Exposing your kids to chicken pox

Two_Puddle_Ducks wrote: I would expose them. I would rather they get it before they start school and while I'm at home to give them lots of love and attention. I wouldn't go searching for it though. I guess if a friends children had it, it wouldn't stop me from visiting. Just like if a friends children have colds that doesn't stop me from visiting.

Me too.

I have a friend whos daughter possibly has it and I will be taking DD to visit shall she have it. Also the kids miss eachother we can't say the girls names in fear it starts a moment like we've had in the past where they say the others name for 20mins at a time.

I would much rather she get them young then older less chance of scratching and now is a great time as I am on break from uni, no exams or anything and not coming up to any significant bdays or anything

I tried to expose my eldest to them when he was younger and he never got them. took him till he was 6 to finally get them and it was a horrible week.

I had it at 16 and it was horrible!! (2 weeks off school). DS had them just after he turned two but DD was only a couple of weeks old and fully BF so didn't get it. It was pretty horrible, so as much as I'd prefer she gets it young, I'd much rather vaccinate than expose her on purpose and have to deal with her being that sick. Better get around to that soon.

Shes been exposed a few times and hasn't got them - so I wonder if she has some immunity from when DS had them and I was BFing her.

fire_engine wrote: With the vaccine, it's only been around for about 15 years so they don't yet know how long it lasts. I think the latest recommendation is to get your immunity tested after about 20 years and get reimmunised if required.

But how many people know that or do that?

I would definitely not expose my child/ren on purpose to the CP. Jackson has had them at 5 months old, thankfully only a very mild dose but was still bad enough.

CP can make children at any age very sick, not too sure why anyone would want to expose their children and intentionally make them sick.

I wouldn't willingly expose my kids I don't think but I also won't be vaxxing against it especially my boys (if I get any). Apparently if boys catch CP when they are in their teens or later it can cause infertility, that would be right when the vax is wearing off.

Cant chicken pox from 12-13yrs onwards cause infertility? Im sure thats something i have always read.

for that reason I wouldnt stay away from someone who did have cp, though I wouldnt purposefully take my child out where other kids can catch it. seeing someone with there kids at farmers clearly covered in them playing with the toys actually had me quite pissed off.

lucky for me all 4 have had them and was all mild spots. ds2 was the worst he had spots all over but they didnt bother him much or for long just lots of pine tarsol baths and it was gone with in a few days. took him to dr just for comfirmation. they got it through playcentre just about half our session had them. most parents werent worried about the kids getting them just meant a week or 2 away from the place.

Simple answer from me- no way no how would I intentionally expose my son to anything to make him sick.

Each to their own, I respect all parents and their choices and their right to make them- it's just not for me.

ALL vaccines wane, not even the manufacturers claim that you get lifelong immunity from a vaccine. The length of time it takes to wane will vary, but it will eventually do so. There are studies that show that immunity from the CP vaccine can wane in as little as 5 years for some people. The efficacy of preventing varicella infection in the first place is 70-90%.

New models show that as people who are naturally immune to measles start to die, leaving only a vaccinated population, that by 2050 there will be more people at risk of measles than before the vaccine was ever invented.

To answer the OP question...My two have had them, but I certainly wouldn't go out of my way to avoid anyone I knew who had kids with CP, because I would rather they had them as children when there are less risks. DS1 finally got them at his 5th known exposure, through daycare, and DS2 at first exposure courtesy of DS1.