Top tips for chicken pox please

[JarethTheGoblinKing]

DS has chicken pox, just come on this morning but definitely CP.

What's the best course of action - thinking fluids, cbeebies, sleep and neurofen if needed.

What's best for the inevitable itching? Sending DP to the pharmacy before it shuts.

Do oat baths work for the itching? Do you just dump a handful of oats in the bath and let them soak for a bit?

Not sure about oats but know a lot about chickenpox. Had it as a child and again as an adult.
Best thing for me was a lukewarm bath followed by lying on a big towel spread out on the bed. Don't rub dry with towel. Then when your DC is dry just lay a soft dry towel on top. The less contact with the skin the better.
For me the best cream is E45 ITCH RELIEF Cream. Wonderful stuff. Always keep it in the drawer.
Sleeping is difficult cos of the itching so plenty of calpol and you can have nurofen in between I think as well.

Thanks. He seems OK at the moment, bit off his food and mild temp, bit clingy but refuses to admit he is ill

Oats are great. Pop them in an old pair of tights and hang them so the water from the tap runs over them as the bath fills.

Calomine lotion for the spots.

Just see what he is like. Some bounce around like there is nothing wrong, some get relly miserable and just sleep.

The warmer the skin, the more spots come out (that's why they are often worse in the nappy area of very little ones).

Keep him as cool as poss and you will have less spots and less itching.

Spots itch more as they are drying out so use creams as recommended above to moisturise them and don't use any of the old fashioned things like bicarb in the bath, they dry the spots out too quickly and make the itch worse

My DTDs had it when they were 3. I was told that E45 is better for itching than calamine. Brilliant advice. Just bog standard E45 - I didn't know they did an itch cream. Slathered them in it before putting pyjamas on at bed time- definitely helped.

Calamine didn't seem to work for me but Eurax cream did (can get tubes of it in boots or wilkinsons for about £2.50)

Mine loved oat baths. I put a handful of oats in a pair of old tights, tied it up and put it under running water. Can then rub that over themselves - DD liked squeezing the oatmilk on her spots. We used the calamine aqueous cream rather than lotion - much easier to apply. I gave them Piriton at night to help them sleep easily and we didn't have any sleepless nights. Kept them as cool as possible with lots of loose fitting clothes.

Bicarb in the bath is meant to help as well, I did try it a few times alongside the oats but wasn't sure whether it helped or not.

Calamine cream and not lotion, much easier to apply.

Bicarb and lavender oil in the bath.

Piriton to help the itching and make the buggers sleep.

Plenty of fuids.

Flopping about on the sofa whilst watching trashy telly - banish the porrly one to their pit so they don't disturb you though

*poorly.

Piriton first thing in morning and last thing at night. Virasoothe for the face and Poxclin for the body, re-apply several times a day. Dress in loose clothing that covers skin. Bath in a moisturising oat bath. Dd basically didn't scratch at all with this regime and she was covered in spots!

there's some mousse stuff thats really effective - POXCLIN - bit pricey but tis FAB

Brilliant, thank you all. Think a trip to boots is in order - all we have is calamine

I would also recommend Poxclin, used it on all three of mine along with antihistamines from GP and oats in bath, none of mine had sleepless nights and both DDs were covered. Poxclin has an accumulative effect too, it is flipping brilliant, honestly!

I am little concerned about the nitrogen advice because both the NHS website and the Great Ormond Street website say do not give ibuprofen for chicken pox, just paracetamol. Can't remember the reason but please check first :)

Stupid auto correct - not nitrogen, neurofen!

I was also told no ibuprofen.

DD recently had it and we did:

• oats in tights under bath tap
• piriton
• calpol
• calamine lotion (body) and cream (face)
• loose clothing and no nappy when possible
• lots of Peppa pig

Also syringes for liquids as she had spots in her mouth and struggled to drink. Ice lollies popular too.