To take 2 infectious-poxy children out in public...

[morecakerequired]

My DTs have the pox. (spots still appearing so definitely still infectious) Last week my DD1 had it and we spent the whole week indoors as a result. (DS went to and from school by himself) This week I am having to do the school run as DD1 is too young to go with just DS for supervision due to the 2 busy roads to cross. I am taking DTs up to the school in their buggy with the rain cover over them - standing away from other people and leaving as soon as kids are in/out. (we live a 2 min walk from the school)

SO - WIBU to carry on after the school run and take the DTs out for a walk and maybe even go into the small local supermarket to pick up some essentials? WIABU to perhaps take the rain cover off if there were no other people around on the street at that time?

I am so fed up of being stuck in the house and DTs are too - 2 weeks is just too long - and I really think we would all benefit from some fresh air. I can't let them go out into the garden just now as it is under a foot of snow and I don't think getting cold and wet playing in the snow would really help them.

I don't think I'm being unreasonable, but a few of the mums at school have made pointed remarks about how I had better hope there are no pregnant mums/people with low immune systems in the playground so just wondering if taking them for a walk will be bad too? AIBU to think that in a buggy with a rain cover over them and not actually coming into direct contact with anyone they aren't going to infect anyone?

(perfectly happy to accept if IABU - genuinely curious)

[Sleepysand]

It can get passed on by coughs, sneezes and cross contamination, but none of those are really likely in the circumstances you describe. I don't think you should expect to be under quarantine to the extent that you cannot leave the house.

[SallyCinnamonandNutmeg]

YANBU
As far as I'm aware (I may be wrong) you have to come into fairly close contact with someone to catch chicken pox from them - certainly not from just walking or standing near children in a pram with a rain cover in a supermarket or playground!

Definitely go out and get some fresh air!

[StuntGirl]

YWBU, for the reasons the other parents at school have pointed out.

[lljkk]

You are going to get flamed, OP. I would ask MNHQ to delete the thread now.

[AltinkumATEalltheTurkey]

If you need essentials you need essentials, just try and minimise you're contact with people.

My son has low immunity and tbh, people walk around 10 days prior to the spots becoming visable, so to me it makes no differance, as he could or may have been exposed prior to the public knowing, clearly knowing, I have minimum contact with the family.

[goldenlula]

If you have no other way of getting your child to school then YANBU to do the school runs taking the precautions you are as your child has to go to school, but going to shops ect is avoidable (especially if you have family or dp) or get you older dc to wait outside with the twins after school while you go in or send him in.

[TeeBee]

Totally get where you are coming from. The isolation is the worst bit of chicken pox. The virus is spread by direct contact and by air-bourne respiratory secretions, so if the your child is covered with a rain hood and you standing away from other people, I think you are taking the necessary precautions. I think taking them for a walk where there is no risk of infecting anyone else is also a sensible precaution. Taking them round the supermarket may not be so sensible, can you get a delivery? It will be over soon!! Good luck. Order yourself some wine with that supermarket delivery!

[5madthings]

Yabvu and you will rightly get flamed!

Doing the school run with them in the buggy under the rain cover is one thing, taking them into a shop etc just because you don't want to stay indoors is another!

[AltinkumATEalltheTurkey]

However I should state, I minimise purely for psychological purposes, any contact to the contamination beforehand is out of my control, but I would and have been for a walk while both ds were ill with CP, just through a local park but in school times so contact is miminual

[MonaLotte]

It's a rain cover not a hazmat suit. YABU. it is one thing to have them out and about before when you didn't know they were contagious, but I think you are being quite selfish to knowingly expose them to others.
My DCs had it for the almost the entire summer holidays. One got it, then the other. We stayed in or played in our own back garden.

[Sugarice]

You have no choice in taking your children to school and standing away from others with the rain cover covering the twins isn't going to infect anyone with the virus!

Going out for a walk is fine but I wouldn't go into any shops and take off the rain cover off the buggy, keep the cover over them if you have to buy essentials.

[MrsMelons]

YABVVU, and given a current thread on chat you will be flamed on here!

You are being selfish, its a couple of weeks of being indoors FFS. Your friends are right, in rare cases CP can be fatal or extremely damaging and you are putting people at risk without their knowledge!

[WileyRoadRunner]

YANBU to take them out in the pushchair with the raincover on.

In fact, I disagree with many posters and think YANBU to take them into the supermarket with the raincover on if you need to get something. I would have no choice but to do this as I have no one to do babysitting/ shopping for me.

And no YANBU to take the raincover off if you are walking down an empty street FFS!

However, as annoying as it is you are going to be housebound for another few days.

[LiegeAndLief]

I took ds to school with dd under the raincover when she had cp. it's fairly common practice at ds's school. I had no other way of getting him to school and I definitely wasn't going to keep him off for a week.

There are some very heated opinions about this on mn though...

[nethunsreject]

school fine. shops not .

[morecakerequired]

Sorry - the comment about removing the rain cover was not related to the shop - obviously I would keep it on the in shop and would only nip in very quickly to get bread, milk and fruit - not hanging around browsing. The question about taking the rain cover off was if I was on a quiet street and there were clearly no other people around. Obviously if I saw/heard anyone coming along the street I would put the rain cover straight back on again.

Am I really knowingly exposing them to others? Seriously? Trust me I totally get the seriousness of infecting people but I guess my question is is that actually likely to happen if I take all the precautions I have said?

[libelulle]

I think the chance of infecting anyone under a buggy rain-cover or in an empty street is close to zero. I can never understand the hysteria on MN about it. Chicken pox is not ebola! The OP is taking sensible precautions, not merrily sending her children to cough in the face of pregnant women.

Of course some people have terrible reactions to it. My own son was very ill with it and it was terrifying, but since 90% of children will catch it anyway at some point in childhood (mostly from someone infectious BEFORE the spots appear), it was almost certain to happen at some point. It is dangerous in immunocompromised individuals, but then so is the common cold.

[WileyRoadRunner]

No morecake it will not happen if you take all the precautions you have stated.

[libelulle]

But really the fundamental point is that it doesn't matter how dangerous or otherwise CP is - you are NOT endangering anyone if your kids are in a pushchair under a raincover! The bugs do not have legs.

[Sugarice]

I think you should have a clear conscience nomore if you do it as you say.

[Sleepysand]

When my sis was 2 she was confined to the house (for other reasons) for 3 weeks and came out terrified of strangers. As others have pointed out, lots of people wander round in the infectious state without knowing it; how far do those who are pregnant/have low immune states have the right to demand that other people curtail their lives when they have no choice but to take that risk on board?

I think, with a rain cover, YANBU. School run is just a no-brainer. Shops - well, i think I would ensure they weren't sneezing and touching things and if I couldn't I wouldn't.

I would also point out that a few years ago, it was the fashion to have pox parties. I never indulged, because I saw shingles once and didn't want my children to run that risk if I could help it. They all got it anyway. DC2 had it with one spot in his scalp and a general grumpiness, having been a baby when DC1 had it - and I was pregnant when DC2 had it. DC3 & 4 had it together. They all caught it at nursery.

The NHS says that risks to pregnant mothers are "low" and says only that, if you haven't had chicken pox (which is rare) and you have significant contact with someone with it, you should consult your midwife. It defines significant contact as "being in the same room as someone with the symptoms of chickenpox for 15 minutes or more, or face-to-face contact".

[redspottydress]

I see nothing wrong with taking the raincover off in an empty street!

[TallyGrenshall]

YANBU for doing the school run as you have been doing but YWBU to take them into a supermarket for all the reasons given above.

They could go in the garden to play depending on how they are feeling. DS felt fine, just spotty and I presume if they feel well enough for a walk then they aren't too bad either. Just wrap them up warm and let them go out in the back garden!

[ChippingInNeedsSleepAndCoffee]

School run, under the rain cover, minimising time standing around - acceptable.

Walk along a country lane/fairly deserted area under the rain cover - acceptable.

Shops/playgrounds/anywhere else - not acceptable.

CP is not just a 'mild childhood thing' it is also a killer. Don't put anyone else at risk.