My 5yo’s friend has got Chicken Pox at the moment; my daughter’s never had it.
I’ve often heard of people sending their kids round to play with infected kids so that they catch it at a “convenient” time and, as you only get it once, it’s over and done with.

Is this a sensible practice or downright stupid?

All mine had them young without issue (five kids). I had them at 25, thought I was going to die, and have loads of scars from it.

I’d vote for getting it over with young.

Used to happen when I was a kid – not sure of he risks

however, my wife got them in her 20s – not pleasant at all in an adult

It is a totally sensible practice – and IME the younger they are when they get it (excluding very small babies) the less traumatic the experience for all involved.

Your view on this may be different if:

– you’ve never had chicken pox
– Mrs Verses has never had chicken pox
– Mrs Verses is pregnant (especially if she has not had Ch Pox).

etc

DO it, had it done to me as a child, dont remember it. Any friends I have who are adults and contracted it have hateful memories of it.

Wonder what else I repressed?

however, my wife got them in her 20s – not pleasant at all in an adult

Incidentally, she had them inside her eyelids, ears and other places that I’ve long be banned from mentioning

As a kid I went to CP parties, but never caught it.

I stood in the doorway of a friends house aged 27, and their young son had it so I didn’t go in. Lo and behold I caught it.

4 weeks off work, really feel like dying, got them in my throat, ear, under eyelids and ahem everywhere. Took at least 6 months to feel like I had fully recovered, it really does wipe you out as an adult.

All things being equal, get your kids to catch it early, unless they have other health reasons not to.

I gave it to my did when he was 40, he was a little poorly for quite a while to say the least.
Get it while you’re young if you can.

toys19’s 18 month old daughter got CP last summer and was close to not making it, she had mild eczema and there is some interaction between the two. I would be very careful. My two kids had it around the same time and were OK, but the medical advice is not to do it.

There is a vaccine, if mine didn’t have it at the same time , having seen toys19’s baby, I would have vaccinated my two.£120 not cheap

There is no guarantee you will not get it again as an adult.

It can be pretty horrendous 2nd time round too.

I’d do it. I had them at 16 and was terrible, spots/sores everywhere (I mean everywhere!), a week off at least then another 3 weeks building back strength etc.

^ Isn’t it shingles the second time round?

I understand it’s standard practice in the US to vaccinate and, as mentioned above, the vaccine’s available here privately too.

No guaranteed resistance but possibly worth considering if you’re worried. My wife had it at 25…not good, my son’s just had it at 20 months….no bother!

I suspect my wife was just making a meal of it 😉

Thanks for the comments.

I’ve been very much pro-doing it and so has MrsV, but I was suddenly filled with last minute uncertainty…

Willingly and deliberately infecting your child with something (no matter how routine it is 99% of the time) is a little unnerving…

Do not do it. Dangerous practice. You could kill your child

I don’t know if I’ve had it and there’s no-one I can ask, can I be tested for the antibodies?

Now I see you can be vaccinated against it, any reason I shouldn’t just have my son vaccinated and get rid of the worry?

I DO NOT want it as an adult, It’s horrendous..

Some official response here so you can make your own judgement. When my kids or other people’s caught them we just let them mix as normal as there was no kids in the at risk. Ok there’s still some complications but there is of many a condition, it’s your child so it’s your decision.

Protecting others
A person with chickenpox is infectious from two days before the rash first appears until all the spots have crusted over (commonly about five days after onset of the rash). A child with chickenpox should stay off school or nursery for five days from the onset of the rash. Also, whilst infectious, they should keep away from at-risk people who may get a severe illness if they get chickenpox. These include:

Pregnant women who have not had chickenpox in the past. Chickenpox can be severe and cause complications during pregnancy.
People with a poorly functioning immune system. For example, people with leukaemia, with HIV/AIDS, on steroid medication, or who are taking chemotherapy.
The at-risk children listed earlier.
Healthy adults who have not had chickenpox may also want to avoid catching it, as the illness tends to be worse in adults.

Note: people with chickenpox should not travel by air until six days after the last spot appeared.

http://www.patient.co.uk/health/Chickenpox-in-Children-Under-12.htm

Had CP twice as a child and shingles as an adult! Second dose of CP was nasty and I was only about 10.

Im not sure on TJs opinion on this one.

I had it on holiday in Devon. Had to spend a fortnight in the tent covered in that stuff.

Driving a car. Do not do it. Dangerous practice. You could kill your child

Crossing the road. Do not do it. Dangerous practice. You could kill your child.

Cycling. Do not do it. Dangerous practice. You could kill your child

I could go on…..

Have a look at the possibles, weigh up the probables, have a think about the consequences of doing and not doing, make a grown up, responsible and best effort decision.

My two lads had it when I was 32 & they were 4 & 6 I’d never had it till then. I think it’s the worst thing i’ve ever had & was poleaxed for two weeks.
Catch it early is my reccomendation.

Im not sure on TJs opinion on this one

It won’t be just an opinion though will it? he’ll have solid evidence to back himself up!

^ Isn’t it shingles the second time round?

My understanding of it is that shingles is a flare-up of the same virus that remains dormant in your system and attacks your nerve endings. I had VERY mild shingles in 2000 and I can still a very faint tingle in the centre of the nerve -ending cluster where it flared up. I can’t begin to imagine what a severe case is like.

I could be wrong but you can’t get chicken pox twice, you can’t get shingles if you have not had chicken pox, it is highly unlikely to get shingles twice, chicken pox is contagious and shingles is not (unless you lick the weeping flesh of the person with the shingles). Or something like that.

You can get chicken pox twice.

I dunno about chicken pox parties any more….

As nsdog said my lot had it last summer after we were just casual about the association with our friends kids who had it. We didn’t want to spoil the ride/pub thing with kids in tow we were all planning to go on when one mate discovered his kids had it. So we all went anyway.

I guess I came to regret it as my little baby came a bit too close for comfort, they said after that if they had not have got her on intravenous antibiotics when they did then within a few hours it may have been too late.

Knowing what I know now, I would have paid for the vaccine. But I am a bit precious over my kids..

She’s fine now apart from some scars. (she still has eczema, not so bad, but she is constantly slathered in grease of one kind or another and has to have greasy hair shampoo stuff). You can see what that big one on the left of her forehead left behind. (5 months between pics, although now at 7 months the scar looks the same)

[IMG]http://i355.photobucket.com/albums/r446/lukeandbeth/DSC_7287.jpg[/IMG]

Do not do it. Dangerous practice. You could kill your child‘s face

FTFY

I could be wrong

You are.

Chicken Pox can be caught more than once, their the same virus and it’s the dormant virus that comes through in adults to be shingles. Adults can catch chicken pox and it’s is really nasty for them, I’ve seen adults with it and it’s horrible. Shingles in infection in the sense it gives the victim chick pox which can then of course at some point become shingles.

Our friends son got it just as he started primary school. Tragically he ended up in hospital and didn’t make it. Your decision, but why risk something that can (albeit rare) be fatal?

I think the practise is frowned upon by doctors and nurses, but the advice above is the opposite. It is reasonably likely they will catch it at school anyway.

Our friends son got it just as he started primary school. Tragically he ended up in hospital and didn’t make it. Your decision, but why risk something that can (albeit rare) be fatal?

Having read that I would now say 100% don’t do it, lets say you are the unlucky one whose child dies, that’ll go with you to your grave you’d never recover mentally.