Mumsnet users share their tips for helping their child through chickenpox with PoxClin

[JustineBMumsnet]

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It may not be front of mind for many parents right now, but chickenpox is an illness most children will get, making it almost a rite of passage. Despite this, having a child who doesn’t feel well - whether that’s with chickenpox or anything else - can be something that’s difficult to deal with. With children at home (along with almost everyone else at the moment) and feeling restless, as well as parents feeling stressed from juggling work and unexpected childcare, it can make the situation even more challenging. With that in mind, PoxClin Cool Mousse would like to hear your tips for helping your child and the family cope with chickenpox.

Here’s what PoxClin Cool Mousse has to say: “It is natural for parents to feel concerned about itching and scarring, in fact, 46% of parents say that stopping children from scratching is the most important thing for them when their child has chickenpox and 34% also worry about longer-term effects like scarring. It’s at times like this that support and advice from other parents can be invaluable. So, if you have some amazing parenting “hacks” to share, we want to hear from you!”

Do you have tips for helping to relieve their itching and scratching? Perhaps you have practical tips for keeping their mind off of it and making them feel cared for? Maybe you’ve picked up tips for helping your child when they have been poorly with something else that could be just as helpful if they came down with chickenpox?

Whatever your tips for dealing with chickenpox, share with PoxClin Cool Mousse below to be entered into a prize draw where one MNer will win a £300 voucher for the store of their choice (from a list).

Thanks and good luck!

MNHQ

Insight Terms and Conditions apply

Calamine lotion and ice on really irritated areas helped a lot.

A few drops of lavender oil in the bath is great it soothes and helps heal and also great to help them sleep before bedtime.

Keep them cool, distracted, lots of attention and calamine. Mine were never really poorly with it.

My son has had the vaccine. However, I can still remember how this felt and what worked for me when I had it. I still have the scars to prove it! I would say anything cooling - calamine lotion and oat baths. Anti histamines

Discovered Poxclin with my second child when they had chicken pox and it was a god send. I recommend it to everyone! As well as this I'm a big believer in an oat bath it seems to sooth their skin brilliantly

Just keeping him distracted, it was actually really rainy, so we went for lots of walks round woods and getting absolutely covered in mud, which he most definitely found distracting.

We failed with DD who bears a scar. But camomile and oat baths and lots of trying to copy her fingers with other stuff was the most we could do.

My DC have just had the chickenpox. I didn't find they were itching too much so was very lucky. But they were both very miserable with it, and one of them got an infected spot which needed extra cream. Calpol and piriton seemed to work otherwise.

Luckily my daughter didn't have them too badly. However, we found keeping her cool and occupied helped lots. Having things to with her hands..ie holding something while watching a film or making crafts...so she didn't scratch subconsciously.

Get your child vaccinated and save all the bother. It’s routine in lots of other countries. First dose at age 1.

Mine had it at ages 3 and 1, the one year old had it super mildly, the three-year-old not too badly. I gave the older one Piriton but it made him sleep walk and have night terrors (it is one of the listed side effects - apparently I reacted badly to Piriton as a child too).

We just used poxclin, it was great! Was quite expensive but one bottle saw two kids through it and no scars.

Use Poxclin (or a similar mousse if you prefer). Everyone advised me to use calamine and I did at first but when I switched to Poxclin I nearly cried with relief: no mess, no leaking liquid, no toddler wiping calamine everywhere, no miserable child covered in drying goo. I'm not sponsored by them, it's just genuinely a great product.

Calamine lotion in a spray bottle, really helped and made it easier than actually putting it on by hand.

calamine and knowing that it will be gone in a few days

Vaccination

Calamine cream not calamine lotion. It's less drying, less uncomfortable to the patient, and has the same effect.

Eurax cream was the best thing we discovered (thanks to mumsnet circa 2006 ) when eldest dd had chicken pox. Used it on the other 2 DC over the years as well.

The other great suggestion was porridge oat baths, really soothing and dd1 (17) still remembers rubbing the squidgy oatie tights all over her spots!

I have 5 DC who have all had chicken pox now, but it took me until the last one of them to realise that there were creams etc that you could use, rather than having to dab lotion on individual spots with cotton wool 🤦‍♀️. Mousse sounds great! DS was 6 months old when he got it. I picked a spot right between his eyes and it left a mark, but I figured by the time his little baby head grew and the skin stretched out, the mark would be unnoticeable. Er, no. It just grew with him and now at 13, it is still very, very noticeable. bad mummy

We did lots of oat baths and as much calamine as possible. My dd has it so bad and was pretty much covered head to toe. Knowing what I know now I would absolutely have the vaccination for any children that haven't had it yet.

I think oatmeal baths helped. Chicken pox is awful!

Lots of cool oat baths and plenty of treats. Ice cream the works!

My youngest hasn’t had the pox yet but when my son had it he was covered from head to toe so he had numerous cool baths a day and covered in cram to stop the itch

My little boy came out in spots the day after his little brother was born and over the course of 4 weeks all 3 of my sons ranging from 2 weeks old to 4 years old caught chicken pox. This mousse was an absolute lifesaver! I put it in the fridge so it was extra cold and gave them regular antihistamines and they were all much happier within a few days.

We did this x3 and antihistamines with camomile lotion was our go to. Seemed to work but I think it's different for different children, sometimes dependent on their age