Help for chicken pox please!!

[Mum233]

Both of my children have chicken pox. One is covered and itchy. The other is covered and itchy but also having temperatures and sickness. First spots last Saturday and now all are pus filled. What happens next? We’ve cancelled lots of Xmas stuff this week. Will there be any possibility that we will be free by Xmas? Both DC are so upset that we might not do Xmas stuff next week.
how can I help the itchiness? Any advice would be so helpful please! Xx

Oat baths are great and an antihistamine over the counter from the pharmacy. There's also creams like poxclin but I couldn't get hold of this, there was a shortage over the summer.

You can go out and about once all of the spots are crusted over which is usually 5-7 days from first spots.

Calamine lotion, calamine cream, virasoothe, poxclin are all things that you can try to cool the skin and help reduce the itchiness. I'd give calpol for the fever. Avoid ibuprofen as that can make it worse . You should avoid school, nursery crowded places until they form scabs. Normally they'll be better in 1-2 weeks, scabs can take up to 5 days to form.

Also antihistamines can help too and many people swear by oat baths (I haven't tried this). Ice lollies can help if they develop spots in their mouths.

Calpol, not nurofen, poxocillin or virasooth if you can get hold of them. Antihistamine makes my kids hyper! Oat baths. I’m sure calamine is no longer recommended.

With chicken pox, you're contagious prior to the rash appearing.
Once the rash appears, you are no longer contagious.

Source? My G.P.

Has anyone else’s child been sick with it? My son was horribly sick last night