Camping with chicken pox! Experiences please.

[marjean]

Not sure whether to post this in camping, health or travel...

My 2 year old currently has chicken pox. We're about a week in, still in the highly contagious category. We're due to go camping for two weeks in 10 days in France. This is a holiday we're desperate for and have been planning for months. We'll be going by Eurotunnel.

The 2 yo should be fine by the time we go, if a little scabby! The issue for me is my 1 yo. My understanding is that if she does catch it, symptoms should appear within 9 - 21 days. Depending how she is on the day of travel, do we go and risk it breaking out abroad? Will we be let in the country? What's it like camping with a sick (and contagious) child? Will we be spurned at the pool? How will we survive without baths in bicarb and oats?

I'll be taking calamine but any experiences, tips, tricks and advice will be gratefully received.

i would probably go if she is showing no symptoms on the day

that said, it's going to fairly unpleasant for oyu all camping with a sick child, and if she does get it you definitely need to keep her confined, which will be difficult

I think it is pretty likely that your 1 year old will get it, and it is likely to be difficult for you if she does. But either of your children could catch any disease whilst on holiday or at home, and you would just have to get on with it. You can't cancel on the off chance that she might get the pox. OTOH I wouldn't go if she definitely does and is still infectious.

So hard, I agree you can't cancel on the of-chance, but oh my gosh if she gets if badly you are going to have a tough time in a tent.

Also if a child catches chicken pox from a sibling it is usually a worse case then if contacted from an unrelated child. Certainly when my 18mo had it last summer after catching it from her brother, she had it terribly and needed several baths every night just to keep her calm.

You are in a tough spot, good luck whatever you decide.

Thanks all. DH checking our Eurotunnel booking policy as I type. Luckily we can be reasonably flexible though it may cost a little more money. Will see how we go and make decisions later. It would be rotten for the 1 yo, wouldn't it? And pretty awful for us too. But I was sooo looking forward to this holiday. Bummer.

About a thousand years ago DD1 (aged 4) had chicken pox on the way down to camping in the south of France and DS (aged 10 months) had it on the way back. I can remember more spots appearing on him every time I turned round to look at him. While the spots were appearing he was perfectly fine, he got very poorly later. I wouldnt have liked to do the poorly bit abroad as we discovered he is allergic to infant ibuprofen.

DD1 had it very mildly (around 7 spots in total). DS had it very badly possibly because of his age.

Not sure whether you can give piriton to under 2s though.

DD had it first, aged nearly 4. DS1 got it at 18months and he had it way worse. Really poorly and uncomfortable. I did wonder just after whether it was partly because we weren;t able to dose him up with piriton. Not sure though.

If it helps my 4 yo got the pox first but she was about a week in when the first spots showed on DD2, and by week 3 we were pretty much over it. They are most infectious for the week before the spots so will 'luck' your 1yo could come out in spots and be mostly over it by the time you go.

If she does come out while you are away it will not be good, DD2 had it much worse and cried every night for a week. she spent every day in the bath pretty muhc permanently. Pack calpol, piriton (to stop the itching) and calamine acqueous cream if you do go.
I would go if she is clear by the time your holiday comes along as she might not have it, my friend has 6 and not all of them got it when it was going round her house, if she comes out in spots before you leave I wouldn't go though, sorry.

Your one year old might very well not catch it though... [hopeful emoticon]

My then one year old didn't catch it from her 6 year old brother, despite them sharing a bedroom. She caught it from what was probably very brief contact with somebody else a couple of years later.

You just never know.
If it were me I would chance it I think.

I hope your baby doesn't catch it, and there's a chance she won't. I wouldn't cancel the holiday on the off chances, but I would say you have to be prepared to come home early if she does. It wouldn't be fair on her, your other child, you or any of your fellow campers to stay. I would be pretty unhappy if there was an obviously contagious child around the pool/in play areas etc but it wouldn't be fair on any of you to have to stay in the tent for the whole holiday. It might be worth checking your travel insurance to see if you would be able to get a partial refund if you have to come home early. I do partly understand how you feel as we are also off to France in a couple of weeks and there have been loads of cases of cp at nursery recently so I'm on spot patrol, praying she doesn't catch it this time!

Just wanted to add my penny's worth. If your little one does seem to be contagious remember to keep them away from pregnant ladies - can be very worrying if you're not sure whether you've had chicken pox and are carrying.

My 2 were similar to everyone else who has posted. First wasn't too bad, second younger child was awful - grumpy, itchy, upset and very spotty.

So sorry you're in this predicament.

We went to Cornwall a couple of years ago and DD came out in CP the first morning of the holiday (not the day we travelled).

We kept her inside her pushchair with the rain cover over everywhere we went and we went to secluded areas on beaches etc. We were lucky that the weather was shite and so there was hardly anyone on the beach anyway.

I personally would go on the holiday but,no,you can't sit at a communal pool with her if she does get CP because of the risk to others.