Please or to access all these features

Add post

Watch this thread

Save thread

Start a new thread

Flip thread

Hide thread

My feed

Active Unanswered threads

Getting started FAQ's

Unanswered threads Acronyms Talk guidelines

Hide shortcut buttons

Talk

General health

Mumsnet doesn't verify the qualifications of users. If you have medical concerns, please consult a healthcare professional.

Flip

Original poster

Chicken pox parties - are these really A Bad Thing?

19 replies

stillstanding · 30/06/2009 16:51

My siblings and I were duly trotted off to one when we were little.

And I thought that was advisable for your children (especially daughters) to get chicken pox while they were relatively young as it is more dangerous when they are older ...

Am I completely clueless?

OP posts:

Northernlurker · 30/06/2009 16:53

Who has said it's a bad thing? Chicken pox is very prevalent, it's near on impossible to avoid and in a healthy child catching it young is definately better. Party on!

TsarChasm · 30/06/2009 16:55

Well I wouldn't send dc anywhere to deliberately catch something. Ever. But each to their own I guess.

Original poster

stillstanding · 30/06/2009 17:01

Northernlurker, in threads relating to swine flu parties there have been references to chicken pox parties and it seemed to me from those that the former were considered as bad an idea as the latter.

But as I said in my OP I had thought that it was a good thing for young children to cp early to get immunity.

DS hasn't had it but I had planned to try to expose him to it at some time or other and am now trying to work out if that is a crazy outdated scheme ....

OP posts:

Northernlurker · 30/06/2009 17:10

Chicken pox is so contagious before the spots come out that sending your child to nursery or playgroup in the spring is just about like sending them to a party! Dd3 hasn't got it yet but i'm wondering if that's because she's still breastfed and has enough immunity from me? Dd1 was 3 when she caught it but my friends son got to 5 before he got it. If they don't get it pre-school they nearly always get it at school. The difference is that chicken pox is always around in the community and swine flu isn't - it's a new outbreak of a virus that a large majority of the population don't have immunity to. Very differnt from chicken pox.

Blondeshavemorefun · 30/06/2009 20:48

with ex dc i tried so hard for them to get the pox as mb wanted them to have it young

we went to many cp partys and somehow avoided it over 10times, even when nursery came out in it 4 times - we even did lots of sloppery kisses and shared cups etc - but never caught it

we went to 3yr party, and was a bit grumpy, that night mb rang me and told me dc had the pox

we also managed to give it to every child at that party who hadnt had the pox

but we still have no idea who gave it to my ex dc in the 1st place

i think it is good for children to get cp early on

trying to get dc at moment to get it, again have gone to pox partys, yet not got it

snickersnack · 30/06/2009 20:53

I wouldn't put my children deliberately in the path of chicken pox, it can be very nasty, and if I'd deliberately exposed them and they had complications I'd never forgive myself. But I haven't stressed unduly if they are in contact with it - it's more or less inevitable at some point. As Nothernlurker says, it's most contagious before you know they have it, so if you send your dcs to school when there's an epidemic, they are pretty much guaranteed to catch it, so what are you meant to do?

You can't guarantee when they'll get it. dd has been exposed many many times - she caught it a couple of weeks ago.

Sods law says they'll get it at the most inconvenient time possible

BalloonSlayer · 30/06/2009 21:31

My friend's DS nearly died of chicken pox and while I know that this is incredibly rare, I will never expose any of my DCs to it on purpose. Nor would I bring DS1 and DD round to a friend's so her daughter could catch it - couldn't live with the potential (but to me, very real) serious consequences.

Feelingoptimistic · 30/06/2009 22:00

I can remember having CP when I was about 4 or 5, and it wasn't nice (I was completely covered in spots). So 3 year old DD had the CP vaccination a few weeks ago. So now I don't have to panic every time I see someone who looks a bit spotty !!!

Original poster

stillstanding · 01/07/2009 10:31

I didn't know there was such a thing as a cp vaccination. Clearly I do need to look into this more closely ...

OP posts:

SarahL2 · 01/07/2009 10:51

My DH had the CP vaccination a few months ago cause he's 32 and has never had it. Now we have DS and DC2 on the way, he was more likely to come into contact with it and wanted to avoid it - it cost £75!!!

Started another thread on pretty much this subject before I noticed this one (sorry ) but my situation is a bit different as I am 14 weeks pregnant...

Original poster

stillstanding · 01/07/2009 10:57

I can understand you wanting to avoid it when you are pregnant, Sarah - seems like an unnecessary risk albeit a small one with your immunity. Best of luck with your pregnancy!

OP posts:

SarahL2 · 01/07/2009 11:04

I've had my immunity checked stillstanding and know for sure that I am immune. From what I've read, my immunity would protect unborn DC2. I'm really worried about how I'd cope if DS got it just after DC2 is born though...

Blondeshavemorefun · 01/07/2009 12:45

one of my friends charges had the cp vacine and still caught it, so it doesnt make you 100% immune from the pox, though the case was less severe

SarahL2 · 01/07/2009 13:21

I had it twice as a child. Even getting it for real doesn't mean you are immune it seems!

tink123 · 01/07/2009 14:19

My husband almost died of cp two years ago, ended up with a temp of 41.5 for 24 hrs and it would not come down. He ended up with multi organ failure in ITU, as the spots infected his organs. Luckily due to excellent and prompt medical care he came through it. I would not take my daughter to a cp party but would pay for the vaccine

Original poster

stillstanding · 01/07/2009 19:20

Tink, it is precisely those kinds of stories that make me want to ensure that DS is immune. Apparently it can often be very serious in adults.

OP posts:

snickersnack · 01/07/2009 21:28

My worry about the vaccine (and the reason I decided not to give it to the dcs) is that no-one quite knows whether it confers life long immunity. At the moment, the advice is that it may decline over time, meaning that at some point in the future you won't be protected. Fine if I'm around in 25 years to nag them to get re-immunised, but not if I'm not and they forget.

saintmaybe · 01/07/2009 21:57

Isn't that why it's a serious adult disease in Australia; because children have the vaccine, which then wears off? Or did I dream that?

Feelingoptimistic · 01/07/2009 22:01

Yes, there are mixed views about the vaccine - and yes, there is still a chance of getting it anyway, although the symptoms are then usually very mild.
I decided that it was best for my DD, but it's a very personal decision (like a lot of medical decisions...)

Flip