AIBU to pop the shops with my pox riddled daughter?

[FrankiesKnuckle]

Daughter has erupted in pox spots overnight. She's ok in herself, a bit over emotional (she's 4).

So Sunday's activity is out obviously.

I've promised to make cakes with her, now I've realized I need actual stuff to make them.

WIBU to take her to the shop? Large supermarket in town 10minutes away, and possibly the pound shop for occupying tat?

I've got no one else to look after her, her grandparents are away and my husband is working and won't be home until 8pm. Couple of local friends are busy/avoiding the pox.

So, can we nip out?

My DD was born with a genetic disease that means even catching a cold often ends up hospital for anti biotics and I live in fear of the small children running around coughing and sneezing. Obviously we cant avoid all germs but to knowingly take children out to spread those germs knowing they are infectious and extremely dangerous to those like my DD or pregnant women/vulnerable people would be extremely selfish.

If you wanted to be responsible for the ill health of an unborn baby then yes sure, go ahead. Otherwise no... the petrol station would have to do

I caught chicken poxs in work and when I thought back it was definitely from a spotting little boy a few weeks before.

It has a bad knock on effect and very irresponsible of the mother to have taken the boy out. Also, he didn't come anywhere near me but the mother was in contact with and then me so she's passed it on.

I know there are those that think it's hysterical, and those who thinks it's quite funny that people get in such a tizz, but I have a friend who has lost their child due to chicken pox and friend's whose children have had horrendous side effects. It is for this reason the NHS guidelines rather unhysterically advise for people to stay away from the public (because you really can't see who has compromised immunity or complex health needs when you walk down the street) until all the spots have crusted over. That doesn't mean a jaunt to the shops or the park, or just whizzing a sibling into school, it means quarantine.

CrunchyMum I didn't know they could/would test, I certainly haven't been tested through either pregnancy but I will ask my gp if I get pregnant again! Thankyou for the info!

Well done OP, thank you for going out of your way and I hope you and DD enjoy your cakes!

Welldone op, from an immuno compromised person hope they're nice!

Baking is not my thing, hence lack of supplies and well the obvious look of them....

I've never been pregnant but I have been tested and apparently I have natural immunity to chicken pox. However, as I haven't had it, I still go out of my way to avoid anyone who does have it just in case. I have no desire to pass it on to any of my elderly relatives!

he didn't come anywhere near me but the mother was in contact with and then me so she's passed it on.

You can't catch chicken pox from someone who does not have chicken pox so unless the mother was about to come out in spots, you didn't get it from her.

Nice spotty cakes, OP :o

I saw a mother take her 6 week old baby in for jabs and bring along her 4 year old DD who had just come down with CP along to the surgery. When I say 'just' she was at the lovely obvious pustule stage - no crusting. Also had a runny nose. Surgery full of other babies and elderly.

Irresponsible of the mother - but also irresponsible of the receptionists not to quarantine them in a room. Felt so bad for the vulnerable in the room. Many who moved away while the little girl was happily sneezing and counting the pox on her arm. Jeez.

I think I mistook the airborne thing - I thought the germs became airborne while sneezing/coughing not just breathing iyswim.

I can't believe there are a couple of idiots actually arguing against keeping a contagious child with CP away from the public. Horribly irresponsible.

Yet more pearl clutching as usual at the idea of a child with CP moving over their threshold!

The NHS says to try to avoid pregnant people or newborns or immunosuppressed people. Not everyone and anyone in the public domain.

Soup dragon Yes germs can live on the skin and be passed onto others in case you weren't aware. Maybe a lesson in hygiene would help your cause.

I've been in a sort of similar situation myself recently. My son had an operation and can't leave the house, DH is away all week so I've shopped in advance, towards the end of the week I run low on bread & milk but can't leave the house. So I used a company called milk and more, it's basically the milkman but much better, they don't charge for delivery, no minimum spend and prices aren't to bad they stock essentials and more, eggs, bacon, biscuits, soup, cleaning supplies. If you order by 9pm it will be delivered tomorrow! I left instructions of where to leave my order so I wouldn't have to answer the door in my pj's, shopping arrived at 7.30am

Isadora, you know they don't give out hazmat suits and badges when you have a suppressed immune system or would be vulnerable, people don't walk round with sirens on their heads to let everyone know to avoid them. Hence the sensible and un-pearl clutchy advice to stay away from the public until spots crusted over (ie not that long in the grand scheme of things)

OP, cakes look great. I do love a traditional fairy cake.

I can't believe some people are able to use social medical, yet can't realise that different viral infections carry different risks to immunosuppressed people. It's fairly basic. A cold isn't risky for a pregnant woman in the same way that chicken pox is. I understand this must be very complicated for some people. The NHS website is very clear though, especially how the virus is transmitted.

^^social media not social medical.

But the advice isn't to stay away from the public... that's my point. Nowhere I've seen (other than here) suggests complete isolation during CP. Just to avoid pg, infants or obviously immunosuppressed people. So a breastfeeding group would be an obvious no no... but a quick visit to the supermarket? I don't see the huge issue.
If someone knows they are at increased risk of CP or any other illness then they will take steps to avoid illness themselves. Like avoiding being in close proximity for a length of time e.g. The cinema.

Isadora. Yes you're right.
Far easier for an immuno-compromised person or a pregnant woman to avoid shopping altogether .

Yep - it lasts a week. Each child will only get it once. It's a week.

Ok - it's a miserable week all cooped up (my two got it in Jan and Dec so I couldn't even kick them out into the garden) but it is only a week.

Ah I see, immunosuppressed people should never go to the cinema or soft play. Gotcha! Fuck all the people on anti-organ rejection drugs and medications for autoimmune diseases, they shall stay indoors. I hate these threads. As it happens, I don't worry about chicken pox but you always get snidey people who think it's ok to suggest people like me don't go to public places. As I said, I'm not complaining for me but there are people iller than me who would suffer if they caught something. They can't avoid seeing their children in a school play forever.

It wasn't a hardship to avoid public places while my children had chicken pox. I do think it's beyond selfish to take a highly infectious child to a public place, whatever the condition may be. It's just common sense to me. Its different if you need medication etc but honestly, the insular nature of some people just baffles me.

I remember my mum taking me shopping with chicken pox!

I do think if it is at all possible to stay indoors while you are contiguous with cp then you should.
But sometimes people have no choice but to go out, like picking other children up from school (although I would wait somewhere that was away from others if at all posible) .
Or if you needed essentials and didn't have enough for home delivery and no other outside help.
I had 4 children go down with cp in two weeks, not great and luckily I had a dh around to go out and buy bread milk etc so I didn't have to take them out.
Some people don't have that, so I get both sides.