Chicken POX... 17 Month

I would let him get it, but then I would take him to the pediatrician for some Acyclovir to reduce the symptoms. Chicken pox can be especially bothersome for kids in diapers as you can imagine! My daughter caught them in kindergarten, and then my 18 mo old son had them 2 weeks later. The diaper area was rough on him. I thought he was too young for an antiviral medication, but now I wish I'd gotten it for him.

My kids got the Chicken Pox while I was researching to find out if I wanted them to have the vaccine or not.
A friend of mine rushed over with a pair if fresh nylons and a giant carton of oatmeal. Take a cup or so of oatmeal put it in the nylons and make little oatmeal balls. The warm water of the bath softens the oatmeal and a soothing liquid seeps through the nylon leaving all the oats in tact so they won't clog the drain. The kids loved playing with them and it made the best oatmeal baths ever. It was much more effective than the Aveeno baths and economical!

Chicken pox was a sort of "right of passage" in my day. Once they came out with the vaccine, people started thinking that it was some horrible thing. It really isnt that bad. Now is a great time for your son to go thru this. At this age, it will pass easier and you can control the situation much better. I can guarantee that he won't remember having the chicken pox IF he happens to get them. The truth is, the vaccination only covers you for a few years. It is better for children to actually get the chicken pox than for them to have the vaccine. As an adult,(and I stress ONLY as an adult) chicken pox can be severe and can cause hospitalization and worse. Children are extremely resiliant and they all bounce back from this one easily. My advice to you, don't worry. If it happens, epsom salt baths will help dry it up a little. Aveno oatmeal baths will help with the itching, and stock up on calamine lotion. It will pass within a week or so. Good luck and no worries!

There really isn't anything you can do, but I wouldn't worry about it. Recently I had a friend that just went through two bouts of chicken pox and they were vaccinated for it. lol. (We don't vaccinate, but I will let my children get exposed to it. It's much better when they are younger.) Granted, me myself personally, would rather a child get it once they can communicate what's itching, etc., but just get yourself stocked up on what items will help him be as comfortable as he can be, IF he gets it. There is no guarantee that he will even get it.

Hi S.,
I wouldn't worry about this one at all. My views are different than some others but I have over a decade of research on vaccinations so I'll give you my advice and hopefully it will help. Chickenpox is one that once the symptoms appear (spots) then the chance of her passing it on to anyone is slim. Your son is still young and this is a great time for him to get this (even though he might not get them from your niece). My child had chickenpox at 24 months and it was extremely mild. She barely knew anything different was going on! It is much better in the long run for them to get this virus when they are young. The vaccine is a joke in my opinion, it was created as more of a convience factor for parents than it was for the health of the child. What they are finding now is that as the child grows up and then gets this disease at 30yrs old, it is now lifethreatning to them. I would much rather get it over with naturally now and he will have livelong immunity to it. My daughters only lasted about a 1.5 weeks. So I would say enjoy your visit with your sister and don't do anything different. Best of luck!

If your child is over 12 months old, then he has been immunized against chicken pox, and has an extremely low liklihood of catching it.

The chicken pox vaccine is given at 1yr so if you are one who gets your child vaccinated then you are already protected. I, personally, am not a fan of vaccines and would allow my child to play with that child and honestly hope he does get the chicken pox so it is over with early in life. I had it when I was 14 and it was a very mild case & because it was so mild, I now have shingles (which is why the vaccine worries me - what if all these kids wind up with shingles as adults instead?)

The child will probably be over the contageous stage of the chicken pox by the time they get to you anyway.

C.
www.purelybalanced.com

Has he had the varicella vaccine? If so there shouldn't be to much of a problem. All 5 of my children have had the vaccine and only one has ever had the chicken pox. He case was extemely mild and consisted of about 10 pox.

I honestly wouldn't worry about it. The chicken pox vac isn't worth all the hype they gave it when it first came out and even if your child has had the vac, he can still get it. My daughter had the vaccine almost 4 yrs ago and now they say she needs a "booster" because now they know that it doesn't last very long once they get it!! I refused it. The chances that your child will have the worst case of Chicken pox is 1 in a million.

S.

Since I do not do vaccinations, I believe in the natural way. I say, go on and let your son get the chicken pox and get it over with. And, if and when he gets them, oatmeal baths and vitamin E (capsules, squeeze out the liquid) will be your best friend. Chances are, his immune system will be much stronger and able to ward off these crazy new bacterial infectious diseases - naturally.

I have one child who got the chicken pox the old fashioned way at 2 years old (before the days of vaccine) and one who got the vaccine...
if your child already got the shot (varicella/sp?) then he is good.. if not let them play and if he "catches" it it is the best way to go for immunity...
they are finding kids who get the vaccine young are catching chicken pox as teens or adults and are considering the need for a booster in high school(while chicken pox is usually mild as a child it can be deadly in adults)
If you or your spouse have not have chicken pox or the vaccine, that may be the bigger issue!
And other than the discomfort it really isnt that bad.. My son ran around in underwear covered in calamine lotion for a week and had a low grade fever for 3 or 4 days...but it wasnt all that bad... Dont worry, just enjoy the visit!!!

Hi,
I have read the other posts and agree. Just enjoy the time with your sister and niece, and deal with your little guy's bout with chicken pox in a week or two, if he gets it. It does take time for it to show up. I have a 9 year old I have actually been looking for a way to expose him to the chicken pox for a few years now, and just have not known anyone that had them. I would love for him to just get them and get it over with. As far as I know, they are contagious as long as there are open pox. Once they are scabbed over, they are no longer contagious. At least that is what I have been told. And I think the incubation period is about 10-14 days from when they are exposed. My son has testing at school next week, so I don't really want to risk him missing those, but if in the next few weeks you or anybody else who happens to read this has them and wouldn't mind getting together, I would be glad to get him exposed. Thanks. Hope this helps you.
M.

Hi S.,

I would call or visit your pediatrician to discuss it.
If your little man has had the vaccine, don't worry about it. He may still get a very slight case of it but it should be very mild at worse. If you have decided against the vaccine, just know that he will eventually get chicken pox. There is no way to prevent him from ever being exposed to it short of keeping him locked in a closet. Keeping this in mind, know that it is tolerated much better in early childhood than as an adult.

Hi,

I would let your baby get chicken pox. Better now than later. When I was little the minute someone came down with chicken pox, we went right over to play. Ask your doctor if you are concerned about your little guy getting it at this age.

S.

Chicken pox is contagious the week before the child actually breaks out. So if the neice has already broken out with the pox, then there most likely isn't a need to worry.

My kids had the chicken pox immunization, any chance this would help?

If your child is up to date on his immunizations, at 17 months, he has probably been vaccinated against the chicken pox. Check with your doctor's office!

At 17 months has your son had the vaccine? If so, don't sweat their playing together. If he hasn't, I still think I would let them play together. Chicken pox isn't the worst thing in the world and there really are plenty of moms out there who don't give the vaccine to their kids preferring instead that they get the virus the "old fashioned" way. It's really going to be about your call as to how terrible it would be for your son to catch the chicken pox.

(The only catch is that, as young as he is, it may be hard to tell him "don't scratch" and that may lead to scarring. I have a couple of little pox scars on my face because I had it when I was under two.)

I hope you can enjoy your visit without being too worried the whole time. Why don't you call your son's pediatrician for his/her input on the whole thing? I'll bet that's going to be the best advice yet!

Hi S.,

I agree with Jaime. Getting the chicken Pox is much safer than getting the vaccine.

My kids (12 and 15) didn't get the vaccine and have not had them either. I believe that Chicken Pox and the virus (herpes) that causes it is an easy virus to prevent with a good healthy immune system. Even if you can't prevent it, you can ease it with trying to build the immune system.

A good absorbable multivitamin will build the immune system. I know of one if you're interested. Detoxing the home from the synthetic chemicals that break down the immune system will help also. A supplement you can get at the health food store called L-Lysine will also help build the immune system and specifically fight the herpes virus. Many people use this to prevent oral herpes (fever blister) and Shingles which is from the same virus.

Melaleuca oil will also dry and heal them on contact. The oil is penetrating and will go deep into the sore and will heal them quicker than anything else I know. I know people that use it on fever blisters when they appear and they never get large and they are gone within a few days. Tea tree oil at the health food store is a low grade melaleuca oil. It would be better than not having any at all.

If you would like some more information, please feel free to ask. I had chicken pox at the age of 4, a very very long time ago, and it is still one of my clearest memories, lol!!!

God bless!

M.

Why is your sister coming over if you don't want your son to get chicken pox?
Are you sure they are chicken pox?
Chicken Pox are rare today since they have the vaccination.