Chickenpox exposure

[UnconsideredTrifles]

Possibly more of a WWYD... I've just found out that some children my baby and toddler were playing with last Wednesday came down with chickenpox the following day (yay!)

Hopefully not the end of the world, I'm not working at the moment, baby is nearly a toddler and both children are pretty robust! DH and I have both had the pox.

My AIBU is, would I be U to go to toddler groups knowing there's a risk mine might be contagious? I obviously wouldn't go if symptoms turned up, but I think they can be contagious for up to 2 days before - so essentially constantly a risk for the next two weeks! Would you go?

Whilst I don't think you should stop everything on the basis that they might be contagious, I think I might give toddler groups a miss.

Agree, miss the toddler group until they've passed the incubation period.

The likelihood of newly pregnant women being at toddler group is always a possibility and if, like my DD despite having had all her jabs, they have no immunity it can make the rest of their pregnancy a bit of a nightmare if they've in contact with the illness.

Argh, not the answer I'd hoped for! The people I'd asked IRL said not to worry, but they're from the generation of pox parties so I had a feeling views might have evolved... This is not going to be a fun few weeks!

I'm also from the generation of pox parties - maybe even a bit older - although but I never did the whole exposure thing with my DCs.

It was going round my DGC school right through my DD's last pregnancy and it made her pregnancy a very worrying time because of her lack of immunity.

I just think that toddler groups involve such close interaction with the children and those around them that it's better to give them a miss. I wouldn't worry so much about a playground where it's open air and children are not so close.

Playing with friends is fine if you mention they might be contagious and let the parent decide.

Personally I would carry on as normal. My ds has had a number of occasions over the years where he has been in childcare or at school and somebody has come down with chicken pox. I am still waiting for him to have it! I would drive myself round the bend avoiding places just in case. At school children don't have time off when their sibling has chicken pox - they only stay off if they definitely get it.

At school children don't have time off when their sibling has chicken pox

There won't be any small babies or many pregnant mothers (apart from staff!) at school though.

For goodness sake carry on as normal... you have absolutely no way of telling. Form what's it's worth my children were exposed several times by kids who came out the next day... they didn't get it many times and when they did get it I'd no idea where they caught it from. You'd be daft to put your life on hold like that.