In your opinion, which, if any, of these places is acceptable to go with a child with chicken pox?

[Ceebee74]

1. Outside for a walk
2. To an outdoor play area
3. Corner shop
4. Supermarket

Just wondered as I have 4 days stuck in with DS1 (2.6) before he can go back to nursery and I need to go out but don't want to upset/offend any other parents so just wondered what the general opinion is of what is acceptable.

Also, do you have any suggestions of activities we can do indoors that don't require buying anything (as I can't get to the shops!)

I might think on the outdoor play area but I would go to all the others.

assuming he is still infections i would think 1 is ok 2 ok if you leave when other people turn up 3 is poss ok if there is noone else in and you ask the person serving if they have had chicken pox and 4 is a definite no no in my book

Personally, I am not at all bothered as chickenpox are most infectious BEFORE the rash appears, ie before anybody knows that child will be ill with it. so all of those locations would be fine by me. I would avoid nursery, other kid's birthday parties etc.

Family in my street had chickenpox party with all little cousins to try and ensure they all get it before school age , not sure that would be my thing either.

My DSs 1+2 had the dreaded pox aged almost 4 and almost 5, and yes, it is awful to be trapped in the house with a recovering but but still pocky child (or 2).

read assuming he is still infectious!! when all scabbed over and you know not infectious then all of them fine but you will get some funny looks! literally just been through it with my 2 consecutively!

Hmmm - I'd do walk and corner shop, no problem. I would leave supermarket (mainly because dd was extra whingey with the pox and its stressful enough at the best of times)

Are the spots scabbed over yet ?

all of them as long as hes scabbed over (sounds lovely doesn't it)

Probably just the walk tbh.

He isn't fully scabbed over yet but I don't think any new ones have appeared today (which is the first day that none have appeared) so still infectious I guess.

I think, even if he is scabbed over, I will still be paranoid about other parents thinking I am being irresponsible Tbh, DS2 (10 weeks) is likely to have caught it anyway so anywhere I go, he could well be infectious but I ain't staying in for the next 3 weeks!!!

cp is far more infectious before the spots come out (about three days before) so chances are most children with chicken pox have been into all these places, oblivious of the fact they are spreading their germs.

I wouldn't send to school or to children's houses to play (if they hadn't already had cp), and yes, I guess I might do the play area if there was no-one around.

But if not feeling ill/distressed by the itching I wouldn't have any issues with going into the other places...

Chicken pox is dangerous for anyone who is in early pregnancy and hasn't had it (ie can affect baby, even cause stillbirth), and elderly or immune-weakened people who haven't had it (can get bad shingles). Also if a baby under 1 gets it they can get it again later.

My 2 have both just had it, followed by a sick bug on return to school, and I have pretty much stayed in off and on since New Year!! I was lucky we could play in garden on trampoline, and we did go for walks but we did avoid playgrounds because there could be pregnant mums there. It's not for long and it's about the only thing they do get now.

We played in bath. I was told Bicarbonate of soda stops the itching so we did baths with "fairy dust" in, and the old porridge oats in a popsock, tie a knot, squeeze on the spots in the bath was quite popular - they did it for themselves.

Best of luck. Shack nasty!!

ime a baby as young as 10 weeks unlikely to have caught it if breast feed

Obviously only when spots are blistery - once they've scabbed over you can go out like normal.

but chicken pox is most infectious before the spots actually appear.

And shingles is not brought on by being exposed to chicken pox - any adult who has had chicken pox as a child can get shingles as an adult, because shingles is the chicken pox virus that lies dorment after the child has had cp...

You can also give Piriton for the itching. Am I being a bit weird to say I quite enjoyed nursing them at home for a bit? (It helped I was getting a couple of days off work!) My 2 are a bit older than yours - 6 and 3 and it was def easier with the 6 year old, who liked watching DVDs and playing with Christmas presents, but me and 3 year old did baking, playdoh and painting once the ill bit was over.

DS1 doesn't seem bothered at all, apart from Sat night when he whinged for about 30 miutes that his bottom was itching and was trying to find anything he could to use as a scratching post

He is perfectly normal tbh - which means he is hyperactive with the attention span of a flea - hard enough to keep entertained at the best of times! Dh is also away this week so I have no-one to give me a break or talk to - great timing eh?

Nursery have confirmed he can go back on Friday...on the bright side, at least this happened when I am on maternity leave!

(Baby not breastfed by the way so probably still at risk)

I'd do the walk. Would do outdoor play area if no other children in vicinity but not if it were crawling with children. Corner shop would depend -- ours we'd generally be the only people in there, so I probably would. Not to the supermarket.

Thanks ladies

Walk yes, outdoor play area if no one else was there, supermarket no, corner shop if empty and i would check with the owner it was ok first.

For the walk if they were up to it. To the park if it was one of those deserted during the day ones.

I wouldn't take them in a shop - I would try online shopping.

I taught a couple of kids piano that had CP - mum checked with me first and as I have had it and was not pg I was fine with that. They went last in the day and the piano was cleaned after and left for a week (in school).