Toddler passing on illnesses to newborn anxiety

[ttc2023AH]

I posted this in a different thread but I thought here might be best, finding the anxiety really hard to deal with

I just wondered if anyone experienced extreme anxiety about your toddler passing bugs/viruses to your newborn.
My toddler has been exposed to chicken pox at nursery (no spots yet but still within 21 days) and I'm terrified that my newborn will get it and be really unwell.
Thinking about constantly having these panics really scares me for the next few months/year.
I just wondered if anyone had similar panics and how you dealt with it?

I guess you need to realise there's not much you can do about it and there's no point in worrying at this time. When we were kids everyone had chicken pox and younger siblings at home etc. Just keep an eye out is all you can do and if toddler comes out in pox, try and keep the two as distanced as possible really. Speak to GP about possible ocd

If your toddler doesn't catch it get them vaccinated asap. It is being rolled out on the NHS but depending on their exact age it might be a while. That reassurance helps a lot.

Other than that, all you can do is be aware of what illness levels actually matter. For instance, watch videos on tracheal tug, and rib retractions, and flared nostrils breathing. All of these mean your baby (and toddler for that matter if they are doing them) need to be seen at the hospital. General snottiness, crankiness etc not an issue...fewer than half their usual wet nappies though is. Once you know what you are looking for you can help rationalise what is actually happening.

My boy was vaccinated against chicken pox before his little sister was born so I never had to worry about that specifically, but colds, bugs, viruses… oh yes he gets them all from nursery and my poor little six month old gets them too. It’s horrible seeing them poorly but the only thing to alleviate your anxiety is to say don’t be afraid to use your GP and 111 if ever you need to, they say themselves you can’t be too careful especially when they’re that young. And after the 10th time of hearing they’re fine and there’s nothing serious to worry about you’ll slowly just reluctantly accept that this is what comes from a toddler and a newborn! Also educating yourself of the warning signs helps like floppiness, no wet nappies, zero appetite etc. So if you don’t see these things it helps as well. Sending sympathies OP it’s definitely tough!

Hello @ttc2023AH sorry to hear about your anxiety. We’re currently running a vaccinations Q&A with two NHS experts that you might find useful for this. You can post your question here