Barking cough at night: croup in children
A barking cough and hoarse voice, usually worse at night, are typical of croup, a swelling of the voice box and windpipe. Keep your child calm and upright. Call emergency services if there is a high-pitched sound when breathing in at rest, the skin pulls in between the ribs, the lips turn blue, or your child is drooling and cannot swallow.
How to recognize croup
- A cough like a barking dog or a seal.
- A hoarse voice.
- A high-pitched sound when breathing in, often when crying.
- Symptoms are usually worse at night and last a few days.
What to do
Keep your child calm and sitting up or upright: crying and fear make breathing harder. For fever or pain you can give a fever reducer following the leaflet. Call your pediatrician, especially if the symptoms do not ease.
Urgent: call emergency services
- A high-pitched sound when breathing in even at rest, when your child is calm.
- Skin pulling in between the ribs or below the breastbone.
- Blue lips or very pale, grey skin.
- Drooling and being unable to swallow.
- Drowsiness, your child is exhausted by breathing.
Croup often gets worse at night and eases in the morning. If there was trouble breathing during the night, contact your pediatrician even if your child seems better in the morning. Other urgent signs: warning signs in babies.
Calm Parent
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Get it on Google PlaySources
- NHS, Croup (nhs.uk)
- American Academy of Pediatrics, Croup and Your Young Child (healthychildren.org)
This article is for information only and does not replace medical advice. If something worries you, contact a doctor. In an emergency, call your local emergency number.