To take my Chicken Poxy baby out on Saturday?

[Rosieeo]

This is my first AIBU so please be gentle(ish)!

DD had the chicken pox two weeks ago, so no nursery or any of our usual activities. Just when I thought we were clear, DS started getting it - that was on Monday.

DH has some very rare weekend time off and we had planned to take the kids to a wildlife park near us on Saturday. Bearing in mind that DS is only 3 months old and so will not be running around breathing on other kids, AIBU to take him to the park, even if his pox haven't gone crusty?

Although this is irrelevant, I should add that I am going MAD stuck in the house all the time and that DD is really looking forward to Saturday.

[LIZS]

Sorry yes I think you would be as the virus is airborne and it is likley to be opular with families. Let dh take dd on her own, will be good for them both.

[expatinscotland]

YABU. Sorry, but kids get sick and you get stuck in the house for weeks on end. Happens often enough.

I'd do as Liz suggests.

[Stayingsunnygirl]

I caught chickenpox from looking at a sleeping child who had it - I was babysitting, and checked on him from the door of his room.

I'm sorry but I have to agree with Lizs - it would not be reasonable to take your baby to a public space whilst they are still infectious.

[Thunderduck]

YABU.

[traceybath]

Am pretty sure the guidance is 5 days now from when spots come out rather than waiting for them to crust over. But this is just playground chat so i'd check with your GP.

There are lots of implications for people with compromised immune systems so best to follow the guidelines.

[rubyslippers]

you must wait until his spots are all crusted as he is still infectious

sorry - it is a PITA but for the sake of people who may really suffer if they catch it you shouldn't

your DH can take your DD on his own

[Grendle]

YABU

You might infect other people. Not everyone wants their children to catch chicken pox and some people are vulnerable even when you might not realise it (pregnant, elderly, immune-comprimised etc).

If you couldn't cope with the thought of confinement for chicken pox then you could have planned ahead and paid to have them vaccinate (it's about £60). Being stuck at home sucks, but that's no excuse to expose other people to it. How about spending some time in the garden?

[traceybath]

lots of info here

[roulade]

My Ds 's nursery rules are 6 days off from 1st day of infection, no mention of waiting til crusty.

[traceybath]

I was wrong - nhs website says until they crust over which is usually 5-7 days from appearing.

[Thunderduck]

According to the NHS website...

You are infectious from about two days before the rash appears until roughly five days after. Therefore you or your child should stay at home until all of the blisters have fully crusted over, and this usually happens five to seven days after the first blister appears. After the last blister has burst and crusted over, you are no longer infectious

[mears]

Rosieeo - could someone look after the baby for you and you and DH take DD? A 3 month old baby isn't going to care where he is and will be more comfortable at home. Chickenpox tends to come out in three crops, so he will definitely still be infectious. I would leave him at home.

[Rosieeo]

I thought I was maybe BU

Most of the spots only really came out yesterday, so I don't think we will either be crusty or out of the 5-day rule by Saturday. And I take the point about immuno-suppressed kids, pregnant women etc.

I suppose no one sends their children round to the nearest infected kid to catch it before they're too old any more? I have to admit that whilst I could have done without ds catching it, I'm quite grateful that they have got it now and not when they're at school or, god forbid, adults.

[Rosieeo]

Mears - maybe. I shall have to see if I can call in some favours from my mum or sister!

[mears]

Can someone look after him for you for the day? Grandparents?

[Stayingsunnygirl]

Don't forget to make sure that whoever looks after him has had chicken pox.

When I was in labour with ds3, we sent ds2 and ds1 to stay overnight with friends. When ds1 came back, he had a scab on his ribs - I thought he'd just scraped himself on something, until the spots started to pop out all over him!

Not only did he infect ds2, who in turn infected ds3 (aged only 5 weeks, poor scrap), but he also gave dh shingles and gave the lovely lady who, with her husband, had looked after them whilst I was giving birth.

Somehow they are still our friends!

[mears]

Stayingsunnygirl - that is interesting. Perhaps your DH was the trigger. You can get chickenpox from shingles but not shingles from chickenpox.

To get shingles you need to have had chickenpox which lies dormant in your system and then surfaces.

[Stayingsunnygirl]

I honestly don't know who was the trigger in our case, mears - so you are probably right.

[EldonAve]

HPA only advises 5 days away from nursery so if the spots started Mon you should be find on Saturday

[spicemonster]

Hmm - not sure about that Eldon Ave. NHS advice is until spots had crusted over and with my DS it took about 7 days for them to do that.

[blinder]

Sunlight really worsens chickenpox. Sorry but you need to keep DS out of the light and as cool as possible. Otherwise, he will simply get ALOT more spots. I think it's another weekend indoors for you !

[EldonAve]

The HPA gives the 5 day advice to nurseries etc, mine was happy to have the kids back after 5 days

[spicemonster]

Sorry - didn't word my post very well. Was more expressing surprise that their advice contradicts the NHS!

[EldonAve]

It doesn't help does it - you would expect gov agencies to manage to give the same advice in this area

[Rosieeo]

Unfortunately he's had a fresh crop today - and omg, what a crop - so I don't know if he'll be crusty by Saturday.

The sunlight thing is interesting too. We've been inside today though, thank god; if he got any more he'd be one big spot. The awful thing is that he's also losing his baby hair so atm he looks like he has the plague and the mange, bless him.