Croup usually begins like a common cold. After 2 to 3 days of cold symptoms, the barking cough begins. The sound of the cough resembles a barking seal. The cough usually becomes much worse late at night and into early morning.

Symptoms of croup include:

• Barking cough
• Nasal congestion
• Runny nose
• Sneezing
• Stridor:
• Noisy breathing
• Worse when inhaling
• Fever
• Rapid breathing

Age	Upper Normal	Abnormal
6mo - 1 year	40 breaths per min	60 breaths per min
1 - 3 years	30 breaths per min	50 breaths per min
4 - 5 years	28 breaths per min	45 breaths per min
5 - 6 years	26 breaths per min	40 breaths per min
6 - 12 years	24 breaths per min	30 breaths per min
Over 12 years	20 breaths per min	25+ breaths per min