chicken pox advice please (Urgently)

[LesbianMummy1]

Hi I had parent phone me last night wants to bring her children back as they were off last week cause oldest had chicken pox. They appeared on Monday and apparently have all scabbed over (Mum has history of lying when they are ill e.g. sickness and diarrhea and saying they are fine). My concern is that the youngest could be about to come out with them.

I have a baby and my ds2 who has breathing problems as well to think about would you accept the siblings or not?

I think you should take them. You can't really exclude someone just incase they might get something. If I recall correctly the incubation period for chicken pox is quite long.

I think the incubation period is 3 weeks or thereabouts so potentially, using your logic, you could exclude them all that time which wouldnt be fair.

Could you meet them outside and check that you feel the spots have scanned over? I agree that you can't not take one ho hasn't come out in chicken pox yet as incubation period is three weeks I think and it might be that they never get it. But you can check the one who has it seems all right to take.

Scanned should be scabbed of course.

Also the child who had cp would have been infectious before the spots and therefore your dc could have been exposed to it already.

My worry is that if they appear and they have not scabbed over it would be a lot harder to refuse to accept them. If mum did not have a history of lying about illness it would be easier I also need to check I will be paid for today as they are also a family I only receive an average of £2 for both children per hour so if I am not receiving money I will not work. Her government money ran out last week so I have til 9:30am to make my decision. They are due at 10:30am. My son and baby were not exposed as the fortnight before oldest came out in chicken pox they had come in with sickness and diarrhoea so I sent them home for that day plus 2 more days. My son then caught their bug so they could not attend for another 3 days then my daughter caught it so they have not attended for fortnight.

I'm not surprised she wants you to take them after all that time. 5-7 days is ample for spots to be scabbed over and you have no way of knowing if the little one will have it. You also cannot protect your children from it anyway- it's endemic. Tbh it would be good for your baby to have it and getit done with (assuming they're not newborn) Your ds will be better catching it now then when an adult with breathing problems.

my ds is 3 so I know he likely to catch it soon we were told if he could get to 5 first would be better but the reason she has not been able to bring them for so long is that I refused to have them because it is at least the 12th time they have come in with sickness and diarrhoea so I refused to allow them back and followed exclusion period exactly for 25 hours a week for two children I only receive £70 a week and no money in school holidays so it has been very stressful to look after these children as I have had to close down twice now affecting various other families who abide by health and sickness policy and who pay correctly so I am obviously reluctant

My ds2 was around a couple of mindees who had it once and I was waiting and waiting but he never got it (and they mix very close as were all young so chewing toys, kissing, hugging etc). I totally sympathise with you re lying about illness as I've been there, done that and got rid long time ago. But I think all you can do is check the scabs yourself and turn them away if she was lying.

Aside from the CP issue, I feel that this family seems to be a constant cause of strife, have you thought about giving notice?

The incubation period us usually 2.5 weeks but can be as much as 28 days which is a very long time to exclude them I'd have thought.

Sounds like the situation is not really working for you.

I have given notice twice now first time she pleaded etc this time it was agreed she would leave when her college course finished this year which was last week. Now she is saying she has to go into college again this week

Oh a dragger outer, well hopefully this may be the last week. You could always be full from next week

Chicken pox is contagious 3-5 days before the spots show up so your children would have already been exposed if you were minding during this period.

As said above, up to a month incubation period - mine were exposed at the same time but had 21 days between them so it went on forever!!!