Chicken Pox Parties????!!!!

[dogmom]

OK, I admit I'm pro-vaccine. I also admit when I first heard about the Chicken Pox vaccine I wasn't sure I was really "for" the idea. After a lot of reserch I've decided it is a very good idea for all sorts of reasons, including decreasing the chance of shingles latter in life. I can understand why people aren't for it. But...

I just came back from playgroup and one of mothers there asked me if I heard about chicken pox parties. Apparently the idea is to take you child to another child's house who has chicken pox in the contagious period let them play with them so they can get chicken pox and therefore the immunity. This mom has her 11 month old daughter in a music class with this woman with a 15 month old planning to expose her to chicken pox. She was going on about how she could come to the next class because they wouldn' t be infectious yet, but not the one after that. The mom with the 11 month old wasn't so sure she liket his whole idea, especially since her daughter had RSV when she was younger and was in the hospital for it.

I'm still wrapping my mind around purposeful exposing your 15th month old to chicken pox, well enough possibly exposing other children. I know younger children can get very ill from chicken pox, it doesn't always happen, but I would feel terrible if my little guy wound up in the hospital because of it. I mean, it just seems like a bad idea for several reasons. I didn't get very sick from chicken pox, but I remember my brother being horribly ill from it, high fever and everything. He still considers it one of the suckier moments of his life.

Jeanne
Mom to Harvey
1/16/03

[lisams]

DD got the CP vaccine, but I am concerned about the longevity of immunity with the vaccine. I think it would be dreadful if she got CP while pregnant because the vaccine wore off. I would actually prefer she build natural immunity through exposure, but since the vaccine is so routine these days, the chances of exposure are slim. There was an interesting article in the most recent Mothering magazine about CP parties.

Lisa

[bluej]

This was the practice in my town growing up. But it was among school age children and twenty some years ago! I didn't know people still tried to expose their kids to the chicken pox, certainly didn't know people wanted their BABIES exposed!

[amp]

Yikes! I can't even imagine deliberately putting my child at risk of getting sick!

[sntm]

Okay, I can maybe see it for a 7 year old, but a 15 month old??? That seems a little risky, plus you can't explain to a 15 month old why they feel so miserable (and I still have flashbacks to my awful CP experience when I was 14 -- I actually got delirious with the prodromal fever.)

shannon
not-even-pregnant-yet-overachiever
trying-to-conceive :)
PREGNANT! EDD 6/9/03
mama to Jack 6/6/03

[heva]

You, too? Ooh, I had them in 6th grade and it was just AWFUL. How I wish I had had the chicken pox much younger (apparently the symptoms tend to be milder the younger you are when you get it, which is why you and I were SO miserable, Shannon!). Not for lack of trying - when I was 3, my mom had me play with all the kids in the neighborhood who had CP, and they thought that I got it (had one or two vesicles), but apparently not...

[dogmom]

I do think the symptoms tend to be milder when you are younger, but not always. I'm older by three years and got the chicken pox first, and I don't remember them being bad except I wasn't allowed to scratch. My younger brother got horribly sick, high fever and everything. He must have been around 6 or 7. I'm still thinking 15th months is on the too young of an age to be exposing a baby.

Jeanne
Mom to Harvey
1/16/03

[daisymommy]

Ummm, HELLO! One of the reasons that they came out with the vaccine is because children DIE from Chicken Pox every year! Purposely exposing a child to CP is like playing with fire, if you ask me...

[kathsmom]

Well, when my DD was in daycare, she broke out in some kind of rash that looked like chicken pox. They were getting ready to call me when I walked in the door. All the daycare workers who had kids told me to call back if it was chicken pox, because they wanted their kids exposed to it. It was not chicken pox, but an allergic reaction to an antibiotic she was taking.

I had chicken pox when I was about 2 years old. My mom said that it wasn't too bad. DH got it when he was in his mid 20's and said he was miserable!

DD has had the shot, but I can't remember if DS has or not - must be mommy brain!

[JacksMommy]

It is generally true that the younger you get the pox, the easier it is on you. It can be absolutely awful if you somehow miss getting it as a child and get it as an adult - weeks laid up in bed, etc. I had it when I was six weeks old and it lasted like a day. My son got it when he was 16 mos and it really wasn't too bad at all. Now mind you, he had already had the vaccine, so that may have helped. Apparently 30% of children who have the vaccine still get a case of the pox although it's usually milder. I don't really have an opinion about exposing your child on purpose, but it's probably pretty hard to avoid exposing them at some point since people are most contagious the few days before the spots break out. As for the woman talking about bringing her children to a music class post-exposure but pre-illness, I think that's just wrong - it's unfair to other people to possibly expose their children in that way!

Laurel
Mama to Jack, 6/4/02

[JacksMommy]

edited due to accidental double post.

[lisams]

The 30% statistic that those vacinated will get a mild case worries me. DD was vaccinated, but what if she gets a mild case when she is pregnant? Couldn't that kill her unborn child? And since the vaccine hasn't been around that long, do they know if the vaccine will wear off and boosters will be needed in adulthood? Since there are no adults who were vaccinated as children yet, I worry that our children will be the ones they discover things like this with.

I had CP when I was in 2nd grade, and all I remember are long baths in baking soda, and spending a week at home - no bad experience. I remember my mom wanting all three of us to get it so that she could be done with it, since back then every child basically got CP. I do think that trying to expose your BABY is not such a great idea, just seems pretty young to me.

I guess there's pros and cons either way you decide. Making the "best" choice as a parent is sometimes so difficult - you want to do what is best, but you're not sure what that is.

Lisa

[ethansmom]

My mom was a nurse and did her best to expose us!

I had a mild case as a baby, so they thought I was immune. Didn't keep my mom from making me and my twin sister KISS an infected boy when we were about 6. She was afraid we would get it later in life and really suffer. Well, my sister did get it that time, but I didn't. However, I somehow got it several years later. I did have it worse than my sister, but since I got to miss school and play pacman all day, who cared?!?

I'm giggling thinking about the calamine lotion all over my body!

[starrynight]

Well the only issue with the vaccine is how long does it offer immunity? From the vax research I have done it seems to be around 20 years they think but there isn't a ton of long term studies done. So if you child gets the vax as a kid but doesn't go and get a booster they could get it as an adult. I did let my older 2 get it but I didn't want to, didn't realize I had a choice and let the doc force me into it. Anyway I will not get it for Eliza, if she doesn't get the cp naturally by the time she is 11 or 12 I will let her decide if she wants the vax, that way she gets it before becoming a real "teen" or adult and possibly getting a bad case.

Some kids do get complications of cp but most get it and are okay. Both my brother and I had it within 2 weeks of each other, it wasn't fun but we were fine in a week or so. The biggest thing is don't give them asprin, tylenol or other fever reducers if they get it. That in itself can cause complications.

[Jacksonvol]

Hmm, that sounds pretty young to me. I remember CP at age 5 and it was not a big deal (I loved calomine lotion). I do think my mom sent me over to a neighbor's house to play knowing one of the kids "could" have CP. I've always thought of CP as a part of growing up and the idea of a vaccination seems strange. I know some kids got really sick, but since my bro & I did not have a difficult time, I never thought of it in the same category as whooping cough, polio, smallpox, etc. Of course, I still eat the cookie dough left on the beaters so what do I know?

[himom]

I got it from my little brother when we were in 2nd and 1st grade, respectively, and neither of us was too uncomfortable. My aunt tried to expose my cousin to us but they finally figured she was immune because after spending the week with us she still didn't get it.

Fast forward to us at age 20 -- my cousin was 4 months pregnant and turns out NOT to be immune. She was very, very sick, and we still don't know what, if any, problems were caused to the baby. He's 10 now and has some serious learning disabilities, but aren't sure if the CP caused them or not.

I'm not sure if I want DS getting the shot either.

Jodi
Joshua's mom -- February 03