Croup An Infection Affecting The Young

Croup An Infection Affecting The Young
Croup An Infection Affecting The Young

Croup is an inflammation of the larynx, trachea and bronchi. It affects the voice box due to an infection of the vocal cord. In adults this disease is known as laryngitis. It obstructs the breathing which makes this disease severe. This condition should not be ignored, especially in infants as it may be very dangerous. The inflammation leads to stridor or noisy breathing, due to an obstruction in the airway, between the nose and the lungs. Sometimes the underside of the tongue also swells up. The cough sounds like the bark of a sea lion and becomes worse at night.

- Some tips to follow

Remove the triggering agents like baby formula, cow’s milk from the house.

Try to eliminate dairy products like cheese, milk, ice-cream and other substances like corn, wheat and sugar.

- Home Remedies for Croup

Turn on the shower with hot water. Let the bathroom fill with warm mist. Take your child into the bathroom and let him breathe the warm steam. This helps in clearing the conjunction and allows the child to breathe.

Another method is to loosely place a warm, moist cloth on the mouth and nose of the patient. The warm fumes help in breathing. Do not overheat the cloth.

Avoid solid foods for first few days of the treatment, instead provide orange juice mixed with water in small quantities till the fever disappears.

Apply cold packs to the throat after every two hours. This solution proves to be very effective.

When the child suffocates, the best thing to do is to provide warm, moist air to restore humidity in the room. Boil some water and add few drops of eucalyptus or menthol oil to make breathing easier. With an older child let him inhale the fumes of eucalyptus oil mixed in hot water.

The child can be on an all fruit diet for few days that includes fruits such as apple, mango, pineapple, papaya, grapes, pear, peach, and melon. Thereafter he can eat a well-balanced diet containing whole grain cereals, raw or lightly-cooked vegetables or fresh fruits.

Lobelia tincture 5-10 drops mixed with 1/3 cup of warm water should be given to the child at least two times a day. Children under 1 year should have a mixture made from 5 drops.

Other herbs like Echinacea, Grindelia, and Yerba Santa in tincture form is also used. Mix 10-20 drops in water or juice to be had thrice a day. It can be given in addition to or with Lobelia.

Make a mixture of fresh onion juice, licorice root, honey and vegetable glycerin. Have one teaspoon or more according to your needs.

You can chew garlic clove as it dissolves the membranes, reduces temperature and relieves the patient. Chew 15 gms. of garlic in every three to four hour period, for a week. Once the membrane disappears, have it daily.

Roast an onion on hot ashes and extract juice from it. Drink half a teaspoon of onion juice mixed with half a teaspoon honey, thrice a day.

Warning: The reader of this article should exercise all precautionary measures while following instructions on the home remedies from this article. Avoid using any of these products if you are allergic to it. The responsibility lies with the reader and not with the site or the writer.

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Remedies For Colic

Remedies For Colic
Remedies For Colic

Any parent will tell you that colic is one of the most excruciating experiences of early parenthood. The baby cries as if in dire pain, and there just seems to be nothing for a parent to do. A baby is suspected to have colic if, around the age of three weeks, the baby starts crying inconsolably for hours at a time. The condition is termed ‘colic’ because it was assumed that babies were crying due to stomach pain. Doctors are no longer sure that a stomach ache causes colic, but the term continues to be in use.

The first step is to ascertain the cause of distress. Newborn babies often cry because of hunger, earache, wetness or cold. If these factors can be safely ruled out, crying can be attributed to the mysterious colic. Sometimes little tummies do not agree with the protein in traditional baby formula or from a mother’s milk. After consulting your doctor, change the formula. Switch to a soy-based formula. Even in breastfed babies, an excess of cows’ milk products in the mother’s diet can cause tummy aches. Root vegetables and highly acidic food products like chocolates, tomatoes, or grapefruit in the mother’s diet can also upset the stomach of a feeding infant. Gas producing food like broccoli, cabbage, onions, cauliflower, peppers, and citrus fruits may all become suspect at such a time. Your doctor may advise you to go on an exclusion diet for some time. Most newborns outgrow their sensitivity to food and become naturally vigorous and robust within three to six months.

If the baby is being breastfed, it is necessary to feed on demand. The evening hours see a decline in production of milk. Feeding the baby often during these hours will ensure an abundant supply of milk. If the baby is being bottle-fed, care must be taken to hold the bottle properly, so that there is no swallowing of air. Patting the baby gently on the back after each feeding is another effective method of releasing gas. With the increasing incidences of cot deaths, doctors advise parents to put their babies to sleep on their back. However sometimes babies with colic like to lie on their stomachs. This is safe, so long as you are awake and vigilant.

Doctors sometimes attribute colic to maternal stress. It’s only natural for mothers to get stressed when little babies cry until they are red in the face. But babies are very sensitive to stress and a mother whose nerves are frayed cannot calm a distressed baby. At such a time, mothers should get extra help and spend some time away from the scene. Take a warm bath or go for a stroll.

Traditionally, colicky babies have been fed with gripe water approximately half an hour before feeding. But these products should be checked for their ingredients. Some may contain artificial ingredients and preservatives. Sensitive digestive systems of colicky infants can definitely do without such irritants.

A warm aromatherapy bath calms and soothes the baby. Add a few drops of lavender to warm bath water and gently massage the tummy. This will help relieve painfully trapped gas. Babies also like to be in water.

Small babies need a lot of warmth and security. Swaddling the baby in warm clothes and holding it against the steady soothing rhythm of a parent’s heartbeat can sometimes soothe the baby’s pain. Walking, rocking, and repetitive movements also have a calming effect. Applying gentle pressure on the abdomen will help relieve stomach ache. This position is known as the ‘colic hold.’

Finally, remember colic is a stage in the growth of your baby. This too will pass.

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