Paediatricians have suspected it for years, but now a new study may be proving them right: cold air really can help ease children’s croup symptoms.

In addition to dexamethasone, 30 minutes of outdoor cold air exposure is beneficial in reducing the severity of symptoms in children with croup compared with indoor ambient room air, Swiss doctors report.

Writing in Pediatrics, the researchers say this non-pharmacological measure is “easy to perform … [and] could be an initial measure to offer”.

While clinicians and parents are no strangers to old-fashioned tricks for mild croup, such as standing in front of an open freezer, the study provides fresh evidence to back the cold air exposure strategy.