Wheezing like an old man, barking like a seal pup....

Before Christmas the scary lady Doctor diagnosed "This Baby" with croup. Until that point the only time I'd heard croup mentioned was by school mum's in connection with ambulances and late night A&E visits.

The scary lady Doctor's scary medical term for croup was laryngotracheobronchitis. Say what? Yes, I had to google the spelling, I'm not ashamed. I was quickly told that only 2% of cases become severe enough to require hospital treatment. I was also told that croup is a viral infection, and therefore doesn't respond to antibiotics. Doesn't do much to make a worried Mum feel better does it?

My poor tot had been wheezing like an old
man during the day, but at night, dear lord at night she mutated into a coughing cross between a dog and a seal pup. It was awful to hear. The worst thing was not being able to do anything of any great note to make her nights easier.

Scary lady Doctor rather charmingly told me that it might be "inconvenient" to be kept awake at night, but that her illness would pass. That annoyed me. I wasn't there because of my lack of sleep, I was there because she needed her help. I, like any mother, would happily never sleep again, or saw off my left foot and hop for the rest of my days if it mean my child was safely out of harms way. Inconvenience was not an issue here.

We left, medicine-less, to sit it out. Shortly after our appointment, two friends separately recommended that we try a Vicks Warm Mist Humidifier in This Baby's bedroom at night. I stored the idea in the back of my mind for future reference and thought no more about it.

Until the other night. I could hear that rotten seal pup creeping back and the thought filled me with dread. No more thought! This time I'm going to do everything I can in terms of prevention. So first thing the following morning I got footed it to Argos and came out with a shiny new Vicks V-610E Warm Mist Humidifier.

It's basically a slow boiling kettle with a large tank of water that you pop into their bedroom overnight so they can breathe in the vapour. It was easy to set up, just fill, plug in and go. There is a small round nightlight on the front, a little well for medicine such as Olbas oil and a choice of two settings.

I had worried that it might fill the room with condensation (This Baby's bedroom is by no means massive) but that didn't happen. It plodded away all night with minimal noise and turned the air into something similar to a tropical rainforest. Only a soothing one.

The difference it made to This Baby's breathing and sleeping was almost immediate. At a cost of £38 it was already worth it's weight! She slept peacefully all night, now if course this could have been coincidence, but the humidifier was the only factor that was different to any other night. So I am quite convinced that this was what made the difference.

Apparently they are also good for colds or congestion as the steam breathed in loosens mucus in the chest. I'm also told the make a difference to sufferers of eczema, but I haven't tested this theory.

All in all I could say that if you or your child suffer from coughs or croup then this would make an excellent purchase. We've had it going every night since buying it and I've been so grateful for having it. As a parent there's not much you can do to help a poorly child, but with this in my arsenal I feel like I'm doing all I can. And I'd pay for that feeling alone!




* I am not paid or sponsored to review products. I only choose to do so in the hope someone else may find my experience useful.