17 month old with croup...best humidifier?
Answer:
my 17 month old had it and her dr. said to take her out side for a short time in cold or open freezer and let her breath the cold air. Get a inxpensive cold air humidifier.
Run the water in the bathtub until it starts steaming and keep her in there with you. Cold water humidifiers tend to build bacteria in them, so you could make it worse.
I was told the same thing but I use my Vicks Vaporizer with out the vicks instead. It worked great. Also when you take your showers have him sit in the bathroom to breath the steam.
Going out in the cold is supposed to be the best treatment for croup.
However as far as humidifiers there are hot and cold ones. The hot ones are said to inhibit bacterial and fungal growth, however there is a risk of scalding (a small one). Some people swear by the cool ones.
Personally I use the free ones, and begger's can't be choosers.
A vaporizor would work better, you just need to be careful that he doesn't get his hands on it and get burned.
My twins were 12months the first time they got croup. I would suggest going into a steamy bathroom. It worked very well for them and I didn't have to worry about checking the humidifier. But any humidifier will do but get a cool touch one. As one wiht steam will burn the youngser.
I looked up croup on Babycenter.com...Check it out. It's a great site.
How do you treat croup?
If this is your child's first bout with croup and your doctor decides he has a mild case, you'll treat him at home. Moist or cold air seems to help reduce the swelling of the airways, so the standard course of action is to take your child into a steamy bathroom for 15 to 20 minutes or out into the cold night air. Don't expect the cough to go away completely, though. You may have to repeat the steamy bathroom routine each time your child wakes up coughing throughout the night.
You might also try a cool-mist humidifier in your child's room to maintain a humid environment. (Be sure to clean the humidifier daily with a bleach-and-water solution to ward off the growth of mold or bacteria.) Also make sure your toddler is getting plenty of fluids, and ask your doctor about giving him acetaminophen for his fever.
Since a virus is probably the culprit, antibiotics won't help. Don't give your child cough medicine, either. It won't have any effect on the swelling in his throat, and it can make it harder for your toddler to cough up mucus.
That doesn't mean your toddler's doctor won't end up prescribing some kind of medication. If the steamy bathroom and cold air techniques don't provide any relief, your child may need a prescription for oral steroids to reduce the swelling and help him breathe more easily. Although oral steroids were previously used mostly for children with moderate or severe croup, recent research suggests they may be worthwhile even in milder cases. You may want to discuss this with your doctor.
If your toddler has a severe case of croup that requires hospitalization, he may be given oxygen, a medication to inhale, or steroids to help decrease the swelling of his airways. He may also be given intravenous fluids to combat dehydration.
Both of my kids have had croup. I wouldn't buy an expensive one. We just bought the 10-12$ one. It works fine. Another thing to do is if he is coughing a lot try turning on the hot water in the bathroom shower and let him sit in there with you, with the door shut. Alos bunddling him up and sitting outside helps to, my doctor told me that. good luck it usally runs it course for 4 days or so. day one is mild and each day getting worse till the forth day. .
Get the cool mist vaporizer and put it in his room. Wash it out after every use though because they get moldy quick.Take him outside to break up the cough. We took my son for a drive in the middle of the night several times to keep him upright and so it was easier for him to sleep. Plan on getting little sleep until he gets over this. Poor little guy.
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