Back to Nursery after Chickenpox

[ladybouf]

The nursery told me I could take my sons back once all the spots were dried up. DS1 did this very promptly and was back on Day 7. DS2 will be Day 7 tomorrow and all his face and torso are completely dried up. But unlike DS1 he's still in nappies and his whole nappy area still has a way to go. Is he still infectious or is it okay to send him back - he's been totally fine in himself since Sunday.

anyone?

If his nappy area hasn't yet dried up, then the nursery won't want him back. As to whether he's infectious, you are only REALLY infectious before you get any spots and rapidly become less infectious as time goes on, so you'd have to be unbelievably unlucky to get chickenpox off him now he's not getting any new spots, feels completely better and is just waiting for the remaining pustules to turn into scabs. Doesn't stop it being a technical possibility he could pass chickenpox on, though, so I doubt you'll get a delighted response from the nursery if you take him back now and they have to change his nappy at any point...

I suggest you keep him at home for a day longer and try to leave his nappy off him as much as possible, to encourage everything to dry out. They probably only need another day - my elder son's took 8 or 9 days to all turn into scabs (the younger one had it less badly and his had dried out by day 6 or 7).