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.