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

I use piriton and calamine lotion

Draw some spots on yourself in solidarity

Cotton balls soaked in calamine from the fridge

lemon balm ointment, baths made with oats in a stocking, and hot water running through it, then use as a pad to wash down

I always kept the chicken pox oitment in the fridge so when i applied it to my kiddies body it was nice relief and eased the itching they said

Mine had spots on spots ! One couldn't bare to see the effects of the virus but was ok when painted head to toe in calamine lotion -looking like a zombie was preferable to actually seeing the spots and scabs! The other hated the look and feel or calamine and so was painted head to toe in PoxClin and said it felt amazing ! They both had piriton to stop the itching and they have maybe one or two scars on backs from rubbing in bed . So on balance as they were ill at the same time it depends on the child! But I preferred poxclin as its not messy or smelly and very moisturising!

Vaccination! Seriously children do not have to get chicken pox anymore!

Children’s piriton is excellent for stopping scratching.

We found calamine lotion to drying so took lots of cool oat baths and the children applied their own virasoothe with a cotton bud dot to dot stylee!

1.Oat baths. Fill a stocking with a cup full of plain oats and then tie it under the tap so the warm water runs though it making the bath cloudy.
Make sure the bath is not to hot. Let them soak for as long as you need.
Pat them dry and apply calamine gel NOT CALAMINE LOTION! Calamine lotion drys out and makes them itch. Poxclin is great for calming the itch.
When they come out of the bath dress them in cotton underwear.

1. If there is only a few spots left and you are waiting for them to crust over, make a paste with water and baking soda. Apply to the remaining spots and leave for about an hour. If they cause too much itching wipe off. Do this before the oat bath.

Would have loved a product like this when my DS had it. We used Calpol and cool baths followed by calamine lotion at night, and distraction tactics during the day.

Depends in severity

With my son - we just left completely alone as so mild

With my daughter, warm baths and pain relief and cuddles

we used piriton, calamine lotion and slices of cucumber on itchy places when my children had chicken pox. The calamine lotion was messy but seemed to help withe the itchiness. The worse thing was when the children had all recovered and i got shingles in my hair which was very itchy

Keeping the scabs moist worked for us- I used a gentle lotion, kept in the fridge. It was as the scabs dried that the itching and scratching started. Luckily DS2 had it second and worst, so I'd had some practice with DS1!

Distraction was the key for us.... my youngest came out in chicken pox a few days into our self isolation so luckily we were all at home! We watched films, painted, did lots of activities so he didn’t have time to notice his spots. We did notice that some tighter fitting tops rubbed on his spots so we just used looser fitting tops on him after that.

cool bath in bicarb to dry them out and a cool bed and something new to distract them.

Calamine lotion and cool baths. My DD was very young when she had chicken pox, and we spent a lot of time in the bathroom playing with different toys in the bath to help calm her itchy skin.

Bicarb in the bath too for us, this really seemed to help. High level distraction all the way also although that's hard to keep up.

Cool baths and calamine cream (much less drying than the lotion) worked for us.

Calamine lotion. And hugs.

Piriton for relief. Holding a heat wrap tightly on the itchiest bits means they can't scratch them!

Calamine lotion is too drying it is better to use a water based gel on the spots. Older antihistamines to help itching and sleep, plus paracetamol for the fever.

The best thing that helped our daughter was oats in a tied muslin run under the running bath water to create an oat bath.

She had an extremely bad case and had over 200 spots - she was literally covered from head to toe. Friends said it was the worst case they had ever seen. We tried all kinds of remedies but she wouldn't let us put anything on her skin - the only thing that seemed to make her more comfortable was sitting in a shallow oat bath.

When our son had them he didn't suffer as badly and the best thing we used was Poxyclin which a friend gave us after her daughter had the pox a while before. That worked a treat for him.

After a warm bath I dabbed Calamine lotion on their bodies then I put them in cotton pants + cotton PJs making sure they was not to tight. Cotton helps keeps the body cool I also kept telling them to try not to scratch or they will be scarred.