DS covered in spots, can I take him to meet baby?

[WitchOfEndor]

We are due to visit my DB and his family on Weds. He has a new DD who will be less than two weeks old. This evening i thought DS looked a bit flushed wirh some spots and then when DH did a nappy change he said DS is covered in spots. It isnt a horrendous rash or anything but the timing is rotten as we havent seen my DM or DB and family for months and i really wanted to meet my new DN. They live 300 miles away so we have to take holiday to visit which makes me a bit more uncertain on whether we should cancel the trip. I obviously don't know what DS has, and I don't think the Doctors will be open tomorrow so how do I know if I should be taking him near his new baby cousin?

When I was the mum of a new baby, I was paranoid about infections from other children. I would've sent you away tbh.

My 4 year old has chicken pox atm & I have a 1 week old ds. My baby is protected as I've had the pox so he's still got my immunity plus I'm breastfeeding which protects him also.

Is your dn being breastfed?

Without knowing what the rash is then its hard to know. It could be just a heat rash or it could be something more.

I think you need to see how he goes, if he shows signs of being ill and then use your judgement and decide what to do. I would certainly make sure your DB knows before you go though if you think he is ok to go.

I wouldn't risk it and the parents will not be impressed. Even if it's a mild viral thing, it could make a newborn very uncomfortable.

There will be some sort of walk-in NHS place open tomorrow - might be a recorded message on GP's number.

Pale or dark spots? Could it be a simple skin rash (dermititis)?

I vote it's CP & I would ask you stay away if you didn't know, could even be something like measles(?). Am very lax about CP, if my baby was 3m+ I wouldn't mind, but not with a tiny one & not when you don't even know.

I think you'd need to know what sort of rash it is.

The fact that your are breastfeedimg and have had something ie chicken pox does not stop a small baby catching an illness. DD got chicken pix when she was 6 weeks old despite many people telling me that she wouldn't get it......

I've met a fair few exclusively breastfed babies under 4 months who caught CP.

No of course you can't

Oh no now I'm worried!! I've been told by 2 midwives that my ds would have immunity for the next few weeks? I wouldn't be so worried if he was a bit older but he's only a week and a half.

Mummys I don't think DN is breast fed as her brother wasn't (through choice). I haven't asked, just assuming.

OneHand I wouldnt want to put them in that position

Sirzy he was a little off his food today, he stuck to bread and philly at dinner and didn't have any meat which is unusual so it does point to him being under the weather, but then he has had a busier weekend than normal too, out to the zoo on Saturday and then a BBQ on Sunday so he has been out of his normal routine.

Just wonder if the face painting lady at the zoo has passed lots of chicken pox along on her sponges!

No. Not in a million years.
We were due to go to a family party today. My 4 year old had a slight temp last night. He has a bumpy rash today. It looks like heat rash but no way would I take the chance.
The mildest (to the person with it) viral infections can be absolutly dreadful for babies.

adventures fairly pale spots, isn't Measles covered in their vaccinations these days?

Why on earth would you consider taking your child with a rash to see a two week old baby? That's so unfair. If he has got something that can be passed along you are risking infecting a tiny newborn. Really inconsiderate.

mrsDeVere I don't think it's heat rash it's not been that hot here today.

Everyone, thanks, I guess I will have to get him checked out tomorrow and let my brother know.

Next question - am I ok to meet the baby if we keep DS away?

NO, you can't take a spotty possibly infectious child to meet a newborn baby, just because you haven't seen the parents for a while and they live a long way away!

I understand that you want to see the baby, DS probably isn't so fussed - can't you leave him at home with his dad and go alone or postpone for a couple of weeks? I would not be impressed with an obviously ill child being brought to visit any baby of mine, sorry.

Thanks Convert, if I was really inconsiderate I wouldn't have asked for advice the minute I spotted the rash on his stomach, would i? I would just have gone without considering it.

DoingIt I think that's what I will have to do

Sorry, maybe a little sensitive about this kind of thing.
My 8 week old had a cyst from her lung removed and then got sent back in to hospital two days later because some tosser sent their child to school with bronchiolittus and my DS brought it home.

S'ok Convert! I've phoned DB and let him know that I'll be taking DS to Doctors/OOH tomorrow to get it checked out. DH and I have checked each other for spots and we are clear so far. Luckily we are staying at DMs so the children don't have to come into contact with each other.

Hope he's ok.

There's still a 1% chance of catching measles if exposed enough to it, even if fully vaccinated.
Pale spots sounds non-contagious to me, though. Hope it indeed turns out to be something mild.

a little relevant anecdote...

when dd was 1, we were invited to a birthday party. she had a 2 spots in her nappy area on the day of the party but was well within her self. we drove to the house where party was held, i went to the door and dropped off the present then explained that we wouldnt be coming in.

i was persuaded by the host to come in and not over react to a spot or two.

next day, dd in hosp, suspected measles, very poorly. and we'd exposed a whole party to it, including a heavily PG woman. we had to contact everyone there to explain. was v worrying and awful. never again will i go against my better judgement.

ps wasnt measles, but 10 years on the experience is still v memorable.