A parenting question...what would you do?

Hope they feel better soon and know that the nasty part of chicken pox lasts about one week. My four children all had chicken pox, 2 at a time several years apart. This is what I did as advised by our pediatrician; gave fluids as they wanted especially cause they complained of sore throats. Food as they wanted (I didn't stress over it because I knew as uncomfortable as they felt with flu like symptoms (short lived), they would absolutely and positively survive the chicken pox virus). I remember having ice pops on hand, maybe Otters or frozen fruit bars or something they loved and let them eat it when they wanted. Most importantly... I let them play in oatmeal baths for as long as they wanted. The oatmeal (bought at a pharmacy) dries the pox and so reduces the itchiness. They played in the tub for hours literally. Then out and towel dry. I gave them a bottle of calamine lotion and a bag of cotton balls and they "painted each other in pink dots"!!! Sounds silly but these activities kept the misery they felt under control and also kept the things they needed to do in order to feel better done (oatmeal baths, calamine and drinking fluids) & accomplished.

Don't worry! This too shall pass and the most important thing is that they will both be fine!!!! BTW, cut back their fingernails so they can't do much damage when scratching the pox (it can leave a scar) :flowerforyou:

I had a severe case of chicken pox when I was 15 and still have the scars, so I feel for your son

When I had the chicken pox I was feverish and felt like I had the flu, all I remember eating was homemade chicken soup and not much else for a few days...you could try lukewarm (so it doesn't burst the blisters) soup or hot chocolate, pudding or jello, Ensure, Pediasure (or its UK equivalent) to make sure he's staying hydrated...and for the itching/pain, oatmeal baths work wonders. My mom used real oatmeal...although that was like 25 years ago...


Good luck--hope the kiddos feel better soon!

My 36 year old BF has never had the chicken pox. It's actually kinda scary. This is why I keep him locked in the bedroom.

when my son got the chicken pox(he was vaccinated just has a weak immune system) he wouldn't eat anything. His pediatrician suggested that I feed him smoothies(healthy) and pediasmart (organic version of pedia sure) it worked really good and I managed to get all of what he needed in him that way. but i'd talk to his ped.

some parents (like myself) don't vaccinate for chicken pox.
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I wasn't going to vaccinate against chicken pox but my ped mentioned how much worst it could be if they get it older and since MOST do vaccinate, the chance of them getting it as children is pretty slim...so I gave in. I was worried about them having issues as older teens or adults because chicken pox then can cause so many issues including infertility.

I do believe that you can still get the CP with the vaccine, but it's usually a lighter bout.
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you are right it isn't as bad if you have had the vaccine and it also has weird presentation. last time i saw chicken pox it was in a 10 year old and she had prob 10 spots and they were in her hairline, torso, and arms. it was definatly strange. i can't remember the last time i saw full blown chicken pox. it is also dangerous for pregnate women to be around it but i can't remember exactly what it does

Yes! Call the pediatrician!

Yes, I would call the doctor or nurse on duty and ask. If he will drink, I would probably also give him PediaSure until I got an answer. I have a 12yr old and I still give it to him when he is sick. He should be okay as long as he stays hydrated. Hope he gets better soon.

I would call your doctors office and talk to a nurse. They would probably have better ideas.

I feel for you, sick kids are so hard.

as long as he is drinking fluids he should be fine. he may not feel like eating. how did they get chicken pox? they do 2 vaccines for it now and any time i've seen kids with chicken pox its a very mild case because of the vaccien. if his mouth and throat are that sore you could ask the dr to call in magic mouth wash. it has benadryl, maalox, and viscous lidocain in it and it can help with the pain. hope they feel better.

They don't immunise against chicken pox in the UK! I guess you could get the vaccine if you are a private patient but its not an NHS thing and most children here are not vaccinated. I didn't know it was any different in America until the other day. Crazy.

I gave him soup last night but the heat from the soup burst one of the blisters and he cried for ages I have spoken with the doctor about it and they say that as he is drinking water there is nothing they can suggest.

wow that is crazy. they used to only get vaccinated against it at 1 year of age but now the center for disease control mandated that they have to have an addiational vaccine at 4-5 years now. any of the kids that missed it get caught up at their next well visit. that is crazy to have something that can be prevented with vaccines and not give it. chicken pox isn't too bad in kids but it can cause an adult to be infertile. your poor kiddos :frown: :frown:

there is no vaccine in Ireland for chicken pox either private or ortherwise

Pediasure and Pedialyte. I would push these two things on him all day. The Pediasure has protein and other things that would be the same as a meal replacement for kids that don't typically eat healthy. It comes in really great flavors and tastes REALLY good. If you get them really cold, it can taste like a milk shake. Pedialyte helps restore electrolytes. It doesn't taste the best but does come in popsicle form. Don't wait on something like this, you don't want him in the hospital and them feeding him thru a tube or IV. Good luck and hope he feels better soon.

THAT!!!

I would consult the doc but pedialyte and ensure are usually recommended.

tbh Shonora I am not even sure if there is a vaccine in the uk for private patients - I would assume that if someone wanted it and wanted to pay for it they could (as with most things here)

I am running an oatmeal bath as I type, hope it eases it a bit. I am also going to try a non alcohol mouthwash to numb his throat a little and I will definitely make some jelly/jello in a minute. He has a box of icepoles/popsicles which he is allowed to help himself to, they do seem to help some.

There's nothing worse than having them sick I was 13 when I got chicken pox I remember my mam putting bread soda into my baths and that really helped, and my doctor always says boiled and cooled 7up to keep them hydrated hope they feel better soon x

You can always make milkshakes out of filling fruits such as bananas and strawberries. Apples most of all do give nutrition so i don't know how you might be able to include that as well. Any kind of soup should help...make it from scratch though -- not store bought! You can always get Pedialyte. Your child might be a bit bigger but it's still just as helpful. It gives your child the electrolytes and the nutrients he does need. If they're not too big on the Pedialyte drink...use the pops! Same affect! Good luck!


- I work in a doctors office.

My daughter, at 7, came out in chicken pox.... in the same week as having her tonsils out! It was not the slightest bit of fun and I know that it generally gets worse, the older the child, so I sympathise with you a lot.

My daughter isn't the best eater at the best of times and she didn't eat for days. All I could do was make sure her favourite meal was ready when she was (macaroni cheese) and then I tried not to stress about it too much (difficult, I know)

If soups don't entice him, I'd give the Dr a quick call before the weekend to see if he needs any special drinks they would recommend.

PS. If he's itchy, our nurse recommended Piriton - there is one that talks about chicken pox on the box. Can't remember if it had any special extension in the name.

Hope he gets better soon.

I'm not a parent but when I was poorly as a kid my Dad always gave me Lucozade (the orginal flavour).
Hope he's feeling better soon x

I hope your kids feel better. I would recomend carnation instant breakfasts. if he can handle the milk you can blend them up with some ice and make it nice and cool. When i was crazy sick i also ate cream of wheat.... but i doubt most kids would eat it. Chocolate wheats are good though!