# would this annoy you? chicken pox and siblings?



## marina294

DD1 goes to nursery 2 sessions a week last week i saw a mum drop her boy off with her older sister in tow covered in chicken pox telling the careworkers yes she has got them etc-this week there is now a sign on the door warning parents that a few children have had chicken pox. What annoys me is its so contagious before the rash comes out i would have personally kept the younger sibling off just in case. im dreading it as have a 7 month old and i remember my sister getting germanmeasles at the same age and it was awful to see her suffer. im just irritated this woman continued to bring her son in and its now going round the nursery:dohh:


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## tommyg

The younger sibling might already have had it or may never actually take it.


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## marina294

no he hadnt had it she didnt bring him yesterday when the sign went up


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## RachA

It wouldn't bother me at all. The likelyhood is the the younger sibling was already infected or else may not get it. You can't keep a child away from other for 7-10 days on the off chance they are already carrying it. 
The only time I would do so is if there were other children in the preschool whose immune systems are unable to take the infection.


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## special_kala

Wouldnt bother me at all.

When River had chickenpox I took the other kids out. Im not going to keep them indoors just incase.


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## jd83

Its frustrating when you know your kids are going to be exposed, but at the time that she brought him, he wasn't sick. She would have had no way of knowing if he was going to get it or not, and when that would be. Obviously once symptoms present, definitely should be kept home, but until then you can't just keep your kids home for a week on the off chance they "might" catch something from a sibling. Especially if the parents have to work. 

I had this happen last year with a stomach bug that went through our house. I caught it first, and I pretty much knew it was going to go through our house but had no idea how long it would take before they got sick. I couldn't take off work for a week waiting for them to get sick, and then the actual sick days too. It took them an entire week before they caught it. Then they were sick for 2-3 days. I kept them home the days they were sick, and then 24 hours after sickness gone. The other kids at the sitter caught it too, as they had been contagious before symptoms. I felt awful that others had caught it, but there just wasn't any way around it. i still had to work to support us, and just had no way of knowing if/when they'd get sick.


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## MrsButterfly

If I'd been in your position I'd probably secretly be annoyed too.

But to totally contradict myself if I was that mum, no way would I also keep him off "just in case". She's got an ill child to look after, I can't really blame her for taking the opportunity of putting one in childcare. 

If your child is gonna catch chickenpox it's gonna happen, I don't think she should be expected to have done different as much as I would have that moment of thinking "oh great, thanks...."


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## sparkle_1979

No you can't keep them home all the time just in case. I never got it as a child and still haven't so imagine if my mum kept me from school and nursery every time xx


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## kit10grl

If I kept D's home every time he has been around CP he would never missed over a month of nursery so far and he has never actually caught it yet. As far as taking the sick child with her to the nursery once the spots are scabbed over they aren't infectious anymore so the child might have been at that stage. Also not everyone has options on whether to take the whole troop with them. DH works all day if I need to go somewhere I have to take both as I have no babysitters who can help with things like that. Even if DD was sick I would need to take her with me to drop DS off at nursery


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## marina294

Thanks taking kids too school is new to me abd obviously not sure about illness protocol. Mrsbutterfly yyou are right it was more of an oh great moment to be honest just have to be careful as the kids nan has a weak immune system and she doesn't know if she has had it and due to it being infectious before the rash is hard to know if they have it. Thanks for your input x


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## Ice Cold Cube

My youngest came down with chicken pox 2.5 weeks ago. I still took my oldest to nursery as usual, but kept my youngest in the car when dropping the oldest off/picking him up and arranged for the staff to come out to the car to collect/return him. They were happy to do this. No way would I have taken Ella into a nursery setting or similar knowing she had chicken pox!

My son's been going to all his usual classes and groups for the past 2.5 weeks. Well he's finally come down with chicken pox this evening! Sorry, but we would all have gone nuts if we'd kept him in isolation for 2.5 weeks, waiting to see if he would come down with it too. He has, but he might not have! For most kids staying away from others for 2.5 weeks would be a massive challenge, but as my boy may have ASD/ADHD, it would have been a living nightmare!

Laura x


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## babyblog

marina294 said:


> DD1 goes to nursery 2 sessions a week last week i saw a mum drop her boy off with her older sister in tow covered in chicken pox telling the careworkers yes she has got them etc-this week there is now a sign on the door warning parents that a few children have had chicken pox. What annoys me is its so contagious before the rash comes out i would have personally kept the younger sibling off just in case. im dreading it as have a 7 month old and i remember my sister getting germanmeasles at the same age and it was awful to see her suffer. im just irritated this woman continued to bring her son in and its now going round the nursery:dohh:

No! You can't juts keep a sibling off who doesn't have it yet just 'in case'. The spots can take up to 21 days to appear, so you are actually suggesting a child stays off school for 3 weeks just in case they may get it! You'd soon have the education welfare knocking at your door. I know this is pre school but it's the same principle.


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## KayBea

ide still take the other child..


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## SarahBear

Does the UK not do a chickenpox vaccine? We opted out of the chickenpox vaccine, but I've seen a few posts that make it sound like the UK doesn't even have a vaccine for it. Is this the case or is it just really ineffective?


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## tommyg

SarahBear said:


> Does the UK not do a chickenpox vaccine? We opted out of the chickenpox vaccine, but I've seen a few posts that make it sound like the UK doesn't even have a vaccine for it. Is this the case or is it just really ineffective?

Chicken pox isn't among the vaccines offered.
Probably for the same reasons you opted not to have your child immunized against it the NHS doesn't see it as cost effective to offer it.
I taking Chicken pox generally provides life long immuneity to it where the vaccine doesn't. Chicken pox in adult can be more serious than in kids.
Which in turn means the vaccine could end up costing more money than it saves.


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## kit10grl

tommyg said:


> SarahBear said:
> 
> 
> Does the UK not do a chickenpox vaccine? We opted out of the chickenpox vaccine, but I've seen a few posts that make it sound like the UK doesn't even have a vaccine for it. Is this the case or is it just really ineffective?
> 
> Chicken pox isn't among the vaccines offered.
> Probably for the same reasons you opted not to have your child immunized against it the NHS doesn't see it as cost effective to offer it.
> I taking Chicken pox generally provides life long immuneity to it where the vaccine doesn't. Chicken pox in adult can be more serious than in kids.
> Which in turn means the vaccine could end up costing more money than it saves.Click to expand...

We do have it, but as PP said its not routinely offered. We are in debate right now about getting it as we have only recently been given the go ahead for any live vaccines. We are starting with the MMR but im still to scared to book it. The disease itself would be much worse for DD but even if its a mild case caught from a vaccine she could still get seriously ill so im having doubts about it. But as its given in so few cases i didnt even know it existed until recently


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## Louppey

No way I would not take my child to pre school because a sibling has chicken pox. It has 3 week incubation period. That plus the chicken pox itself you'd be keeping them off for a month! I can't afford that :wacko: I'd just chuck away almost £200. 

Kids will sadly get chicken pox. We just had it, my eldest first and youngest 2 weeks later. The younger they get it the better, Alyssa was way easier to deal with. Alyssa doesn't go to pre school yet but I would've sent her regardless.


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## Louppey

Oh and chicken pox and German measles are two totally different things so don't stress about that. I've had both, my mum honestly thought I was dying when I had measles. Chicken pox was a walk in the park in comparison.


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## Tasha

I always found it really hard to balance as I didnt want the chicken pox kid to come in contact with any one it could harm but at the same time my oldest got it, exactly two weeks after that (just as he went back to school) my middle one got it and exactly two weeks after that my youngest got it. I couldnt of kept them off for six weeks x


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## tommyg

Louppey said:


> Oh and chicken pox and German measles are two totally different things so don't stress about that. I've had both, my mum honestly thought I was dying when I had measles. Chicken pox was a walk in the park in comparison.

German measles aka rubella is different to measles. Measles can be deadly, rubella not so but it can cause birth defects if a pregnant woman gets it. 
In the days pre MMR measles jag was given to all infants, rubella was only given to 11 yo girls.


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## leahtaba

I wouldnt be annoyed about her sending her LO in... I would however be annoyed if she brought the sick child covered in pox into the nursery! That's just totally unnecessary! X


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## kit10grl

And if she is a single parent with no support where do you suggest she leaves the sick child? Also as said earlier once the pox are all up and scabbed over the childs no longer infectious. Depending on the number of pox or the childs skin tone etc the marks can take a long time to clear up but other than being unsightly there is nothing wrong with them


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## marina294

thank you for the input it was more of an 'oh great' moment especially as just had an awful month with a really bad colds and coughs and ear infection and conjunctivitus between the two -so sleep has been thin on the ground lately i was having a grumble and was just irritated also i wasnt aware that the incubation period was so long either . but to add yes you cant just leave your child but she did bring her eldest into the nursery room when she could of waited outside. anyway what will be with be


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## Bernie

My DD1 got chicken pox 2 weeks ago. Last night undressed my DD2 and see spots on her and they are coming fast now in her ears bum and face every where. Shes not felt right for a few days which triggered a reoccurance of another water infection which has now cleared up thankfully. When DD1 had it i had to take her with me thought to drop DD2 to nursery as i had no one at home to look after her had no choice. Best to get it all out of the way with anyway they pick so much up when they are at school.


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## TryinFor1

Wouldn't bother me. My mom shoved me into a room full of kids with chickenpox so I would get them. You get it once, it itches, and its over. DS won't be getting the vaccine so he will probably get them at some point in time in his childhood. I would rather just get it over with so they develop the immunity to it

Eta, it actually would annoy me but I wouldn't hold lo home just because of that.


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## wannabemomy37

I'd want my kids to be exposed to CP as it's much easier to deal with a child having it than going your whole childhood not having it and end up with the possibility of shingles as an adult, which is much worse and dangerous.

The older girl seemed to already show signs of CP which means she was not contagious. Yes, her brother might have been, but no point in keeping him home until he gets it, and then once he gets it as well. 

welcome to life at daycare, unfortunately!


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## MrsPear

As others have said you can't keep them off, but like you say, I'd probably have an, "Oh yeah great" moment too...everytime nursery has a notice about whatever contagious illness is going round at the time (HFM, measles, that sort of thing) I do get a sinking feeling! I feel like maybe they should just let Joni in everyone else should stop at home so I can still go to work but she won't get anything passed to her!! Obviously that would be crazy but it's never convenient for you child to get sick.


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