Chicken pox dilemma! Help!

[PFB1]

DD1 has chicken pox. She'll be back to school next week no doubt. She has a dance class she attends once a week. Me and the other mums wait in the corridor outside during the class (an hour long).

I have a 2 year old daughter who waits with me but one of my friends comes and has a newborn baby who will be with her.

I'm aware there is a high chance my younger DD could have the chicken pox virus in her system and by next week, could be contagious even if there are no spots there yet.

I'd obviously hate to pass this on to such a small child and I'm aware that it could be very dangerous to a small baby (especially since the baby in question has already been struggling to gain weight).

What should I do? I'm swaying towards having my daughter miss the class for the next couple of weeks. She loves it though so it does seem unfortunate and also, how many weeks would I need to wait to know if my younger child has the virus?

Thanks

Could your friend take her to the class?

Could you go for a walk instead of waiting?

We already wait outside the class for an hour after school. I also need to get her changed for the class in the small corridor and changed again at the end, all with my 2 year old in tow.

It's a very new friendship so I don't feel comfortable asking her to help, especially since she's got 2 small DC herself and now a newborn. The likelihood is that she also wouldn't have space in her car.

Have the spots scabbed over? If not surely she’s contagious and you ought not to be taking her to anything!
If your kids are anything like mine your youngest will be incubating it.

Sorry to drip feed, I've just realised that I haven't explained this at all well.

2.45 - leave home to walk to DD's school with younger DD. (About a mile and a half walk).

3.15 - collect DD and then wait outside the hall her dance class is in until the door gets unlocked just before 4.

4 - 5 dance class.

5 - 5.45 get DD changed and walk home with both kids

It's a bit much to then spend the hour of the dance class waiting outside or going for a walk with DD2.

Have the spots scabbed over? If not surely she’s contagious and you ought not to be taking her to anything!

DD1's spots are beginning to scab over now and so she'll be fine to go to next weeks class.

My concern is DD2. If spots haven't yet appeared on her I know there's still a chance she could be contagious and I don't want her to pass it on to friends newborn.

It would be very surprising if your youngest wasn't incubating it. I'd skip it or leave her with someone else if you have that option.

Maybe I should just miss the class. How many weeks would we need to miss?

DD1s spots started coming out on Thursday. The class is normally on Thursdays so she won't be there this week and I'll keep her off next Thursday. Online it said siblings usually come out in spots 2-3 weeks later, so basing it on that I'll need to miss the following week too and then also any subsequent weeks that DD2 may actually have chicken pox 😩

So that means she'll have to miss at least 4 weeks! 👎🏻😩

Just bumping for some more opinions on this, hopefully!

Have you a parent that can have younger one for a few weeks until yr sure? If she gets it your older one will have to skip anyway won’t she as her sister will be poorly.

Honestly, if you don't know dd2 has chicken pox, ie the spots have not started to come out, I really don't think you need to miss the class. She may well not get it at all at this point.

Knowing taking out a poxy child is one thing, and completely selfish, but quarantining your family in case she is contagious is, in my opinion, unnecessary.

I think it’s important that while spotty childcare are kept at home. I don’t think you can alter your life in case they get it though. I know siblings who have all had it separately not from each other and DS played with a friend the day before the spots came out and didn’t get it (he’s now vaccinated but wasn’t then.)
I think it’s up to your friend if she decides to avoid you and not come/ leave baby at home etc.

When DS had chicken pox I kept DD off nursery but then sent her back a week later after discussing with nursery. She came down with it 21 days after DS.

You could explain it to your friend so she can choose to keep her newborn away, explain the 21 days possibility.

Neonatal chicken pox usually refers to placenta transmitted disease in the weeks before birth and affects babies under 2 weeks old.

After that, while not fun, it is not as serious and it is likely that the baby is protected by the mother's immunity passed on during pregnancy.

That said, is there another solution? Could someone else take DD1 from school to the class you and you and DD2 come to collect, leaving DD2 in a push chair while you get DD2 dressed or may be one of the other mums could help?