My 2Yr Old Has Chicken POX

Aveeno oatmeal baths were very comforting to my children, as well as lots of stories, etc. to keep their minds occupied.

M.,
Use preparation H on his sores. My mother-in-law told me this over 25 years ago when my own little one had them. Worked like a miracle.

My daughter (then 23 months) both got chicken pox one year. We found that a lotion called Caladryl (sp?) was helpful for the itching. It's in a blue and white bottle.

OMG... I have the PERFECT solution! My mother did this for me and I have done it for each of my 4 kids. My youngest (almost 3) had it a week before she turned 1!

Get some raw oatmeal.... get a knee high (pantyhose).... put about 2 cups into the knee hi and tie the end in a knot. Run a nice bath for your son, and "wash" him with the oatmeal. EVERYWHERE!!! Use it like you would a washcloth and shampoo. It will get sticky but it will coat him and take the "itchies" away. When you dry him off, don't rub him dry, just pat him dry. I tried Aveeno with my youngest, but it didn't work as well as this did. Watch out for any pox that look like they're infected. Definitely be in touch with your doctor. He should be more active in the next day or two... luckily kids this age don't scratch itchies as much as older kids! Good luck.... it should be too much longer and he'll be back up and playing!

if you would like to meet for a cup of tea (my place or yours) i would love to expose my kids to the pox. it would be such a relief to get that illness out of the way.
you can reach me at ____@____.com
i know several ladies who can help you with the symptoms and who would be thrilled to expose their kids as well.

mothering.com is a great place to look for answers...im sure he will be fine. if it were my child i would baby him and just be present. i've heard baths and moisturing can help...fluids etc.

best wishes and please let meknow if you are willing to share his pox with my kids...it wouldnt take long to expose them and he might appreciate the distraction.

geneva

This usually works for kids a little older, but if your 2 yr old can take instructions well, this will save you and your child a lot of frustration! Take a tube sock and fill it with about 1/2 cup cornstarch or an envelop of aveeno bath powder. Tie a knot to keep the powder in. Tell him/her when it itches to hold the tube sock at the opening and swing it to hit the itchy spot. The act of the sock's material hitting the sore helps the child scratch without spreading through fingernails, and the aveeno (I prefer) or cornstarch acts as a balm. I did this for my 6 year old (10 years ago) and it helped him tremendously!

Aveeno Oatmeal baths'a couple of times during the day will help wonders with the itching and also speed up the drying of the POX. Also, consider Benadryl to stop the itching - but check with Doctor first to be sure it's OK.

Good Luck - it's just one of those things that's better to have a child go through now vs. when the child is an adult. Hang in there - it will be over sooner than you know it and you will only have those sweet memories afterwards. Take some pictures!!! for the baby book!!!

M.,
My son had the chicken pox when he was 10 months old.
The Oatmeal baths are great but I also put plain old fashion toothpaste on his chicken pox and that helped dry them out quickly.
Hope this helps.
H.

I remember my mom putting the pink anti itch lotion calimine lotion ? on my spots and I took warm oatmeal baths. I heard if you put them in a warm bath it will make all their spots come out so they can get over it faster (don't know if that one is true)

Good luck, its a rare illness now. but at least he wont ever get it again. (your not always immune to it from the vaccine and the vaccine is not 100% effictive)

A.

If you haven't already try Aveeno oatmeal baths. He will enjoy getting to be in the tub and the oatmeal dries up the pox. You can bathe in it any time, or many times!!! They also make a lotion that is wonderful as well. Good luck!

Hi M.,
I've gone through it with 3 of my 5. My youngest son even had one on his eyeball! Watch out for that and have the doctor check him out if you suspect it. What I did was lots of warm oatmeal baths. They have the powder and fizzing tablets at drugstores and Walmart/Target. It really helped my kids who were 3 and 5 at the time. Also, Calamyne lotion, you know the pink stuff. Dab it on the spots with a cotton ball. That helps too. Hope this helps. Poor little guy.

Oatmeal baths. Clip his nails. Buy new playdough and throw it out when he is better.

A.

Hi I am a new mom but I can remember when I had Chicken Pox. Believe me I had the worst case ever. My mom would give me an oalmeal bath and put oatmeal lotion to help with the itch. I am in my mid 20"s so that might work. You also mentioned that your son is 2. have you tried putting mittens or socks on his hands to keep him from scratching and spredding them even more? I hope this might be some what helpful for you. Hang in there!!

Did your son recieve the chicken pox vaccine?

I feel for you, chicken pox is a nightmare! The only good thing I can say is that it is much easier to manage at this age than say 8 years old! I used Aveeno Oatmeal bathes to soothe them, mind you once you do this he'll want to be in the tub quite a bit because it feels so good, but that's an easy solution, just tough on moms knees and back. It's not always easy to find the oatmeal bath but ask your pharmacist. It's really an "old wives trick" handed down by generations of moms.....also we used to use calamine lotion, that pink stuff that you put on with a cotton ball and let dry. Looks strange put it helps. You might ask your doctor about giving him Benadryl for the itching. Good Luck to you, this is a difficult childhood illness but a good time to really get to hold your baby more, because I'm sure at 2 he's become more independent!

don't let him strain his eyes- no tv and keep the room semi grey. I know this is very hard but been there and my son and a your sister -in Law both had it and both havve eye trouble and dr says from the pox there are other problems can occur. my advice check with a nurse on how dark room. uses camamile to keep down the itching and cover his handa in mittens make it a game if you can. good luck. hope you keep your sanity. I think I lost mine then for a while. Kathy

Well chicken pox are not any fun for the kiddo or for the mama!! We all hate to see our children sick. When my daughter had chicken pox i put caladryl lotion on them-the clear kind. Also try colodial oatmeal baths. These things should help sooth him a little.

M.

Have you spoken to your pediatrician? There may be some things to help with the itching. Benadryl is helpful, but with a 2 year old I wouldn't give it without the doctor's okay. In the meantime, oatmeal baths give relief for the itching. You may have to give baths 2 or 3 times a day.

J.

My son had chicken pox at age 3. He did several "oatmeal" baths a day to hlep with the itch. I just put a few inches of warm water in the tub and poured several cups of raw oatmeal in. He then played in the oatmeal water and rubbed it on himself. I put it on his back. He thought it was such fun, but it did help with the itches. When he was finished and the water was cooled he would stand up and shower off.
Good luck.

Aveeno works really well, but I like the idea one Momma had of putting oatmeal into a knee-hi...I'd really give that one a try! My mom used the pink Caladryl lotion on me, and we probably went through several bottles of it since I had a massive case of 'em. She'd just put me in the bathtub and plaster me with it. Caladryl comes in "clear" now, thankfully! Be sure to watch for areas of infection, and don't forget to check inside his mouth, in the conjuctiva of his eyes, and his scalp. I remember wearing my dad's t-shirts everyday until I was well--they were loose, washed easily & since they were cotton, they breathed better than nylon jammies, which can irritate.

My 7 year old daughter had them beginning on Thanksgiving Day. And, YES, she had the vaccine. She just got a lighter case of them - 80 to 100 pox instead of hundreds. The Aveeno baths also worked best for us, but be sure to just barely pat him dry when you take him out of the bath so that a lot of the Aveeno stays on his skin to keep working.

An oatmeal bath and calamine lotion works wonders for the itching. Very good news that he has the chicken pox though! He will now be immune for life. The vaccine only lasts a few years after his last booster and getting the chicken pox as an adult, especially a male, is not only dangerous, but can cause infertility. We are much better off getting these diseases as children as our bodies are able to tolerate much better. If he has them in his throat, a cold popsicle relieves it -- who doesn't like popsicles! Hey, can my son come over and play??? He hasn't gotten the chicken pox yet, and I'm worried he may not find anyone to get them from. I don't want to risk him getting them when he's older, it's just too dangerous. Did you know that the main reason for Kindergarten was so that children could play together and swap childhood diseases and build immunity?? Look it up, very interesting. Good luck, and just know, this is a GOOD thing!! Hugs and kisses work wonders!

Hi, M.. I'm a 55yr w/ 2 sons, now 37 & 28. But I know
exactly how you feel. My 28 year old got Chicken Pox when he was about 3 and it was the worse case my doctor had ever seen.

My little one had sores in his eyes, inside his ears, and
inside the little "crack" (for lack of a better word) of his
buttocks. My son was a chubby thing, too, so he had folds
on his arms and legs where the Pox also settled.

My doctor's advise was to let him play in a tub full of warm
water and oatmeal. The oatmeal was to assist in drying the
"sores" and keep the "itching" under control.

Also, I think I made the companies that manufacturer Calamine lotion and cotton balls "richer" that year. Dot the lotion
on the "sores". Being hispanic, my little one looked like he had been painted with pink paint by the time I finished covering all the "sores".

The most important advise is NOT TO SCRATCH the sores. They
will leave deep scars.

God Bless You both with patience during this journey.

A. D.

First remind yourself that this is a short journey and it will soon be over. The more anxious you are about it the worse he'll respond. Now - Aveeno makes a great powdered bath that will help soothe the itch. Benadryl or some other doctor prescribed medication should help him sleep which in turn will help him heal and handle it all better. and of course the past generation probably had the best idea of putting their little hands into socks while they sleep to keep them from scratching. I am so sorry you have to deal with this. By the way you can also blend your own dry oatmeal to put in the bath, but if you've been at this for two days it might be easier to buy the Aveeno and have some fun water playtime. my best to you and your son.

Hi M.,

I think you got great advice on treating the symptoms. As far as keeping your little one busy. Play-doh is always a favorite for little ones. Just one or two bottles. You will want to throw away since POX are contagious. Make Cheerios or Fruit Loop necklaces. Play in shaving cream, the cheap stuff from the dollar store.

Just a few fun ideas to do together.

My daughter just got through this last week so I feel your pain/itch.
We did lots of Aveeno oatmeal baths and these worked more than anything else.
By day 5 she was fine--hope your son is just as lucky!

Anti-itch cream, warm baths with baking soda in the water, and lots of movies. Be glad he got them now. He won't suffer as much as he would if he were older.

Have you seen a doctor? You need to follow what the doctor recommends for your son.

When our youngest daughter had chicken pox, she had it not only on the outside but also in the inside. The best thing that helped her was filling the tub just far enough with warm water and alveno and just let her soak. She was 5 when she had them so bad she would lay on a pillow and all you could see would be her eyes and mouth,because she had them everywhere except a spot the size of a guarter on both bottom of her feet. We also gave her either childern advil, what ever the doctor approved of. She only has 2 tiny scars on face, in fact you have to look for them. I won't kid you it was a long 14 days for us, but we made it. Sometimes she would make her self a plaster of the alveno with just a little water and then we would cover her in it and just then just wrap a cotton sheet around her like a toga. I hope this will help. The alveno that I talking about is not with the lotion but by the creams to help with itching.

S.

Hello, M.! Give your baby oatmeal baths. Just put some regular oatmean in the blender until it is real fine. Add to the bath water and let him splash around. Also mix a small amount with water to make a medium paste and pat it on his pox. Both of those really help with the itching, helping your baby to scratch less often. Scrathing leaves life-long scars. Calamine lotion is also good, but I opt for the oatmeal. The commercial stuff is more expensive, with additatives that are not really necessay. When in the bath playing, just pur the oatmeal water over him, time and again. With the itching relief, your baby will be more happier! Sincerely, D.

lukewarm oatmeal or baking soda baths will help dry the sores up for healing
This was advised to me by ask a nurse when my daughter had it years ago
lighweight mittens or gloves will help protect the skin for when your son scratches (he will scratch)
keep them on even when he's sleeping

Several moms recommended Aveeno Colidal Oatmeal baths and I just wanted to echo that recommendation. I actually ended up getting Chicken Pox for the first time in my 20's and the only time I felt human during that time was when I was soaking in an aveeno bath. Best wishes to you and your little one. :-)

Aveeno oatmeal baths about every 2 hours while he is awake,
Benydryl every 4 hours for the itch, tylenol every 4 hours, and advil every 4 hours on 2 hour intervals for fever as needed. These will also help with the itch. Also, keep him cool, and not too bundled up - my daughter enjoyed an ice pack on her tummy (wrapped in a thinner towel). She was 2 when she had this, and that was 15 years ago. There is Benydryl spray for temporary relief of particularly itchy spots. Not a great time, but 2X normal dose (that makes it prescription strength)of Benydryl at bedtime will help both of you get some much needed rest!

The Best to you, and it will pass soon, so hang in there!

D.

We put my daughter in an Aveeno (oatmeal) bath - and used the pink stuff. Not a fun experience, but back when my oldest was born (20 years ago) ALL kids went thru it.

Hi M.,

Chicken Pox is really not a big deal, especially considering your baby is so young. Just keep his temp down with Tylenol (which, with my boys, only lasted a couple of days) and try not to make too much of his scabs. I found with my two boys that the bigger deal I made out of the sores, the more attention they paid to them. He will certainly want to scratch, so gently encourage him to keep his hands off of them as much as possible and something I did was I would gently rub the places they were scratching with a soft cloth. That way they were getting the relief they needed, without the inflammation that comes with scratching with bare hands. Also, try and keep his hands as clean as possible for those inevitable times when he does scratch.

Hope this helps and good luck! It will be over before you know it! :)

oatmeal baths were the godsend for my girls when chicken pox came a calling. They were both very little when the got the cp and they were miserable. I would let them take a oatmeal bath two or three times a day and just soak in it. the oatmeal never disolves all the way and they liked smushing the little peices and rubbing it on their spots. I hope this helps also socks on his hands will cut down on scratching he can still rub his spots but he won't be able to scratch.