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Advice please re chickenpox at 6 months

6 replies

AlfieBear87 · 02/06/2012 21:05

Hi all,

I'm due to take my 6mo ds to a family party this weekend to celebrate my grandparents 60th anniversary. My cousin (who will also be there with his ds and dd) thinks his ds is coming down with chickenpox.

I'm not sure whether to go to the party or not. I know the majority of children will get chickenpox at some point and that it is better to get as a child than as an adult but would it be worse to get it as a 6mo baby than as a 4 year old say? Also ds is still breastfed - does that reduce the risk of getting chickenpox due to my antibodies? Ds is my first child so I'm not sure if I'm just being over-protective.

Any advice would be greatly appreciated. TIA

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Are your children’s vaccines up to date?
Bunbaker · 02/06/2012 21:12

Chicken pox in a child less than 12 months can be nasty, so yes, it is better to get it at 4 years old rather than 6 months. I am a rather cautious type and would probably stay away if the 4 year old is going to be there.

Why do they think their 4 year old is coming down with it anyway? And if they do, why on earth are they thinking of taking him to a party?

JubileeTatWearer · 02/06/2012 21:21

Perceived medical wisdom says that babies shouldn't get chickenpox if breastfed.

So much so that when my DC1 did get the pox at 4mo, the health visitor and GP didn't believe me, even when I took her to the GP the first time and showed him the spots!

They believed me the following morning, when it was very obvious!

Anyway, we got off lightly, she had a mild case, we taped mittens onto her and she hasn't had it since (now almost 4yo) in spite of all her friends at nursery having had it since. The immunity to not having it again isn't guaranteed if they have it under 12 months, supposedly.

I think your cousin is being selfish for taking his DS when there will be older people there and also babies.

Having got off lightly with DC1 I would probably myself run the risk with DC2 rather than risk missing such a major family event. But I genuinely don't know what to advise you other than trying to get your cousin to back down and not take his DS.

I have found that many parents are a bit more relaxed about these things with DC2 - I caught tonsilitis from a play date with DC1's friend, for example, and was quite hacked off about it. But the mum of the friend, for whom this is DC2, didn't see an issue at all and has been sending her DD to Pre-school as normal, as well as letting her climb all over me and my baby!

AlfieBear87 · 02/06/2012 22:10

Thanks for the replies. Cousin has offered not to go if anybody has a problem with it, but it's his mum who has organised it all so I feel a bit bad for her if he doesn't go. I think we'll give it a miss, would feel incredibly guilty if we went and my DS caught it. Thanks again for the advice.

OP posts:
lagoonhaze · 02/06/2012 22:14

We had chicken pox at 6mths. Would rather we didn't but it wasn't too bad. Doctor prescribed a dosage of piriton. She may well get it again as although her pox wasn't mild it wasn't horrific either!

MirandaWest · 02/06/2012 22:16

DD got chicken pox at 6 weeks (despite being breast fed and me having had it).

She was fine - got a bit more sleepy but that was about it. And she was Very Spotty

Seona1973 · 02/06/2012 22:18

ds had chicken pox at that age and went on to get childhood shingles at age 3 (apparently more common if you get chicken pox under 1 year)

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