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AIBU?

Share your dilemmas and get honest opinions from other Mumsnetters.

Original poster

Going out with chicken pox

57 replies

Rosebel · 05/04/2022 10:02

Would you take your child out if you needed to go shopping?
Just moved so no friends or family to ask and at the moment can't afford the £4.50 delivery charge.
Would you risk it or am I being unreasonable (I rather suspect I am but not sure what else to do, so any suggestions welcome).

OP posts:
ShowOfHands · 05/04/2022 10:05

Can you do click and collect?

flower277 · 05/04/2022 10:07

No it can be really dangerous for those with compromised immune systems.

Findahouse21 · 05/04/2022 10:09

If you only need a small number of items, could you ring a local corner type shop and ask them to prepare what you want so you just run in and pay?
Or do a free click and collect somewhere? You don't have to have a car

Original poster
Rosebel · 05/04/2022 10:13

I don't think any of our local shops would do that
I could click and collect except it's 3 miles to nearest supermarket that offerthat which is fine but if I'm walking 3 miles with my son I'm still risking infecting others.

OP posts:
ItsSnowJokes · 05/04/2022 10:17

@flower277

No it can be really dangerous for those with compromised immune systems.
Same as covid but people now seem to be going out everywhere with that.

I wouldn't do it unless I really had to but it just confuse me that going out with covid is now fine, going out with chicken pox is highly irresponsible.

LillyBugg · 05/04/2022 10:18

Do you not have a local Facebook group you could ask for help on? Our community one is very generous and people are always helping where they can.

Nellyella · 05/04/2022 10:21

Maybe you could try the local church or charity like st Vincent de Paul?

MonkeyToez · 05/04/2022 10:25

Are there any supermarkets or corner shops on ubereats in your area?

If not then it sounds like you don't have a choice so just do what you have to do and take any possible precautions e.g. mask & gloves/mittens on child depending on age, don't let them touch anything etc.

Chicken pox are contagious before the rash appears so anybody could be potentially spreading it (or any other illness) so there's no point in feeling too guilty about it.

Iamkmackered1979 · 05/04/2022 10:25

What about a shopping slot that’s cheap 11pm at night etc seems to be cheapest. Nightmare for you op. Or click and collect via taxi although probably cheaper to deliver - Iceland do cheap/free delivery? Hope you can get sorted op

reluctantbrit · 05/04/2022 10:36

I did it but DD was still in the buggy and I had the raincover all over her.

Not ideal but I needed medication and food. That was before click and collect and asking fb groups for help being so normal.

DifficultBloodyWoman · 05/04/2022 11:38

Are you ok with infecting other people? If so, by all means go out and spread the germs around to people who may not be as fit or as well as your child.

If you don’t want to infect other people with chicken pox, which has very serious consequences for adults, they stay at home. Use Uber eats, deliveroo, online shopping, Amazon prime, Facebook, call the corner store, your neighbour, a friend or a family member.

For the sake of £4.50, you could end up putting someone in hospital, destroying their ability to have children, or possibly even kill them.

Octomore · 05/04/2022 11:43

Not if I could avoid it, no.

Themsmedaps · 05/04/2022 11:49

Please don't if you know your child is still contagious. I caught chicken pox when pregnant (I never did find out where from) and was very unwell. Fortunately my baby was unaffected but it can do really serious harm to unborn children, and others with compromised immune systems.

NeverDropYourMooncup · 05/04/2022 11:53

@Themsmedaps

Please don't if you know your child is still contagious. I caught chicken pox when pregnant (I never did find out where from) and was very unwell. Fortunately my baby was unaffected but it can do really serious harm to unborn children, and others with compromised immune systems.
I did as well. Not fun in A&E overnight on oxygen and having no idea whether the baby would be OK. And that was at a time when Labour were in power and funding the NHS properly and no Covid, so I didn't have to wait more than 3 minutes from arrival at Reception before being taken in.
AnchorWHAT · 05/04/2022 12:09

Some supermarkets have saver slots now for £1 £2 £3 depending on the time. Iceland deliver free over a certain amount.

Original poster
Rosebel · 05/04/2022 12:10

@DifficultBloodyWoman

Are you ok with infecting other people? If so, by all means go out and spread the germs around to people who may not be as fit or as well as your child.

If you don’t want to infect other people with chicken pox, which has very serious consequences for adults, they stay at home. Use Uber eats, deliveroo, online shopping, Amazon prime, Facebook, call the corner store, your neighbour, a friend or a family member.

For the sake of £4.50, you could end up putting someone in hospital, destroying their ability to have children, or possibly even kill them.

It's nothing to do with for the sake of £4.50. It's I can't afford £4.50, some people are struggling. Obviously I don't want to infect people although as someone else said no one seems to care about infecting others with Covid. My DH is going to try and get home before 10 so he can pick up some shopping (not a guarantee) and my new neighbour has very kindly given me some milk and ham so at least I can give my son a sandwich and drink. Thanks for the replies. I think I just panicked a bit this morning when I realised the older kids had drained the milk bottle.
OP posts:
flower277 · 05/04/2022 12:13

@ItsSnowJokes I wouldn’t be saying that someone should go shopping with covid either. I know an immunocompromised child that died from chicken pox so 🤷🏼‍♀️

yellowsuninthesky · 05/04/2022 12:16

Yes I would go out, but I know you'll get told you are super-selfish if you do because the virus can jump from one side of the street to another; and won't people think of pregnant women (who almost certainly had it as children, and if they didn't, should have got vaccinated before TTC).

Anyway, isn't everyone currently wearing a mask if they are vulnerable (which would include the immune-compromised and pregnant women)? And if not, why would it be the OP's responsibility?

dementedpixie · 05/04/2022 12:16

Can your older kids not watch him while you go to the shop? What age are they? Can they go to the shop for you?

yellowsuninthesky · 05/04/2022 12:20

@reluctantbrit

I did it but DD was still in the buggy and I had the raincover all over her.

Not ideal but I needed medication and food. That was before click and collect and asking fb groups for help being so normal.

Yes I did too.

And asking FB groups isn't normal, it was a one-off during the first lockdown. People are all back to work now and can't help.

Also you can't get same day click and collect in most areas, so if you need something today you have to go out for it.

littleangel50 · 05/04/2022 12:34

Mine is a one of a kind answer. I have a long term health condition and I have to ensure I do not come into contact with anyone with chicken pox. Fortunately there are only 8.5 k sufferers in UK. The amount of ill people and childhood diseases you would never leave your home. If able work out the incubation period which is hard to do and just make sure your little one is upto it and go get your shopping £4.50 gets a lot of shopping

BeyondMyWits · 05/04/2022 12:52

It does seem a mumsnet trope "you MUST stay in with chicken pox", like it is some sort of law that everyone knows about... they don't.

I work in a stand alone community pharmacy... a place where around 30% of customers are immunocompromised and a heck of a lot of customers are ill. Chickenpox is rife at the moment. We get 5 or 6 kids in on a daily basis over the last 2 weeks

"Check any rash with your pharmacist" is what they've been told by their doctor on the phone... the medical professionals in charge of their care.

So they have been told to go out. Go into our tiny pharmacy. Along with the ill and immunocompromised. And ask someone to have a look.

The pharmacist has a look, says yep, tells them to use virasoothe and calpol and keep them off school or nursery til scabbed over... 5 days after the last spot appears.

This is the real world, there are kids out with chickenpox.

Namechange12312 · 05/04/2022 13:07

I had to take my dd out with the pox. I put her in the buggy with the rain cover over.

I know a little girl that picked up chicken pox during lockdown when the ONLY place she had been was Tesco with her mum.

NeverDropYourMooncup · 06/04/2022 11:14

@yellowsuninthesky

Yes I would go out, but I know you'll get told you are super-selfish if you do because the virus can jump from one side of the street to another; and won't people think of pregnant women (who almost certainly had it as children, and if they didn't, should have got vaccinated before TTC).

Anyway, isn't everyone currently wearing a mask if they are vulnerable (which would include the immune-compromised and pregnant women)? And if not, why would it be the OP's responsibility?

Turns out I hadn't had it, despite having blisters at the same time as my class all got it. Must have been Hand Foot and Mouth.

It was before you could pay for vaccination, assuming that you knew you hadn't had it already.

Your Not My Problem ignores both the fact that there could be pregnant women who are from countries that don't offer private vaccination, who can't afford private vaccination and the fact that the infection is transmitted through the fluid from the blisters smeared on trolleys and the like. No mask can protect against that.