To take child out with chickenpox

[10thlittlemonkey]

DD age 3 had chickenpox. Today is day 7 since they first appeared. She's loved the multiple pyjamas days but we are starting to go stir crazy! She had new spots appear yesterday overnight and I'm not sure any of us can handle another 5 days cooped up indoors. Other than spots she's here usual self (ball of energy!) I was thinking to go out for a walk along the river. Maybe grab a quick take away coffee and cake and perch somewhere outdoors. Thinking 'covid social distancing' style rules would apply here for our own sanity surely?
AIBU?

What a horrrible, horrible post. It validates every cliche about selfishness and irresponsibility.

There will be hard working people reading it who are living in rented accommodation, unable ever to buy a home because of the devastating effects of the unsustainable property boom that means your house is ‘worth a bomb’.

There will be young mothers burdened by student debt.

There will be other people who were unable to take the university option due to the university costs which did not afflict your or my generation.

There will be older parents worried about university costs for their own kids, and about the fact that they have little or no pension provision and are looking forward to a frightening old age after decades of work.

There will be exhausted people on zero hours contracts, with no job security & no way of knowing they will be able to pay the rent next month.

There will be people reliant on food banks.

And this - this sneering, spiteful, ignorant, boastful entitlement. Truly vile.

I am in my late 50s. I’m old enough, and mentally acute enough, to know how very very lucky I’ve been. I feel ashamed, ashamed, ashamed to see such spite and ignorance directed at the young.

Please stay far away from people. I caught CP when I was pregnant with DS. I hadn’t had it before, and I think I caught it in the doctor’s waiting room when registering my pregnancy.

I felt very unwell indeed and was monitored extra closely throughout the pregnancy to check for deformities. It caused endless worry. We didn’t know for certain til he was born if he would be blind (all else was ruled out by several extra ultrasounds).

Fortunately he was fine and caught CP as a toddler, confirming he hadn’t caught it in the womb.

Well said... but at least those of us still in our 30s can look forward to the extra Boots points and a when we retire at the young age of 68. And a discounted trip around a NT garden if our knees haven't given up from the 40hour working week that both parents have had to work cover the childcare cost due to the £1600 mortgage on a 2bed terraced house (and of course all those coffees and expensive meals out we are having!). Thankfully we had the option of a whole 9 months maternity leave with our family though before having to go back to work rather than being a SAHM.

It was in response to the op's vile post about expecting the boomers would be out with shingles, happily passing it on.

@10thlittlemonkey if you can't take it, I would venture not to give it.

Mortgages aren't about the money spent but the proportion of income it takes.

I have dc in their thirties, I am very glad they are not ageist and appreciate how hard theor parents worked to give them every oppprtunity. And no, I woukdn't have stood at a coffee stall when dd was 3 and had chicken pox. We went out to deserted places for fresh air and in those days had a coffee at home.

I would consider it selfish of you to take her out. Shes infectious

if you must go for a walk somewhere dont you dare go anywhere to grab your coffee and cake, that’s would mean reasonably close contact with your infectious child

life doesn't stop if you have an infection
I mean, it literally does for some people. As in it can kill them. You don't mean others, though, do you? You mean it doesn't stop for you, as long as you're alright, hey. As long as you're getting your park fix or whatever.
As for immune compressed should stay indoors? What , forever? Immune compromised people have to live too, you know. Go to work and all that.

This is complete rubbish. You get chickenpox as a child the virus stays in the body dormant suppressed by the immune system - if the immune system is reduced by age, chemo other illness, stress, the thought of being exposed to chickenpox then shingles happens.
Please read and understand the NHS advice if you can. It does say you can get chickenpox from people with shingles which I was worried about when I was younger and worked with older people who are more likely to develop shingles. I hadn't had chickenpox (caught it from DC's and may have caused miscarriage)

Surely if a child is immunocrompromised to the point that their life would be at risk if they come into contact with the wrong person, you would ensure that they do not go anywhere near strangers. I took my child out into the open air when he had chickenpox. It did him the world of good. He didn't go near anyone else.

When DS had chicken pox we still went out as he was only poorly for a couple of days but it took a few more days for all the spots to dry up. We were on holiday at the time so just stayed away from people. Social distancing sounds fine. Stay away from cafes, parks or anywhere busy, We told our hotel that he had chicken pox and while he was feeling poorly we took food to our room but they were fine with us eating in the restaurant after that and we always sat at the same table, well away from anyone else. It was very very quiet or we wouldn't have done it.

It depends how long they’re immunocompromised for, you have to balance it with life
child getting in a car, going to an open field or empty beach, have at it
I was in the doctors waiting for an appointment when a woman loudly announced how itchy her chicken pox were. Never seen people scatter so fast. Now I wait outside

Chicken pox is extremely infectious so please don't.

This is so selfish.

How exactly do you suggest people do that for a child’s entire life?

I cannot keep my child segregated from the entire world for their whole life. Nor can I segregate her sibling from the entire world to protect her.

Even taking the upmost care and only doing essential things like school, and basic activities, we rely on people having the basic manners and decency to keep distance from others when they know they are ill.

The unknowingly ill are just our everyday gamble. DD has been in ICU six times in her life so far (she’s 9). It was hard enough keeping her as safe as possible pre covid - post covid people’s selfishness has made it nigh on impossible.

I didn't say it was would be easy. Just that you cannot trust every single stranger you come across to not have a disease. So surely you either keep them indoors or you take the risk. That's your decision.

I’m a Boomer and happy to clarify that I wouldn’t go out with ANY infectious illness.

Nor do I use Waitrose 🤷‍♀️

Of course you can take her outdoors 💕 Fair enough not into a soft play but if you had older children you’d still need to take her on the school run etc.

It's now included in the 3 year old vaccines that they have, so it is now free to 3 year olds.

As someone who's immune compromised by cancer (and vaccinated against nearly everything) I'd simply ask you to walk your little one in the park, but take sandwiches and drinks etc. with you and don't visit the cafe.

This thread is mental. All the whatiffery, people tying themselves in knots to convince themselves that the OP is SO awful and inconsiderate yet common sense surely dictates that even the most infectious of diseases are not really contagious when the child is outside and kept far away from others. MN really is like a parallel universe at times.

The OP is aware that her child can transmit an infection which can kill or harm.

Her aims for the outing included contact with people so "not really contagious when the child is outside and kept far away from others" was not a factor.

Others has clearly said that they have and will bring their contagious child on the school run which is the one place which is likely to have a high concentration of each vulnerable class of people.

I completely agree, but MN isn’t a parallel universe and I think probably a decent representation of average female opinion, maybe I’m wrong. It’s alarming really. No wonder kids’ anxiety is at an all time high when these kind of horrified reactions are expressed by mums to everyday issues.

Kids have to get to school, their parents have to take them, the other child cant stay off just because there is a child in the house with chicken pox.

When we get in our cars, there is a risk we could kill or harm someone (I’d wager a statistically increased risk in fact compared with the risk of killing someone else with CP). Terrible harms can happen to people in life. It doesn’t mean that life shouldn’t be lived, with reasonable care and consideration.

From November. Typically, we enquired with GP when getting MMR last month and we're told catch up sessions for 3year4month olds from November only. I guess we needn't worry now we've had it!

And there is a risk that the child will be in contact with others.