Chicken pox survival guide

[Bumperlicious]

Looks like dd1 (3.5) might have the pox. I also have 5 month old dd2 who is waking regularly so I'm very tired and enforced quarantine with no nursery is the last thing I need.

Any tips on surviving the pox?

Bump

piriton

Try baths with porage oats ( you put them in some tights of tie the in a mus or sock hang under running water) It does seam to work.

Lots of cbeeies

Calamine lotion on the spots.

Only contagions for 5 or 6 days after the spots com out Sounds a long time. You may also find some of you friends have already had it or are happy to come round and see you.

Try to put the child in cloths that are not to hot put stop him getting to spots if you can.

Colouring or baking if you have the energy can distract them.

If you are breastfeeding try keeping it going until as least three weeks after all spots have crusted over to give her the best chance of not getting it.

When DS had it (aged three) he only felt ill for a couple of days, and was then raring to get out and play again - but was still covered in spots. Within a couple of days at home we were climbing the walls, and of course I couldn't take him to playgrounds, so I took him every day to a huge botanical garden that was normally deserted on weekdays and let him run around for an hour or two.

If your DD has a mild case, is there anywhere likely to be child-free that you could drive to (or walk to without close encounters with other people) and let her let off steam?

Also by the time DH got home I was desperate for a bit of time out of the house, so went and did late-night supermarket shopping or just got on my bike and rode around for a bit...

DD had it at six months which was much easier in terms of staying at home, and she had it very mildly (still BF which might have helped).

Unfortunately the incubation period is about two weeks, so if your younger one catches it from the older one, you could be in for an extended period of being stuck at home.

Thanks. Dh is telling dd1 to keep away from dd2. I'm guessing there is no point.

When ds had cp (not ill, just spotty), we went to the safari park as it was entertaining but no contact at all with anyone else. It was v v good for my sanity

Also, do I have to keep dd2 quarantined even if she is showing no signs?

Aqueous cream with calamine is nicer than runny calamine lotion. dd was not ill when she had the spots, so she saw out her quarantine in the garden. We also went to isolated places to get out of the house.

My two spent a lot of time in the bath. It was soothing and fun to play in there. But they were older so I could leave them to get on while I pottered upstairs.

You have my sympathy. But it only happens once (...well normally anyway).

Can we be around other children who have had it?

If other children have definitely had it, then it should be fine to invite them round to play or go to their houses if she's feeling well enough. Not a good idea to be out somewhere even if everyone you are with has had it, as you don't know who might also come in contact.

And if DD1 has already come out in spots, I would say it is too late to try and keep DD2 away from her as the peak infectious period seems to be the day or two before the spots come out - I don't know who DS caught it from, but in DD's case, we had been playing at a friend's house, got a call the next day to say one of the children had come out in spots, and two weeks to the day later, DD's first spots appeared.

dd2 just had it. Piriton and Eurax lotion: much, much better than Calamine - lasts for several hours, and we got through with very little itching.

Hate to tell you this, but CP seems to make even the most good natured small people very irritable. And if she has it more than very mildly, can also make them very tired - outings where there is no contact might be good, but car/buggy necessary IMO. And loads of DVDs/CBeebies also necessary.

Good luck - at least its only once per child!

Thanks. Dr gave us an antihistamine, though she is still crashing around upstairs despite it supposedly causing drowsiness. She has been ok today. Is it likely to get worse?

Virasoothe!

Never heard of virasoothe, what is it?

Dd1 is refusing to go to sleep, think she is really uncomfortable poor thing. She has had calprofen, can she have calpol too? Also had some anti hystamime and some calamine in aqueous cream.

Anything else I can do?

It's a gel you can get from Boots - quite new I think. Cooling and eases itching. Seemed to help much more than Calamine. It is such a horrible illness!

Calamine hopeless. Try pure Aloe Vera gel which can get from high street chemists...& keep it in the fridge. Felt so soothing when DS age 3 had chicken pox he would trot to get it himself.