the pox has arrived!! Post your top tips here please!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

[chapsmum]

the chap has finally been overcome by the pox!
Needing top tips for itching scratching, general grumpyness. When can he go back to nursery etc??
HELP!

Benadryl and Piriton. Life savers. Benadryl much better than Calamine lotion.

Oats in the bath are good. Messy, but good!

Oh didn't know any of that!

Ds3 has them too chapsmum - he's just 2. Poor little thing is covered and he has loads on his bum - really red and angry - must be horrendous for him.

At least 5 days off nursery. Spoon of bicarb in the bath.

Oh yes, heard the bicarb one...

They are probably not contagious after day 5 so Lizs is right about nursery.

Thanks everyone, have made a mad dash to the shops and chemist. I am stocked up and ready with the oven mits and duct tape in case the itching becomes tooo much!!
Glitterygook, my sympathies, this is horrific, just looking at him makes me itchy!

He can go back to nursery once all the spots have scabbed over - for some that's only 5 or 6 days but for others it can be much longer. My DS came out in spots on a Monday and was back at nursery the following Monday. Another girl who came out in spots the same day still had a few fresh spots the following Monday and didn't go back until Wed or Thurs.

Calamine cream is better and easier to apply than calamine lotion and personally I didn't find the Piriton helped much. Aveeno oatmeal bath oil is good too. I would give DS a bath with Aveeno in the morning then cover him from head to toe in Calamine cream and he would be pretty comfortable for a few hours. Days 3-4 were the worst because he was feverish as well and needed lots of Calpol. Friend's DD ended up in hospital with cellulitis but that is VERY, VERY rare!

Little pot of calamine lotion and a paintbrush to dab the stuff on her spots kept DD quiet for ages when she had it. Aloe vera gel was good too, specially if kept in the fridge. Good luck!