Chickenpox

[DisgruntledPelican]

So 16mo DS has woken up covered in pox spots. Slightly expected following a text from nursery yesterday evening that there was an outbreak.

I have seen many threads over the years on mumsnet about how infectious this is - Saturday’s park meet-up with friends has been cancelled 😔 and we’ll keep well clear of our pregnant next door neighbour, but can we still go for a walk? Can we go to a quiet playground? The swings and play park nearest the house is only busy on weekends and after school, but is it just a no-no at any time? No idea what the infection protocol is...

Nursery recommended getting a GP appointment for him but there are none left for today. DP is being dispatched to the pharmacy for advice and medication. Any other tips?

You're really supposed to stay until.the spots have crusted over which is normally about 5 days after they come out. It is very contagious. I doubt the GP would want to see you tbh. There are various creams you can use and you can also give piriton syrup to help ease any itching

We only went to the GP because my ds got one on his eye. Otherwise they ask you to stay away because they have to keep you separate from other patients to avoid infection etc. But nowadays they keep everyone separate anyway. We found virasoothe worked very well for both my kids as it has a cooling effect on the spots. Regarding going out, when you look into opinions it’s a bit like covid. Some people feel that going to an open space where you interact with no one is fine while others feel that if you set a toe outside you are a terrible person. Good luck, hope your ds has an ok time of it.

No you can’t go to a playground.

Don’t give nurofen but you can give calpol. Virasooth is good and I think come in a spray. Oat baths are good for the itchy and will fill in some time. Fill a sock with socks and tie and pop in the bath when it is running and wash your toddler with the oat filled sock. Ice lollies are good if they have sore throats. Don’t worry if they aren’t hungry but encourage lots of drink.

I imagine your GP definitely won’t want to see you as they won’t want their vulnerable patients to be exposed to it.

Going for a walk is fine. I wouldn't go to even a quiet playground or meet up with anyone. I did have to take mine to the supermarket. Dh was on a work trip and we had no food as due the shop when they started, so I couldn't just not have food for a week. But was very careful to keep her away from every in the trolley and sterilised it when I was done.

No reason to get a GP appointment. I don't think they'd give you one in normal times, certainly not now. There's nothing they can do anyway.

I had to take my dd hospital because they were so bad and actually the hospital said you can give nurofen as it was a myth that you can't

Im sure the Nhs site says don't give ibuprofen with chicken pox. It can cause adverse skin reactions

Nhs advice

Don't give ibuprofen, ours have ended up with some deep scaring because of it.
Aqueous cream with calamine is awesome, Lloyd's pharmacy sell it.
Going for a walk will be fine but staying at a playground is probably best avoided for a while. No need to see the GP unless your lo is very unwell with it and you're struggling to keep any temp down.