Best way to catch Chicken pox?

[anjii]

My nephew has chicken pox, and I'm bringing my boys (5 1/2 year old, and almost 3 year old) to have a "playdate" this afternoon. I'm stocking up on all the home remedies, foods, supplements and homeopathy we may need, as well as giving extra Vitamins D, C, A and echinacea during the incubation period to help minimize the effects. I've discussed it with my 5 year old, and he's okay with it too and understands why it's better now than later, even if it won't be fun.

Now I just need to know, are there any tips on how to make sure they get it, without making them feel like science experiments, kwim? Should just playing for awhile, and a hug goodbye be enough, or do we really need to rub their arms together or something? I'm glad we have this opportunity, and I feel it's far better when I can prepare for it, and get their bodies ready to cope, than if we got it by surprise, or worse, not at all during childhood. But I'm still a bit nervous... any tips from BTDT moms?

Thanks!

[serenbat]

we exposed 13 days ago and are waiting---
what I did find is "they" really have no clue about exposure -

this might be of interest to you---the virus lives (much longer than most think) but how much exposure and the type, they really don't know---

http://pediatrics.aappublications.or...full/103/5/e61

we did exposure with sharing spoons, drinking sippy cups, lolly pops, blowing horns, taking a bath, wearing each other's clothing and 4 days later our DS ran a fever of 103.7 (we dropped it naturally only because we were afraid his body was fighting off the CP)-NOTHING else was going on with him, no other signs of anything it lasted off and on a day in a half---I also heard from another mother that exposed with the same child that hers also ran a fever of unknow reason--so does this mean we are getting them? does it mean the body tried to fight it off? we have no clue!

pox use to float around without mouth contact and people got it -so??????

the child we exposed to had non-scabbed over pox but was not coughing or had a runny nose or fever at the time-on the 3rd day

[Deborah]

My grandkids both got it at a CP party. They shared lollipops (organic, of course) and also shared a musical instrument with a mouthpiece. It can be hard to get kids who are strangers to hug each other.

I'm trying to get a booster to reduce my chances of shingles, so I've been eating the last bits of food out of their dishes with the same spoon or fork, and also hugging and touching.

Other kids have been turning up with their parents, hoping to catch it. Same business with the lollipops. Last night we got two little boys to shake hands, but they were reluctant.

There were 5 children who went to the CP party, from 3 families. They've all come down with CP. The first to get it was a 6 year old, then the three girls 12 and 2 at 10 years old, the last was the only boy, aged 6. Incubation was between 6 days and 2 weeks.

[serenbat]

as well as giving extra Vitamins D, C, A and echinacea during the incubation period to help minimize the effects

does this help or hurt your chances of catching?

several that I know that have gotten CP (on first exposure) also caught at a time they were fighting off something else, slight cold, ear infection, etc.

[mum4vr]

hope they catch it?

Just a note on the fever-- at our pox party as a child, I never caught *visible* CP (all my syblings got a bad bad case).

I had zero pox, but did get a high fever for a few days, and I now test immune.

I never caught another strain either (and my DS1 has had all 3 strains- -2 very serious and one mild). I guess he just refreshed my immunity. So maybe your child got off easy, like me?

[anjii]

Originally Posted by serenbat

does this help or hurt your chances of catching?

several that I know that have gotten CP (on first exposure) also caught at a time they were fighting off something else, slight cold, ear infection, etc.

Wow! I totally didn't think of that... I was kind of thinking along the lines of what mum4vr said... that if their immune system is good and strong, they should be able to have a mild (or even symptomless) case, but that it should still build the immunities? Maybe I need to figure out the line between too strong and not strong enough, so they get enough of a case to get real immunity, but without higher risk of a severe case or complications. Maybe I'll just stick with our normal vitamin/supplement schedule, and only ramp it up at the first sign of symptoms? Ugh, this is so confusing

[serenbat]

Just a note on the fever-- at our pox party as a child, I never caught *visible* CP (all my syblings got a bad bad case).

we are leaning towards ours not getting it at this point and we want to do a titers test prior to any more "parties" to see if it shows anything

I do know another person that is an adult that also shows immunity and there is no record of them having it and their sib did, so we will see.

Ugh, this is so confusing

it sure is and there doesn't seem to be real info out there &&

[amnesiac]

Since this is about illness exposure rather than vaccine issues I'm moving to H&H.

[anjii]

Well, it's been a week now since exposure. Incubation is anywhere from 7-21 days. No sign of spots, fever or any other symptoms... BUT my oldest spent the morning throwing up and napping? I can't find anything listing vomiting as an early symptom, only some mention of it as a possible symptom after the spots appear. Ugh!