Day Care Chicken Pox Etiquette

[freakyfemme]

Wow......the day care centre definitely overreacted, I mean, what's a parent to do?  You went to the doctor to get your daughter checked out, even though you thought it was just mosquito bites, and then when you found out it was chicken pox, you gave them the heads-up, knowing that the most contagious period for chicken pox happens before the spots break out.  You were absolutely right to do that, and they were absolutely wrong to freak out and act as if you were personally responsible for infecting the whole day care with the bubonic plague or something.  Haven't they dealt with this before?  Chicken pox is a normal childhood disease that's really not that big a deal.  I got it when I was in grade four, stayed home from school for a week, and went back no worse for wear, except for a scar on my forehead, between my eyes, from excessive scratching, and my brother had chicken pox on THREE separate occasions, but he's perfectly healthy now too.  The chicken pox vaccine wasn't around when we were kids (or if it was, it was in its infancy), and the belief then was, everyone gets chicken pox at some point, and it's better to get it while you're young.  I think I suffered worse from cabin fever during that week at home than I did from actual chicken pox, lol.  By the end of the week, I was so sick of staying inside, I actually sneaked outside and put on my Rollerblades, much to the chagrin of the babysitter, who had to chase me down the street........but anyway, there IS a point to this story, and that is that chicken pox really isn't the end of the world.

[ZipTheWonder]

How does the director know your daughter didn't pick up chicken pox there?  Another child could have also had the illness without realizing it.  (My son had only three pox during his illness and if I weren't a nurse, they could have been easily missed -- I almost did.)

Nevermind that your daughter was capable of infecting people before her pox appeared, so there is nothing more you could have done than that you did.

What sort of action is being threatened and by whom?  Certainly, the daycare didn't identify your family to other clients....right??? 

[kareng57]

I think the director has over reacted and also breached confidentiality if she has specifically mentioned your child by name in the letter. (Or maybe that is standard practice in your area/centre?).  You reacted appropriately by immediately removing your daughter from the centre so I'm not quite sure what else you were expected to do.  And it's highly likely that your daughter caught it from some other child in the centre anyway, so if other parents don't want their children exposed to these sorts of things they should never send their kids to daycare/school/extra curricular activities.

My son's grade 1 class had 3 separate cases of chicken pox this year, and in each case no one else caught it so the chances of other children contracting it from your daughter are probably very slim anyway.

I agree, my friend is a primary-teacher (grades 1 to 3) and she says that, as contagious as chickenpox is, it really doesn't sweep through a classroom the way that the common-cold or pink-eye can, for example.  Usually, if one child has it, perhaps one other classmate seems to catch it from him/her - most kids who get it seem to have been exposed from siblings.  Of course, toddlers tend to spend more time in daycare than older kids do in school so perhaps the risk is somewhat higher but not astronomical.

DS #1 came down with it the night before he was supposed to return to school after the Christmas-holiday break.  Boy, was he ticked off, because he absolutely loved his Grade 2 teacher (he even insisted that, when picking up homework for him, I bring along a photo of him for his teacher so that she wouldn't forget what he looked like).  But I knew it was almost inevitable that his Grade 1 brother would come down with it also, within the next two or three weeks - so I warned the Grade 1 teacher.  She appreciated the heads-up, but had what-can-you-do-anyway attitude.  But another parent heard about it and went nuts.  (Luckily she didn't know exactly which child had been exposed or I'm sure she'd have come after me directly).  She honestly thought that the exposed-child should be kept out of class for three weeks, simply to avoid infecting other kids!  (This was about 12 years ago when chickenpox vaccines were not yet available here).  I think the teacher finally got her to shut up by mentioning that it would be better if her daughter got chickenpox at age 6 rather than 16.

Like clockwork, DS #2 did indeed come down with it 10 days later.  DS #1 had certainly been miserable enough, but #2 was in absolute agony.  His spots were so inflammatory-looking that I took him to the doctor (which you're not supposed to do with routine cases of CP), thinking it might be that 1 in 1000 cases that truly has a toxic reaction.  He kept crying "it stings, it stings" and apparently some people do feel it this way, rather than itching.  I know some people don't opt for the vaccine, thinking it's a mild disease and usually, it is.  But I'd think that most conscientious parents would want their child to avoid several days of misery if it's so easily prevented.

[Cyndi]

I'm beginning to think I have a natural immunity to it, because I was exposed to my grandpa when he had shingles and I didn't catch CP from him. My grandma lived for 81 years and never caught CP.

I did get the vaccine though, just in case. Good thing too because of my mom's shingles, I'm exposed to her more than I was to my grandpa and I might have caught it.

Edit: Oh, and I thought this was pretty funny:

[ZipTheWonder]

My son's grade 1 class had 3 separate cases of chicken pox this year, and in each case no one else caught it so the chances of other children contracting it from your daughter are probably very slim anyway.

I agree, my friend is a primary-teacher (grades 1 to 3) and she says that, as contagious as chickenpox is, it really doesn't sweep through a classroom the way that the common-cold or pink-eye can, for example.  Usually, if one child has it, perhaps one other classmate seems to catch it from him/her -

In the US, most children in this age range are immune by vaccine, so you really shouldn't see (pardon the pun) a rash of chicken pox in a classroom these days.

[TZ]

DS #1 came down with it the night before he was supposed to return to school after the Christmas-holiday break.  Boy, was he ticked off, because he absolutely loved his Grade 2 teacher (he even insisted that, when picking up homework for him, I bring along a photo of him for his teacher so that she wouldn't forget what he looked like).  

That is priceless!  And poor DS #2.  I don't remember having the chicken pox, but I got the shingles when I was 12.  It didn't itch, it burned!

I definitely think the daycare overreacted, and I hope they didn't use the OP's (or her child's) name.

[audhs]

1)How is this my fault when the daycare even examined her spots and determined they were bits
2)What should I do with the parents that are confronting me about infecting their child.

1 It's not your fault (my sister had 3 spots as a very small child my mom only knew what it was becuase my other 2 siblings had just had it)

2 I'm not sure but, ignoring them may be best.  As others have said the "infecting" would have happened before you saw the spots

I got the chicken pox at 13 when no one we knew had them, after being exposed numourous times as a child. If you're going to get them your going to get them.  These people need to get a life and relax.

[sammycat]

my friend is a primary-teacher (grades 1 to 3) and she says that, as contagious as chickenpox is, it really doesn't sweep through a classroom the way that the common-cold or pink-eye can, for example

Slightly OT but we had nits sweep through my son's classroom this year.  We all knew who started it but the school couldn't do anything about it except keep sending notes home to the class on how to treat it.  Although no one in the class caught chicken pox from 3 kids' who had it on separate occasions, 5 people caught a chest infection off a boy whose mother insisted on sending him to school, coughing and hacking all over the place, and who would refuse to pick him up even though he was obviously very sick. No one was impressed.

[kareng57]

My son's grade 1 class had 3 separate cases of chicken pox this year, and in each case no one else caught it so the chances of other children contracting it from your daughter are probably very slim anyway.

I agree, my friend is a primary-teacher (grades 1 to 3) and she says that, as contagious as chickenpox is, it really doesn't sweep through a classroom the way that the common-cold or pink-eye can, for example.  Usually, if one child has it, perhaps one other classmate seems to catch it from him/her -

In the US, most children in this age range are immune by vaccine, so you really shouldn't see (pardon the pun) a rash of chicken pox in a classroom these days.

Yes, of course this was in the days when the CP vaccine wasn`t readily avaiable.  Even when it was, for a few years here the parents had to pay, it was about $100 per dose (this was after my own kids had had it, of course).  I`d have still said - if you can possibly afford it, then do it.  Kids who get it when they`re 2 or 3 might barely notice it, but my kids were 7 and 6.  I actually took one of them into bed with me for the night because it was in such severe discomfort - and I`ve never had chickenpox myself.  I had a few people ask me `then aren`t you worried`` - My response was - what do I do , leave town (that`s supposed to be a question-mark, my computer is not behaving these days).

[P_Cloud]

As someone who had the chicken pox when I was 18 (got them from working at a daycare) I think the parents of the other kids should be thanking you, not "threatening action." Not that there is any action they could really take against you.  It is so much better to have them when you are a child, if you're going to get them. Yeah, getting sick on the holidays is not fun, but is there ever really a convenient time to get sick? Like previous posters have said, most of the other kids will probably not even contract it due to immunizations. I am sorry they are treating you so badly over this. Hopefully they will realize they were being irrational and apologize to you like they should.

[NOVA Lady]

I just wanted to thank the OP for posting this and all of you replying because you all gave me a heads up. I never had chicken pox and was never vaccinated (I wasn't born in the US, but came here when fairly young). I looked it up and aparently is can be pretty serious to get at my stage of life (I am in my mid/early twenties). I am going to look into getting the vaccine now, I thought it was too late!

So thank you all

[Alida]

Action?  Over chicken pox?!?!  Excuse me while I pick myself up off the floor. 

[dawbs]

I just wanted to thank the OP for posting this and all of you replying because you all gave me a heads up. I never had chicken pox and was never vaccinated (I wasn't born in the US, but came here when fairly young). I looked it up and aparently is can be pretty serious to get at my stage of life (I am in my mid/early twenties). I am going to look into getting the vaccine now, I thought it was too late!

So thank you all

I still have mixed feelings on getting any potential kids of my own vaccinated (the immunity is significantly less when compared to actually getting the disease, etc), but do definitely get it if you are an adult who has managed to avoid it thus far!

(Once upon a time, I worked for an Asian auto parts supplier.  There were several executives who had moved to the US to work here.  One employee had children who brought home chicken pox, unbeknown to the adults--none of whom had the disease as a child, and all of the adults from outside the US in the office got it...not only was it a work nightmare (nothing like all 6 of the top executives out of the office at one time!), it was very very serious in the employees who were "older" (above 40 isn't "older", but I don't have a better word tonight, sorry for my lack of eloquence!  )

[NOVA Lady]

Wow! Seriously thank you. I never even *thought* of this as a problem at all! I have a doc appointment coming up and I will definetly bring it up. I didn't consider it an issue but after hearing about it here and then looking into it online it seems to me I should get the vaccine.

[itiswhatitisn't]

Are they kidding?!?!?!  My friend sends his son to a home daycare.  Provider had her grandson who had pinkeye over and let him infect the whole place.  All parents had to keep their kids home when she should have told her grandson to stay home.  That's something to threaten action over.  I'm sure that everyone's sick time and vacation time is valuable.  However, I'd say to those parents that daycare cleared her and if they're mad they school demand that the daycare educate it's people better.