A croupy cough is when your child has a tight, "barking" cough and usually a hoarse voice.  Stridor is when your child breathes in, you hear a harsh, raspy sound. This happens with severe croup.  Croup is a viral infection of the vocal cords. Stridor occurs as the opening between the cords becomes more narrow.

How can I take care of my child?
First Aid for Attacks of Stridor With Croup

• Inhale warm mist. Warm, moist air seems to work best to relax the vocal cords and break the stridor. Take your child into a foggy bathroom. Have a warm shower running with the bathroom door closed. If your child continues to have stridor 20 minutes after mist treatment, call 911.
• Cold air. If it is cold outside, take your child outdoors. Holding your child in front of an open refrigerator may help too.

Home Care for a Croupy Cough Without Stridor

• Humidifier. Dry air usually makes coughs worse. Keep your child's bedroom humid. (Use a humidifier if the air is dry.)
• Warm fluids for coughing spasms. Warm drinks (such as warm apple juice or warm lemonade) may relax the vocal cords and loosen up sticky mucus. You can give warm fluids to children over 4 months old.
• Cough medicines. Medicines are less helpful than mist or warm fluids. Give 1/2 to 1 teaspoon of corn syrup to thin secretions.

Call your child's doctor during office hours if:

• A fever lasts more than 3 days.
• Croup lasts more than 10 days.
• You have other questions or concerns.
   

Go to the emergency room or call 911 if:

• Breathing becomes difficult (when your child is not coughing).
• Your child starts drooling or having a lot of trouble swallowing.
• The warm mist fails to clear up the stridor in 20 minutes.
• Your child starts acting very sick.