How many exposures did it take for CP?

[SuburbanHippie]

My kids have been exposed twice to the same strain chicken pox. We did all the tricks in the book. Hugs, blowing raspberries in their faces, swapping lollipops/juice boxes, switching shirts, sniffing blankets, sleeping with blankets.

We're still in limbo waiting to see if our second exposure will bring any pox to our home. I heard from our first exposure that it took them 8 times! That's a long time considering they only come around once a year really if you're lucky. My kids have a really good immune system too. They rarely get sick. Probably due to the fact they have a lot of vitamin D and eat well.

I'm just wondering how many times it has taken others here on MDC. Please share!

[CarrieMF]

With my oldest it was a day or 2, the daycare kids I had came with the CP & she caught it from them.

With my middle dd she was around the other kids once. they didn't know they had the CP until shortly before my dd broke out in them(which was almost 3 weeks after she was exposed). The kids she was around had been exposed to other kids who had the cp, but the kids she was around didn't actually have them yet.

My youngest, no clue. She was the only one in her playschool class to get them. She hadn't been anywhere else. We have no idea where hers came from.

We didn't do anything to try & get them the cp. they just played with kids as they would any other day.

[rachelsmama]

From what I've seen, the fastest way to catch them is to play with a kid a couple days before they get spots. Once the spots are showing the chances of catching them seems a lot lower...but that's just anecdata, so take it for what it's worth.

[azdesertrn]

I agree. Chicken pox is much more contagious before the spots develop. DD got them on our first attempt. We went to visit a family where an older child had full spots and the toddler was just starting to get them and didn't have spots yet. I'm convinced we caught them from the toddler.

DD had 1 spot along with respiratory symptoms for several days when she started getting them. A couple people tried to expose from us, but they waited until she had full spots to be sure it was chicken pox. Nobody caught them from us even though it was a pretty bad case- she was covered with spots, even her scalp.

Too bad its hard to expose before spots. People are afraid it might be just a cold.

[serenbat]

for myself, it took a number of time before I got them at 28! The person that I ended up getting them from I was NOT around prior to breaking out and was only near them on the second day after they showed pox

have you tested the titers to see if in fact your child shows antibodies and just not signs of full out pox? you might be surprised by the results- I know two with no known record of pox both tested positive for CP with titers and one came down with shingles and no known record of CP

[broodymama]

It just took one exposure for my older 3 kids. The other children (with the pox) already had the blisters but they hadn't crusted over yet. About 2.5 weeks later my kids came down with the pox.

[amcal]

We've exposed 7 times and nothing. And, I've had titers drawn and nothing....

[SuburbanHippie]

My kids started sneezing a lot today and woke up with a stuffy nose. I never thought I would be excited about that. During our last exposure, the baby only had 4 pox on his body so hopefully he was still super contagious. The last party we went to though, she had less than that.

I don't think I'll test their titers for a few more years. I hope we do end up catching it naturally!

[neptunemama]

My younger dd has been exposed twice and hasn't gotten it. Both times a kid in her class was the one with CP and both times no other kid in the class (or school) got it. And the first time, dd had been working on a project w/the child who came down with CP for a few days before the child got CP. Didn't help.

[34me]

We were exposed once to a sibling of a birthday child. They were excluded from the party at the park because of the CP. He was probably 12 at the time and mine were 3 and 1. my 3 yo got them exactly a week later and my 1 yo got them a week after that. All they did was entertain him.

[Peony]

Once here. When we went over, one sibling had spots and one didn't yet. I went over with a friend and her son, her son took two exposures to the same strain from different kids to catch it.