Active discussions

Meet the Other Phone. Child-safe in minutes.

Meet the Other Phone.
Child-safe in minutes.

Buy now

Please or to access all these features

Talk
AIBU?

Share your dilemmas and get honest opinions from other Mumsnetters.

Original poster

To not keep poxy child in isolation

240 replies

FromCuddleLand · 23/10/2019 21:50

Hello! We are on half term this week. Every year we take our DC to London for a few days to do the sites. This is the first year that we have planed to take the youngest. He is mega excited. We've booked the hotel (2 rooms, non refundable) and purchased tickets for one of the venues in advance.
Last night I noticed youngest was starting to look a bit spotty. Today he is pretty pickled and it is obvious it is chicken pox. He is ok in himself, cheery and bouncing around. I know that he would not be allowed in school but do I really have to not take him anywhere? (as far as I understand you are contagious before the spots show anyway). I really really don't want to cancel our trip. Am I being an arsehole or is it ok to take him? (most things were going to are outdoors). BTW have NC for this but have been on here since 2011.

OP posts:
ElizaDee · 23/10/2019 22:23

Who'd ever believe people used to deliberately take their kids round to the kid that had chicken pox so that they caught it and got it over with Shock

TriciaH87 · 23/10/2019 22:24

Whilst contagious before the spots you cannot do anything about that as you don't know. However your child is still contagious until the last spot scabs over. If you take him you put pregnant people at high risk and chickenpox in some people can have complications. There are cases where children with asthma have even died. I think it's unfair to knowingly take a child into highly populated areas where germs can quickly spread.

JenniferM1989 · 23/10/2019 22:28

I had a boyfriend years a go before I got married that had never had chickenpox as a child. He got it as an adult and was hospitalized for a week and a half! It's actually quite dangerous in adults, for pregnant women and their unborn babies and also for young kids that haven't had it and are kept from it for good reason. They generally say to let your healthy children get it when they're young as it affects them less so maybe take your 4 year old round to their cousins house that has it to let them get it out of the way for example but there's some people that need to avoid it like the plague and you can't tell who those people are so keep your child inside for at least 5-6 days from when the spots appeared.

Molly2010 · 23/10/2019 22:29

When DD had chicken pox it took much longer then 5 days for them all to scab. I’m talking closer to 10. When I took her back to school they had the first aider inspect her to make sure she could go back.
This is because there is a child undergoing chemo in her class.

Please keep your little one at home until you are certain they have all scabbed over.

Beautiful3 · 23/10/2019 22:30

Its unacceptable and selfish to put others lives at risk.

ThatMuppetShow · 23/10/2019 22:32

I wish people could stop feeling so casual about chicken pox. There's a mass hysteria when anyone mention measles, but for some unknown reason, chicken pox is a joke.

It's not common, but some children can get extremely ill with it, with life-changing consequences and there has been too many fatalities to ignore them.

I don't wish for any child to be unwell, I just wish parents could wake up and stop treating it like a funny joke. OP, you are trying to be funny but you are coming across as more and more unpleasant and irresponsible.

Andonandonan · 23/10/2019 22:32

5 years on my ds still has complications from the cp he contracted as a (until that point very healthy) baby.

You asked the question so were clearly considering it so no idea why you’re now being so stroppy.

Yes it would be completely unreasonable.

Jollitwiglet · 23/10/2019 22:33

I think it's an unwritten rule that infectious illnesses have to occur with crappy timing.

You never know the spots my scab over pretty quickly. In which case you could always join the others towards the end of the break?

MrsFogi · 23/10/2019 22:34

Totally unreasonable - I have two friends undergoing treatment for cancer that have to take public transport from hospital in central London. They can do without people taking their infectious child on the tube/train.

Oodlesandpoodles · 23/10/2019 22:34

Don’t be a tool, people could potentially die because you won’t think beyond tomorrow.

Cherrysherbet · 23/10/2019 22:34

Goodness me, I think the op has got the message people! Enough!

Hope you find things to do at home with your little boy op. It’s shit when plans go pear shaped. I spent many times at home with my spotty children, and understand how rubbish it is.

FrankenCat · 23/10/2019 22:35

My auntie lost an eye as a baby because her mother was in contact with someone with chickenpox when she was pregnant with her.

Justaboy · 23/10/2019 22:39

Who'd ever believe people used to deliberately take their kids round to the kid that had chicken pox so that they caught it and got it over with

Yes we had pox parties to catch that and the mumps and measels seem to remember I had them all!

JOOI arent people these days vacinated when their yoiung re Chicken Pox or or is that not done as a matter of course?.

Also the people on here who are with suppressed immune syatems are you not at risk of picking up any other things like Flu, Colds or whatever else may be around?.

Don't want a slanging match please over this just intrested in the subject!

As to the OP at least she did ask, give her that credit! I suspect that a lot of people may not have bothered maybe through ignorance..

Wheat2Harvest · 23/10/2019 22:41

You cannot take him like this and I doubt that the hotel would allow you to stay.

ThatMuppetShow · 23/10/2019 22:41

Also the people on here who are with suppressed immune syatems are you not at risk of picking up any other things like Flu, Colds or whatever else may be around?.

of course they are, so what's your point? They should stay locked in?

caringcarer · 23/10/2019 22:42

OP we took child who was then 11 on holiday a couple of years ago for a week in Spain and on evening of day 2 he came out in spots. We had to keep him in the apartment with air con every day and he cried because he wanted to go in the pool but we could not let him. We also had to delay flight for another 2 days and stay in hotel which was expensive but we had no option as he had the chicken pox bad and the spots did not heal over until day 7 of our holiday. He would not have been allowed on the plane. We all had a shit holiday but nothing we could do. Good job we took a credit card. You will have to cancel holiday and suck it up. Shit happens with kids.

GettingABitDesperateNow · 23/10/2019 22:46

Hi OP have you got travel insurance (sometimes some banks and credit cards give it as a benefit so might be worth checking). If so you might be able to claim it back if you get a doctors letter

Also you dont have to keep hom indoors just away from people, so if you live or can drive somewhere remote you can still get outside just dont go where other kids might touch something eg a play park

forthrightandsure · 23/10/2019 22:47

I’m immunocompromised. People like you put my life at risk. You’re not only being unreasonable but a total arsehole if you do this.

This.

I hate people who think this is ok.

Do you realise you can KILL someone in your desire to have a weekend away? You need to give yourself a good shake.

maryberryslayers · 23/10/2019 22:48

I'm sure you won't go now OP but chicken pox can be fatal for newborns and extremely dangerous for unborn babies, causing issues with their brains and limbs.
Some carless idiots did this to us by allowing a pox ridden child to their wedding and not telling us, when I was pregnant with DS.
It was so serious that the hospital had to keep me separated and test my blood for immunity overnight on a Sunday night so I could be treated promptly if I wasn't immune. I was worried sick.
I'm sure you wouldn't want to put anyone through that for the sake of a trip.
If you have annual travel insurance you'll be covered for cancellation.

ClientListQueen · 23/10/2019 22:53

@StealthToddler neutropenic here too Smile (for life sadly!)

SoupDragon · 23/10/2019 22:54

Read the whole thread. Or at least the OP's posts.

She's not taking him. That decision was reached really early on.

Littlemeadow123 · 23/10/2019 22:54

Chicken pox could be really serious for adults/children with immune disorders or serious illnesses like cancer. Plus it is more serious than flu for pregnant women.

I know its annoying, I got chicken pox at the start of this year and spent a week housebound. But to take your child into a public area knowing that they have chicken pox would be incredibly inconsiderate and selfish.

perfectstorm · 23/10/2019 22:55

Can people try to read the thread before they lay into the OP?

She asked the question. She was told why this matters. She immediately accepted it, and has been clear she'll stay home and indoors with the poxy child, while her husband takes the other to London. No need to spend a whole thread attacking someone who was checking what they were doing was really necessary.

Honestly, the dramatics around this are ridiculous. She's not going to do it. She's said so. She's now got to stay inside with a kid who will be climbing the walls, which is no fun at all, as anyone who's done it (which is most of us, surely) can attest. Give her a break.

saraclara · 23/10/2019 22:55

Is your half term this week or next? If next, would your hotel let you change your dates to Thurs/Fri when the spots should have scabbed over?

Nanny0gg · 23/10/2019 22:59

Can people try to read the thread before they lay into the OP?

Where's the fun in that?

You will never get people to even read the OP's posts, let alone the thread.

Shall we start a book as to how many more posts tell her how unreasonable she is?