Chicken pox in siblings

[Limpetsmum]

Hi
My oldest child got chicken pox recently - came out in spots 10 days ago. Crusted and better now. My youngest child started with temperatures three days ago for two days. I was expecting spots or a continuing temperature but nothing today.
My question - how long did it take for spots to come up between one child getting chicken pox and another one getting it? I basically don't know if my little one is harbouring chicken pox and is contagious. Thanks for any advise.

12-14 days, mine weren't ill at all before spots appeared (or after sometimes, either).

Incubation is 2-3 weeks I think, and they are infectious 1-4 days before spots. So the maximum time between them starting is probably a couple of weeks if one sibling infected the other. They can get the temperature a few days before the spots. So I guess you'll know for sure in the next day or so.

But you still won't know if she's harbouring it from an exposure on a different timescale to someone else; its rife where I live at the moment

Exactly 14 days for dd2 then dd3's spots appeared the next day. None of my dcs were poorly before the spots appeared

Thanks for that.
Next bit of advise now please.......
I've kept my kids in quarantine for 12 days now. Do you think given that oldest is clear and youngest has no spots, is it acceptable to socialise / play with other kids?

14 days exactly

dd1 to dd2 - 14 days exactly then several years later, dd3 to ds (#4) - 14 days exactly

I didn't keep the uninfected one away from other kids before they came out in spots, but it wasn't Christmas time. In your case I'd hang on with the quarantine thing. I bet the spots come out in the next few days and they're v infectious just before I think :(

Exactly 14 days

Oh no! What bad timing and such a shame for your dc's to miss out on all the Christmas fun! The older one won't be infectious so could they be taken somewhere without the younger one? Also it depends on who you are socialising with other kids may have already had it could arrange a playdate with someone you know has had it already?

I think it's fine to tell other parents it might be about to come out and let them choose whether to play, yes. And I wouldn't worry about the past few weeks because not usually infectious until the day before & you can't tell when that would be, anyway. (It's not Ebola...)

Almost every parent I meet IRL is pretty relaxed about CP. They get it they get it, they don't they don't. They have to get it some time so don't worry about it. Kind of pretty opposite to MN.

Sure enough, 14 days later the little one has come out in spots. Thankfully not unwell (yet!) with it.

Well mine were really spaced out. At least 3 weeks after DD2 started it, dd2 got it. 3 weeks later DS1 got them, but Dd3 who was about 8 months old never contracted them at all.