Some times those pesky little pox can sneak up on you. But other times they can turn your usually happy little child into a grumpy little monster.
As the spots appear you find yourself thinking ‘it can’t be’ but a quick look on google soon clarifies that the chicken pox have hit.
Your a busy mum, with a busy life and now everything has to grind to halt and you become housebound. But fear not I have put together a little survival guide for you.
Soothe
You poor little one will probably be feeling quite uncomfortable. Finding what helps to soothe them is a case of trial and error. People swear by different things, but we found that the Calamine and Glycerin cream helped a lot more than Calamine Lotion.
My advice is try anything that could possibly help.
Cool or Luke warm Baths
Olivia loved a cool bath whilst she had chicken pox. We filled the bath right up, as she found laying back uncomfortable and she would stay in there for a good half an hour. People say that adding oats to bath water helps, we didn’t find that it made a difference but as I said above anything is worth a go. Be sure to pat them dry rather than rub when they get out.
Clothing
Loose cotton clothing will feel a lot more comfortable.
Anti-histamines
If itching and scratching is a problem anti-histamines should really help. You can buy Piriton over the counter at all pharmacies, just remember to follow the dosage instructions.
Fluids
Like with many illnesses you may find your child is off their food. If they have spots in and around their mouth this can be very sore. Making sure they are drinking plenty of fluids is really important. Fruity/sugary drinks are perfect for helping to keep their sugar/salt levels up. Ice-lollies were also a big hit with Olivia.
Distraction
Chicken Pox is contagious until the spots have fully scabbed over meaning you are advised to stay at home until then. This can result in some series cabin fever for all involved.
Get out the paints, do some baking, let them chill in front of the Tv, its all about the distraction. Especially when it comes to stopping them from itching.