at home, however, sometimes, it is a life-threatening.

Apart from that, the disease is found in young children aged from 0 to 3 and older children.

What causes Croup?

Croup is usually caused by a virus infection due to breathing respiratory droplets which are infected and sneezed or coughed through the air. Or your children can come in contact with the virus by touching a contaminated surface and then touching their eyes, nose or mouth, causing an infection. The infection will usually begin from the nasal membranes and then develop to the vocal cords and windpipe ^[2].

Is Croup Contagious?

Croup is highly contagious.

The airborne droplets help spread croup from a child to another.

More importantly, croup viruses are able to transfer to women who are pregnent, however, the viruses triggering croup do not influnece fetus.

If you are about to be mom, then take a note that pregnant women contract more severe symptoms of croup than non-pregnent women.

What are Symptoms of Croup?

First symptoms will be a cold. Then it will lead to barking cough. The cough can be worsened by crying, agitation and anxiety. Children might possess hoarse voice and fever with noisy and labored breath.

In case your children incur the following symptoms, they will need to have professional medical attention immediately ^[3].

• Both inhale and exhale product sound noisily with high-pitched whistle
• Start drooling or trouble swallowing
• Experience fatigue, agitation or anxiety
• Struggling breath or faster-than-usual breath
• Appear grayish or blue skin at fingernail, mouth or nose

How To Treat Croup?

Here are the top 15 most effective home remedies for croup which you can easily apply at home in order to get rid of croup and prevent your children from getting infected again…

1. Steam

One of the best home remedies for croup is warm steam.

To relieve and get rid of croup, you can take your baby in the bathroom, shut the door, pour hot water on the floor of entire bathroom and let him/her breathe in the warm steam. You should let your child stay there for at least 30 minutes.

2. Cold Air

Another one of those simple home remedies for croup is cold air outside. Inhaling the cold air for some minutes can help reduce coughing.

When your baby gets croup, you should wrap him/her in the blanket to keep warm and take him/her outside. This will help your baby gain access to cool and fresh air outside.

3. Ginger

Ginger is listed in top natural croup treatments at home. Ginger is a croup remedy because it helps reduce the congestion and relieve the signs of croup ^[4].

How to use:

• Chew lozenges of ginger with a little salt sprinkled on it.
• Or you can drink tea made from a combination of ginger and holy basil daily to prevent croup.
• Another alternative is to add some basil leaves and a few drops of honey to ginger extract and consume this mixture in small quantities.

Additionally, ginger is also used in treating many other health problems. You can read more at: Home Remedies for Allergic Rhinitis.

4. Honey

With its antibiotic properties, honey is very effective in getting rid of croup. This home remedy for croup can help suppress infections of both bacterial and viral in order to relieve the symptoms of croup ^[5][6][7].

How to use:

• Add 1 teaspoon of honey to a hot cup of tea or water and drink it daily to prevent croup.
• Or you can mix 2 teaspoons of honey with 1 teaspoon of lemon juice and consume it daily to sooth the throat and clear the sticky mucus.

Besides, honey is also great home remedy for COPD. You can read more at: Home Remedies for COPD.

5. Hot Milk with Turmeric

Turmeric contains volatile oils, which can help prevent further aggravation of scratchy and sore throat. Therefore, it is a useful croup treatment ^[8][9].

You can apply this home remedy for croup in the following way:

• Add 3 teaspoons of turmeric powder to a glass of hot milk and drink it whenever you get croup to relax the vocal cord.
• Another alternative is to mix turmeric powder in water and boil for some minutes. Add some honey and lemon juice and drink it daily to improve the condition.

You can find out more at: Home Remedies for Bed Sores to learn more about turmeric’s other benefits.