Chicken pox around baby

[whatamidoinggg]

Family have been exposed to chicken pox virus last week (lived in same address as someone with chicken pox). We have a 13 week old baby and now this family want to visit us. I don't feel comfortable with this. The incubation period in adults seems to be 21 days so I don't want anything passed onto the baby. They could be asymptomatic/carriers - I think two of them are yet to have chickenpox. Would you do the same? I'd rather be safe than sorry

I'd ask them to wait. That would be too big a risk for me.

If they've had chicken pox then fine. If they've not then absolutely not. In my experience incubation period is at least 14 days. My two eldest daughters popped them up 14 days after exposure. 3rd dd only had them recently. She had been exposed a number of times and eventually broke out. I wouldn't risk it with a newborn.. its an awful disease. And with a newborn they can't tell you what they need to help.

Thanks both. I'm not 100% on whether they have had chicken pox and I know they've previously said they haven't. I wouldn't put it passed them to say they have had it just to see the baby, selfishly. I think we'll ere on the side of caution for the baby's sake, not worth the risk at all 💛

Please don't take the risk. My baby caught it at 6 months and she was very poorly.

I would not take the risk.

My then 10wk old baby caught chicken pox from a family member. It was a child that was hardly near the baby and they weren't aware until the next day. 10days later baby came out in spots.

Honestly it's not worth the risk! The GP was astounded, said he had never seen it in baby that was so young and it can be dangerous. He had to call the hospital for advice as he said she might have to go in and get treatment. They decided that I was only to take her if she got a high temperature. She actually was ok didn't seem that unwell at all with it but my 2 1/2 yr old was when she came out in then a few days later.

Both my DD caught chicken pox from older siblings at a similar age to your baby. They still had their immunity from me and had very few spots and without those spots we would not have known they had it. It can be a mild disease
If those adults have already had chicken pox then I would think they pose very little risk to your DC.

I wouldn't want a baby to catch it, but all mine has it by 5 years. There isn't a general use vaccination. I always kept calamine cream (not lotion, which is drying) in the house for mine, and took great care to avoid it when I was pregnant.

www.nhs.uk/conditions/chickenpox/

@marmaladeandpeanutbutter Eh? There is a vaccine. It's just not available on the NHS. My son is inoculated against chicken pox.

I wouldn't risk it, they can just wait a couple of weeks. My youngest caught chicken pox off his brother at 3 weeks old, he was in hospital with severe bronchiolitis at the time and then came out in a couple of pox exactly 2 weeks from his brother got them!