Cold symptoms before chickenpox spots appeared in your child?

[Dawnb1183]

My DD was in contact with someone a day before they came out with chicken pox this was 6 days ago now. She has had a cough and snotty for 4 days now, but still no spots. I know the most likely time to get spots is around 14 days later after contact. I was just wondering for how many days did your child have cold symptoms before the spots appeared.

Honestly it can really vary. My little one had cold symptoms for about 3–4 days before the spots finally showed up. Started with a runny nose, cough, being extra clingy and tired, and I kept thinking it was just a normal cold until the rash appeared.

With chickenpox the spots usually show around 10–21 days after exposure, so 6 days is still pretty early. The cough and snotty nose could just be a separate bug too. I’d just keep an eye out for fever or the first few little red spots, usually on the tummy/back first. Hope your DD either skips it completely or gets a very mild case 🤞