The Chicken Pox hit us at the end of last week.
We've really not got off too badly.
Just half a day of lethargy & fever and a hundred or so chicken pox spots that have dried pretty quickly. And the cabin fever of being stuck in the house all week has been relieved by lots of fab friends - who have already had the Chicken Pox - who have been happy to come round to play.
But we have had a series of sleepless nights with the awful itching which for some reason always seems worse at night. So I've been pillaging ideas from friends everywhere on the best ways to cope with the Chicken Pox.
These are what I have found so far ... if you have more please do add them to the list. I think we still have another 3 days to go before we can leave the house so more advice would be very welcome.
If you're looking for more posts on charing for sick children do check out the links at the bottom of this post and do feel free to add your own.
Tips for Coping with the Chicken Pox
- A few spots may come several days in advance of the others
- Childen may get anything from 10 to several hundred spots
- May have initial fever, lethargy, loss of appetite & headache
- Ensure they stay hydrated when they have fever & lost appetite
- If fever isn't reduced after 3 or 4 days contact your doctor
- If spots continue to increase & stay inflamed after 7 days contact doctor
- Keep finger nails cut short & clean to prevent scratching & infection
- Have fun wearing favourite socks on hands to prevent scratching
- Wear loose clothing or allow to go without clothes
- Smother in calamine lotion but some people find more itchy when dries
- If have very sore spots on bottom try nappy rash cream in addition to calamine
- You can get calamine lotion with acqueous cream which may be less drying
- You can get a cooling gel called ViraSoothe specifically for the Chicken Pox
- Children may cry out from pain in their sleep disturbing rest of family
- Anti-histamine medicines such as Piriton may relieve itching at night
- Lukewarm baths may relieve itching
- Traditionally people used to put brown vinegar in the bath
- Try an oatmeal bath - ground oats in e.g. a sock - to soothe itching
- Sponge a solution of 1/2 baking powder + cup of water on spotty areas
- Make sure child gets lots of vitamin C & beta-carotene rich food to help recovery
- Offer lots of fruit & veg rich smoothies to increase their self-healing power
- Many kids will be full of beans & get bored stiff in the house for a week or more
- Be prepared for laying on activities every day - you can have fab fun with play dough, experiments, great books and imaginative play without leaving the house
- You could have some cool maths fun playing "The Chicken Pox Sweepstake"
- Friends who have had chicken pox may be happy to have play dates
- Some mums keen for kids to get chicken pox + may be happy for play dates
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