[stacyg]

My DH's cousin's daughter has the chicken pox...I would like for my 2.5 year old to "catch" them. But I also have a 1 month old...would it be ok for him to have them too? Anyone's dc have them this early? What was the experience like? TIA

 

[vanilla]

I would ask in the vaccines forum- very knowledgeable ladies there! I think the younger, the better, but I'm not sure how far that goes.

 

[MamaAllNatural]

WAY too young. I'm waiting until my youngest is at least two to expose him. My others will be 4 & 7 at that time. No way would I expose a 1 month old.

 

[Mom4tot]

I agreewith it being way too young. Your baby is so new, you don't really know all about her immune system, etc., yet. I wouldn't take the chance.

 

[crazy_eights]

The only kid that I ever had that got REALLY sick with C/P is my son who caught it from one of my other kids at 2 mos of age. I would NOT want to repeat of that experience. I was quite nervous a few years later when a dd got it at 4 mos old, but her case was very mild.

 

[melaniewb]

I really don't think a doctor would even give that shot to a baby that age. I know my Ped wouldn't.

 

[Angelstill]

WAAAAAAAAYYYYYY too young!!!!!!! Do NOT do it. Chicken Pox can be a very serious and life threatning disease in very small children. Plus it could affect thier brain which is still developing.

Please do not subject that sweet innocent baby to this disease this young.

 

[MamaAllNatural]

Quote:

Originally Posted by melaniewb I really don't think a doctor would even give that shot to a baby that age. I know my Ped wouldn't.

She isn't referring to the shot, just actually exposing the infant to another child who has the CP's.

 

[stacyg]

We decided not to put either child around the cp...if one got it the other would get them too. FWIW...when I had the cp I gave them to my 2 month old niece and while it was a mild case she did get shingles later on. Thanks for all the replies.

 

[1boy1girl]

NO! NO! NO! NO! NO! CP can kill a baby that young!

 

[melaniewb]

Quote:

Originally Posted by MamaAllNatural She isn't referring to the shot, just actually exposing the infant to another child who has the CP's.

Oops, sorry. I should read better, shouldn't I?

 

[MamaMonica]

I'd actually wait on the 2.5 year-old as well. My 2.5 yo got a mild case and then got it again two weeks later (from his sister) and was really sick. No complications, but it was pretty rough on him. I think ages 3-8 are the ideal time to get CP- if it happens that way.

 

[pilesoflaundry]

Nope, not a good idea at all for a few reasons. 1) baby will get it much worse than an older kid and 2) the older they are (closer to 3 but at the very least 18 months) the more likely they are to be really immune. Before 18 months the body wont' remember the cp and the kid can get it again. Not worth the risk IMO.

 

[Angelstill]

I am not a troll, but I have to admit that I was flabbergasted that you would have even considered it. I am so glad you asked about it first and even happier that you decided not to do it.

I can understand your desire for your children to have c/p vs the vax, but please wait until the baby is 3 or till you can have the older one stay somewhere else while ill.

 

[melaniewb]

Quote:

Originally Posted by pilesoflaundry Nope, not a good idea at all for a few reasons. 1) baby will get it much worse than an older kid and 2) the older they are (closer to 3 but at the very least 18 months) the more likely they are to be really immune. Before 18 months the body wont' remember the cp and the kid can get it again. Not worth the risk IMO.

If this is the case, why do so many vaccine schedules call for it at 12 or 15 months? We skipped it, but I'm cruious.

 

[crazy_eights]

It's not true that 'the body won't remember' before 18 mos. SOME babies that are breastfed will get enough anti-bodies from their mother that they will get a mild case and not make their own immunity. But it is a rare occurance.

 

[Plummeting]

I just wanted to mention that at that age, baby might not even catch chicken pox, even if you want him to. My DD was exposed to cp at 5 months. It's a long story, but she was exposed when my neices were contagious for almost a week. (There was no way to avoid it, as I was visiting from out of town.) Anyway, she never got them. From what a mother baby nurse and a good pediatrician both told me, a breastfed baby under 6 months of age is very unlikely to come down with cp. They still have transplacental antibodies from birth and they're also getting "booster" antibodies through bfing, so they're pretty well protected. Before anyone jumps on me, I understand that it is possible for young breastfed babies to catch cp and some of them do, but from what I've been told and read, it's just not all that common.

 

[TiredX2]

I have to agree with Richelle.

At that young, many ffed babies won't even catch them because of the remnant antibodies.

I wouldn't risk it though.

DD got chicken pox at 18 months (almost exclusively bfed still) and then re-caught them at 4. DS got them then (he was 16 months) and definatley got the "full" case.

My DB had them at 5 months and was, according to my mother, the sickest of any of her nine kids (most of whom had them much older).

 

[love2all]

I agree with Richelle-
any child may or may not get cp from simple exposure. My oldest went to 3 cp parties before finally getting it at the worst, most unwanted time -she was 8 but had a 3 week old brother at home.
The baby did get cp- at 5 weeks of age- a very mild case 30ish little pox on the body. BUT I never would have chosen that time to get it- WAY TOO YOUNG.
This also comprimised his whole immunity so when whooping cough came around a month later he had no resistance to fight it off- and the wc WAS NOT in any way MILD...