to take DD to a party where she might catch chicken pox?

[Runningwithscissors]

DD is 2.2, and we have a family gathering at the weekend to celebrate my grandmother's birthday.

Her cousins have both come down with chicken pox this week; if no-one else at the party has any issues with poxy children showing up, AIBU to take my DD, and just accept that she has to get chicken pox at sometime?

Sounds alright to me. If you've got no reason to think CP might be specially dangerous for her, sounds ok. Also look ahead in your diary to make sure you can clear three weeks of not seeing pregnant women etc.

I think it wouldn't stop me going to the party, but I would not catch it deliberately particularly if your DD is still in nappies (I believe pox + nappies can be very sore and unpleasant). I'd keep her at a reasonable distance from the cousins. Yes, she will have chicken pox at some point, but she is pretty young to do it deliberately. Just my opinion.

is this not what they did years ago to give daughters german measles. they had a name for it like pox parties

Its not a bad age to have chicken pox (better than being older and missing something important at school) - and sods law says if you avoid the party she'll catch it unrelatedly from someone else the following day anyway!

My friend was so keen to get CP out of the way she brought her son round for my DC to lick when they had it. Yes, LICK! I wouldn't go that far....

My DD (3.5) has chickenpox right now and I'm due DC2 on Tuesday. After several nights of no sleep, I'd say no, but I'm biased.

Most kids will get it anyway so while I wouldn't exactly go out of my way to get it, I wouldn't avoid the party either.

'three weeks of not seeing pregnant women etc.' - - way to over-react there!

CP is infectious for 2-3 days before the spots come out and then until the spots have crusted over. Chidren usually come out with it between 14 and 21 days after infection. Therefore the op would only need to avoid vulnerable people from about day 12 onwards. In any case close contact is required - which is defined as being in proximity in the same room for 15 minutes or more. CP is only dangerous to pregnant women if they are in the first or last trimester and have no natural immunity through having had the disease. The country is literally covered with children incubating CP unknowingly in any case.

I would keep her away from any friends or family who you know to be vulnerable but otherwise don't worry too much.

Riverofsleep - at licking!

I am waiting to see if I might be pregnant after IVF; I have had chickn pox as a child, so think I'm ok there?

We wouldn't be seeing any othr pg women, but DD would be gong to nursery as usual, although this might fall well with the week at Easter when I'm off work.

Chicken pox as a child is no guarantee that you'll be ok. I had it as a child (aged 8 iirc) but still had no immunity. Ds1 was born with it and was very ill indeed (in scbu for first week of his life). I had no symptoms and wasn't aware of having been in contact with anyone who had it.

He has it again now (at 3.10 years) and is basically fine apart from the spots, thank goodness, but really suffers in the night. I'm not looking forward to ds2 (2.1) getting it though - the inevitable horrible nappies, clinginess, disturbed nights.

does anyone know whether it possible to check whether or not you have immunity?

I think a blood test can show it. I vaguely remember having one when I was with child. RWS, I'd be reluctant to go to a social event if I wasn't certain that I had immunity particularly given your situation.

For about £60 you could have her vaccinated against Chicken Pox.

The NHS's argument (that vaccinating children against the varicella virus will increase cases of shingles in the elderly) rather falls on its arse in light of the fact that this too can be prevented with vaccinations, its just considered too expensive for a nationwide NHS program.

yanbu...
Chickenpox for DC doesn't bother me -- and my 3 who had it whilst in nappies were fine btw. Plus I'd want to get it over with, ideally, before they start school.

But a week of quarantine SUCKS and in mycase was impossible to adhere to, so basically, if it were cheap and easy I'd go for the immunisation, too.

YABVU

My DC are vaccinated against chicken pox.

Why would you want your DD to catch a disease that is at best going to give her a week of itching and at worst cause serious health problems.

Many people think that chicken pox is one of the diseases that everyone gets at some point. It is not. And it can be nasty. I know of a girl who was hospitalised with chicken pox, she was very ill indeed.

MmeLindt: I see that you live in Switzerland. You do realise that it is expensive and awkward for people to obtain the CP jab in the UK, right? And that CP is widely circulating so can be impossible to avoid before a routine age for cp jabs (which isn't routine here like I said, anyway)? DD had CP at 15 weeks (she was fine, btw; me being quarantined in the house was the one going mental climbing the walls, though).

... and DD didn't seem to itch. Actually, only one of my 4DC seemed to be itchy/that irritated by it (and then only for 2-3 days, not a whole week).

When our DC had the jab, we were in Germany and I had to pay for them myself. I know that it is expensive and difficult to get, but after seeing my friend's little girl seriously ill it was worth the money to prevent that happening to our DC.

I would have done the same if I had been living in the UK.

Like mmeLindt, I live in Switzerland, my dd is vaccinated against chicken pox but she had it done while we were in the middle east on the advice of her paediatrician. He'd just had a child die (and I'm not trying to shock here) of complications arising from the pox. I think that if a vaccination is available and parents can afford it, it should be given.

I actually think that the vaccine should be available on the NHS for parents who wish to vaccinate their children, not just for those who can afford it but that is a different can of worms.

I'd go & not worry too much. There's a good chance she won't catch it in any case - a friends child was exposed to it loads of times before she caught it and if the cousins have been showing spots for a few days they will be past their most contagious.

I think your rather idiotic, tbh, why would anybody go out of their way to make a child poorly, and at worse case scenario result in health complications due to having the virus!

YES! I know it wont happen to you

"Look at www.google.co.uk/search?sourceid=navclient&hl=en-GB&ie=UTF-8&rlz=1T4SNYK_en-GB___GB367&q=child+dies+ from+chicken+pox

MmeLindt, as I understand it, apart from the "older people more likely to get shingles" argument mentioned by Four0fFour, the other argument against the vaccination is that the effect doesn't necessarily last for ever, and therefore you're more likely to get a nasty version of chicken pox as an adult - do you know for how long your children will be immune?

And, I think that the fact that the OP is waiting to find out if her IVF has been sucessful is another factor.

LittleMrsHappy, I think that you have misunderstood my OP; I am not "going out of my way" to make my child poorly; I am wondering whether to attend an important family gathering that means an awful lot to my grandmother, and whether it wold be so bad if DD caught chicken pox as a result.

It is not a "chicken pox party".

But RWS, it would be bad if you caught it and your IVF is sucessful. You don't know if you are immune. Get tested.

As far as I have been informed, the vaccine is not lifelong but they will be covered between 10 - 20 years. It is possible to test to see if they need a booster in adolescence.