Can you tell me about chickenpox in babies?

[Ginshizz]

DD is 15 weeks old and might have chickenpox. I called the GP, they said they would rather I didn't bring her in (which I understand) unless she becomes very distressed.

However, I don't know if this is chickenpox or not or, if it is, what I need to do. The GP said keep her at home and give her a bit more food but that was all the advice I was given!

DD has been cranky for the last three days and today she had three little spots on each leg and ten on her back. These spots are very small but do have little fluid filled bits on the top. They do not look really red and angry, more pinkish.

Does that sound like it could be chicken pox? I thought it was more red raw, itchy big spots.

Also, the GP said her appetite would decrease but she's gone from eating c.160ml per feed to 250ml.

We were on a bus ten days ago when a little girl with obvious chickenpox got on and coughed away madly for the rest of the journey so DD could well have caught it; equally, I could be being particularly neurotic!

Any thoughts, advice etc gratefully received,

Thank you

Extra fluids, calpol or similar if seems uncomfortable, calamine aqueous cream if seems itchy.

Only a worry in babies under a month or immunocompromised generally.

GP won't usually do anything except nod and say yes it's chickenpox TBH. Kepp away from others for 5-7 days until all spots dried up, they will probably go scabby.

See GP if becomes especially unwell, gets them on the eyeball or gets nasty cough - slight cough is normal and common.

When my son got chickenpox at 10 months, he had spots like you described. He had about eight on his leg and the Dr smiled, agreed it was chickenpox and sent us home. He was fit as a fiddle otherwise and it was a long week keeping him amused inside!

Thanks for your posts, I was a bit panicky about it but it sounds like it could be manageable (fingers crossed)!

I didn't realise babies could get chickenpox with so few and such little spots. Hopefully she'll be ok as long as DH and I can keep the entertainment going then!

Hello again, could I just ask whether it's ok to bath DD? She's just had a bath and it really seemed to help, or at least distract her, but I'm thinking it might not be a great idea to have her in water if she has sores or scabs?

Thanks and sorry to be so clueless

Baths are good. I would avoid soaps because they can be drying and make itching worse but plain baths or with emollient like oilatum bath additive are good

Thanks, DD loves her baths x

My DS had chickenpox at about 5 months, and his spots sound exactly like your DD's. I noticed a couple of red spots one evening and the next day they were seemingly appearing before my eyes. He ended up utterly covered but I think he had quite a bad dose. He was grumpy, slept more than usual, although I can't remember if he fed more or less - less I think.

I kept him dosed up with calpol as he was running a slight temperature. Baths were good with a handful of porridge oats in a pop sock under the running water! Sounds mad but is apparently very soothing and he seemed to like it. Also used calamine cream.

I hated seeing him looking so bad but really, I think it's better he had it so young. He seemed oblivious to any itching and didn't try to scratch himself at all, which I am sure he would have done if he was older. And I haven't had to take any time off work to look after him as I am still on maternity leave.

The spots have faded but there are still a few marks so I have been using bio oil and they are disappearing, although not as fast as they appeared . There are 2 on his forehead I think may scar but as he's still a baby I'm hoping they will disappear as he grows.

I hope it's mild for your DD but keep an eye as DS seemed to have very few spots but they multiplied over a day or so. But she will be fine!

Thank you! Just two new spots this morning ... She is very sleepy but seems ok other than being a bit crankier than normal.

Thanks for your post - I feel so inexperienced at all of this! I think because the spots are so different to when I had chickenpox as a child (immediately covered in huge angry welts), I am still a bit thrown ...!

Hope your DS' marks clear up ok

X

Hopefully your DD will be ok then - DS' (hundreds of) spots definitely appeared within a day or so of the first ones. I guess some soothing baths won't harm in any case.

My dd had the pox at 18m , she did have them really bad but for the first 2 days she only had a dozen or so and I wasn't really sure
Just give her calpol if she's in pain, lukewarm baths should help soothe the itching and try to moisturise as often as possible to minimise scarring

kdiddy how often do you apply bio oil? My dd ha a few bad scars and I was wondering if bio oil would reduce them

DD had CP at exact same age. I think she had maybe 3 spots in her groin & 4-5 hideous ones on her face, especially at corners of her eyes. Nowhere else. We never even told GP.

She was fine, just a bit unsettled like you say. She's almost 11yo & has been immune in every subsequent outbreak. (hooray!) And her eyes are fine, too.

Scars, DD has thin pale skin (I think literally) & seems to scar easily from any sort of cut. But can't see any scars from her bout of baby CP.

Thanks for posting.

DD has developed a few new spots - she has maybe 15 / 20 in total now but no new ones over the past day or so. They seem so small I can't quite believe they are chickenpox but they are behaving like cpox: starting out as red dots, getting bigger and raised, developing a clear fluid on the top which turns white and then goes hard.

I'm not sure what else it could be?

The first ones to develop seem to be drying out and getting much less red.

The ones on her back are the most troublesome but I've tried the oats in a pop sock under the bath water and that seems to help.

She was very grumpy yesterday but calpol seemed to work well.

In a bizarre way I am hoping this is chickenpox as she is dealing with it brilliantly and not suffering too much at all. Maybe it is the Pixiepox strain of chickenpox?

Thanks again to you all for posting, I am still about the whole thing but hopefully, given there haven't been any new spots for a while, DD might be over the worst of it.