Should I try and get my kids chicken pox?

[Fairycat]

Nope, never for us. First I have never had Chicken Pox myself and never got the vaccine or would. So far I have naturally avoided CP and can't get Shingles, I hope DS has a natural immunity, otherwise I will just see what happens. Varaciella is not vaccinated against here at all though.

[isabelsmummy]

I had chicken pox at 18mos and but apparently that wasn't enough to make me immune and I got a totally hellish case of it at 15 because we thought I was immune and went to visit a friend with it.

I could never intentionally expose my kids to something with the goal of making them sick, even if it was maybe for their own good. Chicken pox goes around here pretty regularly.

[Green Decals]

Yup, do it and do it now. After 1 year is ideal, and the younger the better and more mild the case, typically. Suppress their immune system just before or during exposure (swapping lollipops works great, Yummy Earth brand is dye-free) and then do immune support starting 1-2 days after exposure (Echinacea). There are now 2 strains of the pox - the "original" and a mutated strain, so you can theoretically get them twice, though the second round is typically milder. My youngest was 18 months when he got them, dead of winter, piece of cake - he was COVERED but they didn't bother him at all. My oldest was exposed at 19 months, didn't get them but later showed a positive titer, then got them when his brother had them. He was 4 at the time and had a dozen or so, and has 1 scar from it. NO. BIG. DEAL. We will continue to expose them every chance we get!

[AZmommy]

Originally Posted by NotLad I wouldn't intentionally expose my kids. I would never forgive myself if there were a complication. And the scars? My sister still has scars on her face twenty years later.

this I got chicken pot naturally as a toddler but didn't develop a complete immunity to it ended up with horrible complications and still suffer from shingle outbreaks today.

[MamaWillow]

Well I guess I decided not to do it. It's too late now, we've kind of missed the contagious window. I just couldn't decide. I totally see both sides, but I was just torn.

[Newton]

I know you've made your decision but I would never expose my DD. I had complications from chicken pox and had viral pneumonia, had to be in a monitored bed in hospital for a week and lost a ton of time in school. Not common, but I couldn't be responsible for causing that for my kid or accidentally exposing other people while in the incubation period

[Dmpmercury]

Not common, but I couldn't be responsible for causing that for my kid or accidentally exposing other people while in the incubation period

That is a good point. The incubation period for chicken pox is long and you can be potentially exposing a lot of people during that time. If you expose a child to chicken pox it is the responsible thing to do to quarantine so people who do not want to be exposed to the disease are not. The incubation period for chicken pox is 14-16 days.

[MamaWillow]

Yeah, I just started thinking about how awful I would feel if they got really super sick. When I was a kid, my neighbors got chicken pox and their middle child was around 2 (I can't remember exactly, since I was probably 7 or 8). But I'm pretty sure she got meningitis IIRC, and she was really messed up for a while. In fact, I think she had some permanent damage and some learning disabilities from it. Scary. I know that it's rare for something like that to happen, but you never know.

[DalesWidda]

Originally Posted by AZmommy this I got chicken pot naturally as a toddler but didn't develop a complete immunity to it ended up with horrible complications and still suffer from shingle outbreaks today.

Yup. I had it twice; once as a small child and then again at around eleven or so. I have had shingles twice.

[steph410]

Here is some info copied from a hospital's website re: chickenpox:
http://www.chop.edu/service/parents-...icken-pox.html

Typically, children with chickenpox experience an itchy rash of 250 to 500 blisters beginning on the chest and face and spreading over the entire body. They may be tired, feverish, and have a headache. Some children may experience vomiting or diarrhea. The illness usually lasts about five to 10 days.
Of 1,000 people with chickenpox:
About 100 will require medical attention
About two will be hospitalized
About 50 will suffer from infected blisters; in some cases the bacterial infection is caused by group A streptococcus (GAS). When GAS enters the bloodstream, it can lead to a mild infection or, less commonly, a more severe situation such as necrotizing fasciitis, also known as "flesh-eating bacteria," or streptococcal toxic shock syndrome (STSS). Necrotizing fasciitis destroys muscles, fat, and skin tissue. STSS causes a rapid drop in blood pressure and organ failure. About 1,500 people die from GAS in the U.S. every year; some of these as a complication from chickenpox.
Other complications from chickenpox can include dehydration from vomiting or diarrhea, pneumonia, or swelling of the brain (known as encephalitis).
Before the vaccine about 50 children died each year from chickenpox infection or its complications; many of these were previously healthy children.