'This is what croup sounds like - it's terrifying'

An Aussie mum shares a recording of the horrible sound. Do you know what to listen out for?

We’ve heard all about the common illness plenty of times but many parents don’t actually know what croup sounds like during a child’s coughing fit. Thanks to an Aussie mum’s recording, you can hear it in action.

If you’ve got a little one around the age of five or under, you can bet that they will encounter a case of croup at least once during the cooler months.

Croup usually affects children from three months to five years of age. It begins like a normal cold and typically gets worse at night.

“But what does croup actually sound like?” many parents ask.

After recording her son during a recent attack, one Aussie mum has answered the question for us all: “It’s a terrifying bark!” she explained to Kidspot.

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Croup usually appears in children five years and under Image: iStock

What does croup sound like?

Croup is best described as a dry, barking cough. Here’s what to listen out for:

• Harsh, barking sound (similar to the noise of a seal)
• Your child’s voice may become hoarse
• When your child breathes in, it can sound squeaky and raspy. This is known as a stridor.
• Breathing is laboured – including sucking in of the chest wall

** Listen to the recording above to hear it in action

What croup sounds like

RELATED: Croup: Everything you need to know

Try and record the cough for the doctor

When Jenna’s four-year-old son returned from preschool a little quieter than normal, she had a hunch something was a “bit off” about him.

He didn't have a temp or anything - not even a cough at that stage - so I just gave him a bit of Panadol and put him to bed.

It wasn’t until later on in the evening that the coughing began.

“It just kept getting worse throughout the night. He's had croup before so I knew exactly what it was the second I heard it - it's such a distinct barking cough and it's so hard to listen to,” Jenna shared.

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Jenna decided to record the cough in case she needed to present it to the doctor if things didn’t improve. And luckily she did. Not only has she been able to help other parents identify what croup actually sounds like during an attack, the recording came in handy the next day when a doctor asked to hear the cough.

“The doctor asked him to cough and he did a fake, non-cough to try and prove he wasn't sick so he could go to daycare, but then I played my recording and straight away he went, ‘Oh yeah, that's definitely croup!’”

A puffer can help relieve symptoms. Image: iStock

RELATED: Mum’s croup warning as one-year-old girl fights for her life

How to treat croup

Croup usually appears at night when the air temperature gets cooler and it is for this reason that historically doctors have advised parents to treat croup with steam. According to Dr Sam Hay, there is now little evidence that steam actually helps relieve croup.

"Because the sensation and sound of croup can be distressing for your child, and distress can exacerbate the symptoms (crying leads to more coughing and additional phlegm), the best thing you can do for your child with croup is keep him calm at all times," he wrote for Kidspot. Crying generally results in the temporary worsening of symptoms.

Croup generally goes away all by itself in three to four days. You can give your child paracetamol for a fever or general aches and pains.

Originally published as 'This is what croup sounds like - it's terrifying'