To take DS out trick and treating with chickenpox?

[Cherubneddy1]

DS 6 is more excited about Halloween than birthdays, Christmas, anything else. But he's woken up this morning covered in spots; clearly chickenpox.

WIBU to take him out trick and treating, on his own away from other children, if I kept him well back from people's' doors? He would genuinely be excited just to see houses all decorated ( and his sister could collect sweets for him.)

He is very well in himself.

clara yes - but the OP hasn't indicated her DD is immune. In fact she expects her to have it too.

It can be spread by coughing and sneezing as well as touching. The droplets would be in the air.

I’m not going to insult you as a lot of other commenters have done - but I will agree that it is too much of a risk, as with all infectious diseases, all it would take is a cough or a sneeze in the wrong direction and it can be transmitted to those who could really suffer as a result. Even if your DS coughs or sneezes near you and you unwittingly transmit the illness to a neighbours door or something else that other people will likely touch.

It does suck and you’ll have to deal with pouty children but keeping them home is the safest bet. I wasn’t allowed to go trick or treating AT ALL as a kid, my grandparents (who raised me and my two siblings) said they spend all year telling us not to talk to strangers or approach them only to have us going around once a year “begging them for sweets” which never really sat well with me seeing as we knew our neighbours pretty well! :’) but one year of missed fun can be made up for.

I think a lot of people use 'shingles' to refer to chicken pox in adults.

Then they need to know that they are talking nonsense.

soup its a bit like people using 'cold' for any virus that isn't that bad, and 'flu' for any that is

It really isn't.

I don't think it's a good idea but perhaps you could give them both some sweets and take them on a little drive around to see the decorated houses? This would especially be good if you're aware of any areas that really put on a lot for Halloween

Will you be dressing up?

Bet you do it anyway.

This can't be real.

Do you have some pals who've all had CP by any chance? If you lived beside me, I'd have no worries about you coming to us, as we've all had CP, and are immune. If you do, perhaps they could come to you? DS doesn't leave the house, they could bring some treats, and spookiness, with them? Nobody is at risk, DS gets a little treat, and doesn't feel left out? They might even take a video of the decorations on the drive over?
My kids who are older (before there was a vaccine, no immune system issues) had CP, and siblings tend to develop symptoms 10-14 days apart. This gap isn't terrible, as once one is getting better, the other one is coming down with it, so you can focus on them. You may find DD develops symptoms in the next couple of weeks.
Hope your kiddies aren't too poorly with it, and make a swift recovery

Errrm no, if you knocked on my door I'd go batshit and warn the neighbours.

soup but if people didn't talk nonsense...it wouldn't really be MN would it?

@SoupDragon

Chickenpox and Shingles are caused by the same virus and I think some people get a bit confused by it - it is possible for somebody to catch Chickenpox from a person with Shingles (in the contagious phase) but not the other way around but I guess folks get a little mixed up :’)

OP asked because she wasn't informed and wanted to know. I think there's a lot of bashing here. Now she knows, and she said she will follow advice.

Your DD might not have caught it yet, or might have just caught it from the sibling. If so, she won't be contagious for a while, check timeline of symptoms at the NHS website. I second the driving round option and having some sweets for them back at the house, maybe do something fun there like pumpkin carving, biscuit baking, etc. It's very dangerous to expose some people to CP and as you would be visiting random houses, you never know if you are initiating contact with someone pregnant, inmunodepressed, ill, etc. You could send someone to hospital with a very serious condition or put babies at risk.
Mine got CP mid-December and because one infected the other we had the whole process until after Christmas. It was annoying that they missed all the visits to Santa, Christmas lights and pantomimes, but hey, there were many other Christmas ahead and ice-cream and home with Christmas films did wonders.

Please tell me you're joking? Idiotic to the extreme if you do.
FFS.
Just...... NO.
How do you know you're not knocking on the door of someone vulnerable ie weakened immune system etc?
Just..... mind boggles. Utterly selfish to. Stay at home.

This is Mumsnet, you should have known you would be attacked for asking such a question.

Maybe let him watch a spooky movie and stay up a little later instead.

If you know the people who's houses you go to could you have a word and arean free to go round a couple in a few weeks when he's better? Just delay it?

Regarding your daughter. Unless you know they were both exposed to the virus at around the same time (likely via a family friend, family member etc) she either will be about to break out into spots any day now and thus be infectious too, or be immune.

However if your son caught CP from a class member, a friend he only mixes with or a club your daughter doesn't go to then it's likely she may get CP from her brother now she is exposed to it. The incubation period for CP is about 2 weeks so she will not be infectious yet. Generally you are infectious around 2 days before spots show until they have scabbed over. This means you may in fact have 10 days to get your son well and then your daughter may come down with it.

As for your question, yes you are BU. Ill is ill. You don't get to pick and choose which events they can take part in. BTW, it's bonfire night on Monday and yes you would be unreasonable to take him out to any events for that too.

Ah poor wee lad, I was like him as a child, Halloween was THE most exciting night of the year!

Could you keep him indoors tonight, but when he's scabbed over arrange with friends for him to call at their houses one evening to trick or treat late? Not great but better than missing out completely.

I strongly suspect OP will go against advice & requests, in which case you please advise us of your location in the UK, OP?

Thanks.

I can understand the disappointment but if you knocked on my door, I'd go spare. I'm on methotrexate so need to be careful and the woman two doors down has non-Hodgkin's. Please consider others.

I always thought MN is a bit nuts when it comes to CP.

Fast forward to myself having to take medication that makes me immunosuppressed and never having had chicken pox I have to ring my consultant if I come into contact with CP.

You can't tell when people are immunosuppressed. I'm youngish, fit, healthy, have a young family. You wouldn't know unless I told you that my immune system is shit and I can't even sit in the Drs waiting room!!

In all honesty i'd probably need to be in closer contact than a kid coming to my door but I'm only on a very small dose of the immunosuppressent drug and I'm still at risk!!

It's not worth it OP.

What sort of person would actually be so selfish and ignorant to do this. It can't be real, and if it is FFS OP keep him in.

I've been immune compromised and you could have killed me.

I'm on the same drug Spiteful and it's amazing how many people take it and the spectrum of conditions it covers.

OP asked because she wasn't informed and wanted to know. I think there's a lot of bashing here. Now she knows, and she said she will follow advice

Where has she said she'll follow advice? The update reads like she still doesn't see what all the fuss is about!

Have a mini Halloween party at home - dress up in costume (I assume your D.C. has one as they were meant to go trick
and treating) maybe order in pizza and have some sweet treats, maybe a scary film?