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Friday 22 March 2019

5 Things You Need To Battle The Chickenpox

Disclaimer - I'm just a mum trying her best and am in no shape or form a medical professional. If you're concerned about your child's health please seek professional medical advice.

It'll be no surprise to those of you that follow me on Instagram that my latest blog post is about chickenpox!!

Just over a week ago we spotted the first few spots on JJ as we started to get ready for his friend's birthday party. As the afternoon went on there were more and more and soon enough they were everywhere! We had a really scary experience with JJ a few months ago were his temperature was out of control and he was monitored through the night by a GP via the 111 service and was very nearly admitted to hospital. With this in mind I was keen to get things under control and keep him as well as possible.

Using advice from the NHS website and from those that had recently had it themselves or children had, we complied our essentials for battling chickenpox.


Flatlay showing porridge oats, calamine lotion, calpol, lego magazine and dvd and a pair of socks


These five things have got us through the very spotty days and we are now steadily coming out the other side of the chickenpox. JJ has been very well in himself and has mostly been in good spirits. We may have just been very lucky but I want to share the five things that helped us battle the chickenpox.

Calamine Lotion

On the advice of a pharmacist we originally tried the cream version, but it was incredibly thick, took a long time to dry and I think there was often more on my hands than on JJ. When he reached maximum spottiness we soon used the cream up and switched to the traditional lotion on the advice of another pharmacist. It dries quicker, goes further, seems to work better and it's much cheaper too!

Porridge Oats

On the advice of a friend and following a quick google we decide to try porridge oats in the bath to help sooth the itching. Although I never got to the bottom of what makes the porridge oats so helpful, it certainly did the trick and looking online it's a been tried and tested by many parents. Use a sock or muslin to keep the oats bundled together and avoid blockage in your plumbing! 

Socks

You can keep an eye on the itching and scratching when your little ones are awake but bedtime is a different matter! If you still happen to have baby scratch mittens around then make use of them, but socks are a great alternative to stop little hands scratching if you don't. You can also make use of old or odd socks and use them for the porridge baths.

Children's Paracetamol 

Lots of children struggle with a high temperature when suffering chickenpox and after our scary experience with JJ earlier in the year, I was super keen to avoid this happening again. We stock up on both Calpol and the supermarket version to make sure we were never without any and that his temperature was kept well under control. It is really important that you don't use ibuprofen based medication as it has a serious adverse effect on chickenpox.

Something To Do

Chickenpox is very contagious and those infected have to be kept at home until the spots have scabbed over but keeping a little one, who's already not feeling themselves, entertained and happy whilst cooped up inside is no easy feat. The day JJ spots started a family friend visited us, and aware that he'd missed a party, bought him a stack of treats to cheer him up. A mix of magazines and sweet treats kept him entertained for days. I also tried my best to structure his days a little with a mix of playing, Lego building, colouring, practicing phonics and counting, along with movie time. 

I hope that none of your little ones get chickenpox, but without any vaccination in the UK it's almost a guaranteed part of childhood. So, if your children do happen to get chickenpox I hope these tips help you through it.

Mummy Snowy Owl
xx




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