The last few days we have been staying around home. It started with J. running a low fever (between 101-102) on Halloween, until it peaked at 103.6, at which point I used Tylenol to bring the fever down. We have a wonderful alternative medicine doctor that suggests letting a fever run its course until around 103° F. before using Tylenol. It gives the fever a chance to "burn out" whatever the germs are that cause the sickness.

On Friday, I had an event scheduled to sell our soap, but I cancelled early in case S. came down with whatever J. had. I'm glad I did, because even though J.'s fever was nearly non-existent, S. started running a fever as well. His fever started out low grade as well, and then spiked to 103.6° just like J.'s had, so again I pulled out the Tylenol. We spent the day cuddling on the couch and watching movies since both boys were not feeling their best. 

Then came Saturday. Usually I go to our local farmer's market to sell our soap on Saturday mornings, but with two boys down, I didn't want to chance passing on our sickly germs, so I stayed home with the boys and Nick. By evening, S. and J. were doing somewhat better and both boys seemed to be on their way back to normal.

On Sunday I soon noticed once they were up, that it sounded like they had both lost their voices. Within an hour, their breathing had become more labored, and they had the tell tale signs of croup. Between them both having a low grade fever still, the labored breathing, and an accompanying cough, it was definitely croup. When they coughed, it sounded more like a bark of a dog. 

Croup is mainly a childhood disease that commonly affects children 4 yrs. old and under. It is caused by a viral infection in the upper respiratory system. The infection settles in the windpipe (trachea) and voice box (larynz) which become irritated and inflamed. The barking cough is a result of the inflammation. When adults get croup, it manifests in cold-like symptoms such as a fever, sore throat, and a general feeling of not being well, but the symptoms are so mild that most adults do not realize when they get croup.

Croup cannot be helped with antibiotics, it just needs to run its course. Generally it lasts for 3 days, and peaks on the third evening. Just when you think you are going to drop from exhaustion, and that you are going to crumble under the stress of watching your children day and night to make sure their breathing doesn't get serious, it gets better, so hang in there! Also, do NOT use cough syrup, as it can cause the symptoms to get worse. You can use children's Tylenol or ibuprofen to help with the sore throat and a high fever, however do not use aspirin.

Soft Foods/Cold Foods
Keep in mind that your child likely has a very sore throat from the inflammed muscles, labored breathing and barking cough. Our 2 yr. old S., really liked some fruit popsicles to soothe his throat, and it helped him feel good enough to eat other foods. Our 15 month old, J., didn't like the popsicles, so instead he would eat yogurt, applesauce, warm oatmeal, or soft foods like pancakes with syrup. We also offered them apple juice diluted with water, to encourage them to drink more and keep them hydrated.

We like to try and use natural methods for healing in our household before resorting to mainstream medicine. I do not profess to have answers concerning health and alternative methods, but I'd like to share with you what we found to be helpful. 

Take The Child Outside at Night
Taking a child with heavy breathing caused from croup, outside into the cold night air, can help to open up the passageways and relax the muscles. Nick bundled up J. to sit with him outside, and it helped J. breath easier before bedtime. 

Essential Oils
Before too long though, J.'s breathing became labored again. We used essential oils that we had on hand, to rub on his chest, back and feet. First, we diluted some Peppermint Essential Oil* in Jojoba oil* and rubbed it on J.'s chest. On top of that we used 2-3 drops of Eucalyptus Essential Oil*. On his feet, I used some Tea Tree Essential Oil*. The purpose of diluting essential oils is to keep their potency from being too harsh on sensitive skin. You can use other carrier oils, such as olive oil, to dilute essential oils.

In J.'s case, we were applying the essential oils about every hour to hour and a half, to ease his breathing. Normally, you'd only apply the oils about every 3 hours, but J. needed it more often. Because of this, I alternated between applying the oils to his chest and then an hour to hour and a half later to his back, so that his sensitive skin wouldn't be affected negatively. It worked within seconds, and his breathing would go from being labored, to being restful enough for him to sleep.

Other essential oils** that can be helpful for croup are: marjoram, frankincense, lemon, lavender, thyme, pine, sandalwood, and roman chamomile. These oils have different purposes, so reasearch each one before use.

Steam Treatments
We also used steam treatments to help J. breathe easier. This means taking the child into the bathroom, turning the shower on, and letting the steam fill the room. I usually put a towel under the door to make sure the steam isn't as likely to escape, then I run the shower until the water runs cold. During this time, I sometimes put a few drops of eucalyptus and/or peppermint essential oil(s) on a piece of toilet paper to waft in front of the child's face, or I'll stop up the tub and put the drops in the water. If I haven't applied oils to the child's back or chest in a while, I do this during the steam treatment as well.

Humidifier
To keep the air moist once we put the boys to bed, we ran a humidifier in their room and used a few drops of essential oils in a little tray at the top of the unit. My favorite for this purpose is eucalyptus essential oil.

By Monday, we were totally exhausted! J. was up every hour between 11 p.m. and 6:30 a.m. when he finally slept until around 7:30 a.m. Both Nick and I had been up each hour with him, walking him, keeping him upright while he slept to keep him from coughing fits, and using the above methods to manage his labored breathing. J. couldn't get comfortable with me while he slept because of my baby bump (I'm in my 8th month of pregnancy with our third son), so he would sleep on Nick, and then when he woke up he wouldn't settle down until he was passed off to me. When dealing with a child that has croup, you want to keep them as calm as possible so they don't start coughing or crying, as that makes it harder for them to breathe. 

Nick took Monday off work to continue to help me with the boys, which I greatly appreciated. Because of my lack of sleep, I was more prone to get contractions than I usually am. So I had the opportunity to catch up on my sleep by taking a nap in the afternoon while Nick watched the boys. We didn't do much of anything on Monday because we were all so physically worn down.

It's now the 6th day since the first fever appeared. S. and J. still sound congested, but they slept through most of the last two nights (hurray!), and today they have been considerably better. Their cough isn't as bad as it was, and they both have a runny nose to get rid of the congestion inside their bodies. But they are definitely on the mend! I should mention that today is the first day since Thursday of last week, that I've been able to do any housework.

Our children have needed a lot of cuddling and holding, to comfort them in the past few days. That's the part that I have thoroughly enjoyed. I won't have too many more years to cuddle them, so I'll take what I can get now.

If your child comes down with croup, I hope you find these suggestions helpful, and remember to just hang in there because it will get easier in a few days!

*I buy my essential oils from CamdenGrey.com. If you purchase from them, please put Elizabeth Sanders as your reference when ordering. Thank you!
**You can read what these essential oils are good for by going to CamdenGrey.com.