Chickenpox does the 2nd child get a worse dose?

[JammyGeorge]

Ds1 (5) came out in spots on Wed he is covered head to toe (literally hundreds of spots) and didn't move from the sofa for 3 days, he's not suffering with the fever too badly but the spots are really bothering him and he's hardly slept. He's much brighter today, most spots scabbed over and drying out nicely so all good.

Dr Google tells me that Ds2 (2) is going to catch it but my googling has also revealed that he may get a worse dose than ds1 as he's been exposed to more germs rather than a passing breath at school etc.

Now I'm struggling to imagine how this awful illness could be any worse and am waiting with dread for it too start.

So what have been your experiences? Is there truth in the 2nd child being more ill? When my dniece caught it off dnephew she was much worse so my limited experience supports the theory

Mine was!
DC1 sailed through with just a few spots and a bit of discomfort.
DC2 had a terrible time, and was laid low for ages. Also picked up every bug going for at least 3 months after

Oh no, how many spots did they have? Ds1 has that many that you can't count them I got to a hundred on about half of his back then gave up he is literally covered.

He does suffer from eczema and has sensitive skin so maybe that's why it's so bad.

I keep looking at my adorable little ds2 toodling about thinking you have no idea what is about to hit you.

My DS got it at Easter this year. He had a fairly mild case and I was so worried for my DD (18mo at the time), but she never got it! She will get it at some point I suppose though. I hope your little one manages to escape (or gets it mildly).

I found that my youngest had many more spots, but was much less poorly IYSWIM. My eldest was a poorly mess, poor thing- she had spots in her mouth and couldn't eat/drink properly.
I thought it was that the younger you are, the less 'ill' you are?
Think my eldest had first.

You're giving me hope pop!

I've heard the younger the better as well so I'm hanging into that too.

It has been two weeks since my DC2 had a moderate case. I am waiting to see if DC1 will succumb but nothing yet. They share a bath and eat off each others plates so I will be surprised if he doesn't pick it up.

You do hear of cases where people have only one or two spots so maybe he had it first and we never realised.

Dc2 got them first here. He sailed through, then Dc1 got them and it was hideous, many more poxes and poxes in mouth and eyes, terrible fever then tonsillitis to add on top.

DS had it before we had the girls. He had it the worst. He was 20 months.

DD1 was 7, in fact she was ill for her birthday, I'm not sure which of the girls had it worse (DD2 was 3.5) but it was easier as you could reason with DD1 and she could explain how she felt.

I had 2 catch it at the same time, they were both at preschool when it was going round. They actually had it worse then my other 2 who caught it from them.

Dd1 had small amount of spots I day of feeling Ill, (before the spots came out) exactly 14 days later dd2,dd3,and ds all got them dd2 had loads and was very grumpy and itchy for couple of days, dd3 had not so many and she didn't even know she had them, ds (5 months at the time) had absolutely millions (even though I thought maybe he wouldn't get them I thought maybe he might have magic breast milk imunity!!) he didn't know he had them either bless him although they looked awful! They all scabbed over and disappeared amazingly quickly though for all of them.

So a mixed bag.

Just been chatting to my mum who has dropped the bombshell that she's not sure whether I had it as a child, she just can't remember - great.

I'm sure I have but have got any specific memories iyswim.

DC1 (almost 4) had spots all over him, although not many spots in total - they were quite spaced out. No fever, otherwise fine, just itchy.
DC2 (1) didn't get it at all, despite them sharing a bath before the spots appeared (the most infectious time), generally cuddling a lot and sharing toys (impossible to stop them!)

I reckon she must be naturally immune to it. DH has never caught it despite his DSis having it as a kid and being around our DC1 when he was infectious too - maybe he's passed that on to DC2?

4 children.
1st had only a few spots, 2nd had a fair few more, 3rd had many and the 4th was absolutely plastered in them.

Maybe there is some sort of immunity thing going on as even if I didn't have it as a child my 2 brothers did.

Certainly was the case for us. Dd1 had about 20 spots, not ill at all. DS looked like a smallpox victim. So bad were the spots on his face that I was getting dirty looks from old ladies on buses 6 weeks after he was fully recovered. One told me he shouldn't be out and about with measles! They took months to disappear completely.

I'm still waiting for dc2 to catch it he never got it after Dc1 and it's been round his class a million times since and he's never got it