How did your child get chickenpox?

[Lee22e]

Hello, I was just wondering what the most common method of transmission was. I got it from my sister who got it from primary. I'm dreading the idea and want to prepare. Is there a season for chickenpox? NHS writes that you typically would require 15 minutes or more of contact? I figure it might be better to ask for personally experiences. My child is 2 and stays home so I assumed relatively low risk until my brother said that you can get it from someone in line at a shop. I will gratefully take any advice available

autumn is roughly the peak season, has a spurt when kids go back to school.

DC1 got it before he was 2 from nursery (January)
DC2 got it from DC1. She was immune when everyone else in her Reception class got it in December.
DC3 got it in March of Reception (school).
Dc4 got it from DC3.

I think I got it (I was an adult) from a guy who was hacking his lungs up at a rugby match sitting near me for 2 hrs (I reckon he had shingles). No one I knew well gave it to me.

If you are dreading it so much you can get your child immunized.

I second thinking about immunisation if you are dreading it.

DD caught it at the childminder's, it did the rounds. Her current nursery is about 6 weeks into a big outbreak at the moment, all the kids who haven't had it yet seem to be catching it.

Fwiw, not all kids are terribly poorly with it. DD had it at 2.5 and was really pretty well.

DC1 was completely well with CP; DC2 was a tiny bit tetchy.
DC3 is nicer child when ill so that was nice :).
DC4 was miserable but not unmanageably so.

Oh, and my case was extremely mild, too. Lots of spots but didn't feel in the slightest bit ill. Complete nonevent.

DD caught it from our neighbour's son who she played with regularly. She had it on her second birthday, was a bit off colour for a few days but fine otherwise.

I caught it aged 11 (no idea where from) and had it horribly. Ghastly pain, the pox went into the back of my eyeballs and ended up in hospital.

DD caught it from school in November last year. DD2 got it from DD. Luckily, nether of them were particularly ill with it. Spotty and itchy but no fever.

If you are really concerned, you can pay for a private immunisation.

dd1 from nursery at 14 months old. With hindsight she wasn't too bad.
dd2 absolutely no idea- seemed to be out of the blue. She had it very badly and was quite poorly but only for a few days.

My DS caught it from nursery and dd caught it from DS. However the day before the spots came out we were in the supermarket and met some friends whose little girl had leukhemia. DS and little girl went into those moving helicopters to play for a few minutes. I rang her mum to tell her that ds had CP and she had to ring GOSH who said that they had enough contact to worry, so she had to rush up that day to get the vaccine for the 4th time.

Can I ask a naive question? Ds hasn't had it (3.5) and im also dreading it a bit as in a lone parent so struggle when he's poorly (sickness mostly to date though) what are the benefits / drawbacks of the vaccine? Surely (this is the naive part!) if it was straightforward it would be given out with all the other jabs? Please don't flame me, I'm genuinely clueless!

The vaccine is safe and thoroughly tested Twirly. It is one of the standard vaccines in the U.S. for example. Although of course all vaccines have some degree of risk which every parent needs to weigh up.

For the reasons why it is not offered as part of the standard immunisation schedule here see this from the NHS

I have no idea where DS1 caught it, he managed to avoid it when his best friend had it and then got it without us being aware of being in contact with anyone who had it. DS2 caught it from DS1 and had it much worse. The children we played with on the day when DS1's spots appeared, literally about an hour before he showed any signs, didn't catch it. I have a friend whose older child didn't catch CP off her sibling, but came down with it about 6 months later, having not knowingly been in contact with anyone infected.

In my experience transmission is a bit random, DS1 was probably something like the line in shop, as I can't think of anywhere he could have had extended contact with someone infectious, without us knowing.

Thank you. I can't believe the lack of consistent information on the net. Many have you believe that prolonged and direct contact is essential to contract it. I hate to think of getting it at a grocery store of all places. I will see about the vaccine.

Thanks tea that's really interesting. I might have a chat with gp about the pros / cons. Because there is just me and we have very little support, I am dreading it a bit. This might make ne feel more in control. Hmmm, something to think about anyway! Thank you

My eldest got it at 5 months - I'm assuming from one of the mother and baby groups we went to but she certainly wasn't even in physical contact with the other children there as she was too little!

My middle child was 7 when he got it and had been exposed to it via friends and family numerous times before but not contracted it. He actually got it in the summer holidays, so again no prolonged contact with other kids really! His little sister caught it off him.

My DS got it at 9months from his big sister who got shingles at 2.9

My dad from nursery at 2.5 years, very severe case, hundreds of spots on her face, 20 pockmarks still v evident 5 months later. I would vaccinate.

No idea where child 1 got it (she was vaccinated, so we didn't think it was chicken pox until the other two caught it from her - including the other vaccinated one and the only one not vaccinated lol).

The not vaccinated one had more spots, if that's helpful, but all three definitely had chicken pox. I suspect it was milder because of the vaccinations, but they certainly didn't prevent them from catching it.

No idea how any of DS1 (who had it at 18 months) and DS3 (who had it last month) got it - clearly they'd been playing with an infected child

DS2 (who had it mildly at 3 - was going around his nursery) caught it again from DS3 at the start of this month - he had loads of spots this time round (including in his eyelids, nose, bellybutton and his feet) so doubt he'll catch it again!

Dd not dad!

No idea how DD1 got it. It had gone through her class at school about 3 months previously and she hadn't got it. When she eventually got it the day before midterm break nobody else had it or came down with it.

DD2 got it from her and came down with it exactly 2 weeks later.

For both of them days 2 and 3 were worst, and after that it was more a case of keeping them occupied.

Why are you dreading it so much?

Ds got it at preschool, dd either from spotty child on a train or preschool.

Thanks everyone. I'm dreading a severe case more than anything. I have concerns about the efficacy of the shot so I was hoping for him to get it a bit older. I can't control it but was interested to know why it can be transmitted easily for some and not others. Did your children have other symptoms or just spots? Thank you.

My kids were just spotty and itchy. No fever or other symptoms. But I think we were quite lucky.