How long should I expect Chicken Pox to last?

[AllyJU]

My DD got her first spot on sunday morning - we weren't sure at first if it was chicken pox or not, but as the day wore on, it was unmistakeable. She's really distraught as it is her birthday this weekend and fears she will not be able have a party on Sat - is there any hope, or should I cancel it now?

There's not really any way of knowing. One if my children's spots dried up after 4 days and they went back to school quickly. The other still had blisters after 10 days. Can you postpone the party?

Current guidelines are to keep the infected child away from others until all spots have scabbed over. This varies from child to child, but takes about a week.

Why not get in touch with the parents of the children invited to the party to explain the situation. It's possible that lots of the children will have already had it and won't mind, or some parents may want to expose their children to the virus.

Chicken Pox can be really dangerous to pregnant ladies and their unborn babies, so you're right to be cautious.

Thanks - party is now postponed and my DD is slowly on the mend. She is still off her food (everything tastes yucky) but most of her spots have scabbed over - does anyone know when she should be able to go back to school?

Once all the spots have scabbed over and she is feeling ok in herself. Hope she feels better soon!

Check with the school what the policy is. Almost all schools allow children to return once the last spot has stabbed over.

My primary wouldn't allow kids to go back until the last scab had dropped off. I have fond memories of a VERY long summer holiday that year!

She's mostly scabby now - just a few blisters left on her hands (which were the last ones to come out). Today is the first day she's seemed herself - her school has an inset day on Monday, so I'm hoping that by Tuesday she should be able to go back (famous last words) My DS hasn't shown any signs yet - waiting for that to happen when we go on holiday in a couple of weeks....

I would think Tuesday would be fine. It's normal for spots to appear in siblings 21 days after they appeared on the first child, just to warn you!