'Must haves' for chicken pox

Crabapple

Piriton, calpol, virasoothe used here. We were sold Piriton by the pharmacist for my 2 year old so perhaps it was a children's version?

She did scratch despite our best efforts, but the marks are already faded a lot (had it less than 2 months ago) so I doubt they will be visible for much longer.

Then the 12 week old got it and we used the aqueous calamine which helped him, but thankfully he only got a few spots.

And the cuddles of course!

If one gets it it can be up to two weeks before the others show symptoms.

meritaten

bicarb is good - its better than calamine lotion IMO. you can also add it to baths - make sure the water is just above lukewarm - hot baths can make the poor patient feel much worse!
another tip - Cornflour can also be a good alternative to bicarb - I used it as a desperate 'last measure' and found it to be effective.

minimoneysaver

Cut AND file nails to get rid of any sharp edges.

Piraton - prescribed for my four year old by the GP, no itch and very sleepy on it, so was able to avoid being uncomfortable.

Keep the house very cool. Cool non sweaty skin will not be as itchy.

When you are cuddling them, make sure that you are not covering spots or making them too warm....warm skin will be far more itchy.

Hope your little ones get over it VERY quickly and aren't poorly with chicken pox.

mandi

Ice Lollies . I know it sounds impractical , but it's a good way of getting fluids in .

sulkisu

Thank you everyone for the replies - I really do appreciate the advice. I have never heard of some of these things, so I will be dashing to Sainsbury's to stock up in a moment (once my babysitter gets here).

desdemona01

Re the oatmeal baths. To stop it getting messy and clogging up the plugs, do what I did when my DS was little. I put a handful of porage oats in a j cloth and tied it up tightly with a piece of string and made a sort of porage 'teabag' to use in the bath. I would use this as a washcloth on his skin instead of soap. I imagine a muslin square or similar could also be used.

Amanda65

My littlies are big now but can still remember how miserable chicken pox is for them. Another advocate for calamine lotion and the best tip I was given was to keep it in the fridge then when you put it on it's really cooling and soothing on those itchy spots.

I would also recommend lots of DVD's / stories to keep them amused when they start feeling better. Good luck !

double_mummy

mittens - they were the only thing that stopped my LO scratching at night it may be a bit warm but its not too bad

also remember to do their toe nails as well as finger nails as they can scratch with those too

i got lots of bubble wrap and everytime it was itch i got her to pop bubbles instead

madvixen

Socks! If they start scratching, especially overnight, put socks on their hands and feet to reduce the possibility of them scratching and taking the scabs off.

When I had chicken pox, all I wanted was drinks so Mum made me lots of smoothies and milkshakes made with real fruit, ice cream (to keep up the calories) and full fat milk.

Finally, be prepared for a growth spurt once their better. I grew 3 inches in the 3 months after I had chicken pox :T

MrsAtobe

Cream of tomato soup and either cheesy crackers or cheese sarnies, or is that just me? I've managed to catch chicken pox twice...