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Babies: 6 - 9 Months
Chicken Pox
Another baby in my DS daycare class has chicken pox. I posted on FB for people to send us lucky vibes that he doesn't get it and people are writing that I should be hoping he gets it. Why would I wish this on him? He's a baby. He can't understand that he shouldn't scratch. They cite that they know someone who got it as an adult and it was terrible but isn't that what vaccines are for (which we plan to give him at 1 years old)? Am I crazy?
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Re: Chicken Pox
I don't think N knows how to scratch yet so that wouldn't really be an issue IMO.
This. Google "Chicken Pox Parties."
We won't be vaccinating for it (it's not on par with essentials like polio, IMO), but we won't be actively seeking it out either.
People are saying that because that's what people have said for years, because until recently there was no vaccine and every good mother would try hard to have her kid catch the chicken pox while he's still a kid. It is MUCH worse to get it as an adult.
But it's silly advice these days because you're right, that's what vaccines are for. People might have been assuming you don't plan to vaccinate for it, though, and if so then it would be good advice for your baby to catch it any chance he gets (even as a baby) because there are going to be fewer opportunities to catch it "naturally" now that kids are being vaccinated. But if you're planning to give the vaccine at a year, there's no reason to try and have him catch it before then.
I just got this CDC kids newsletter update today - there was a section on the chicken pox.
https://www.cdc.gov/Features/PreventChickenpox/
While it's true that generally the chicken pox is nothing to worry about so many don't see the vaccine as necessary - there was a story linked on the website from a mother of a 13 month old who almost died from the chicken pox. Now, this is very very rare, but I would much rather vaccinate my child against the chicken pox than face possible side effects (and I also know there are side effects from the vaccine as well...) Until I read this I forgot that there CAN be some complications with the chicken pox, especially in young children. I feel it's easy to forget, because hey, we all had chicken pox when we were younger and are all fine...
edit: OP - I definitely didn't mean to scare you at all with this, I was mostly referring to the comments actually having the chicken pox is better than the vaccine... There was a chicken pox outbreak at our daycare after my daughter was there for 2 days, but luckily she didn't get it. Hopefully your LO doesn't either.
Yes, there are vaccines...but they wear off. If you don't get chicken pox as a child and get immunity to it, you will have to continue to get vaccinated your entire life to keep from getting it as an adult...which is far worse.
Yes, it's possible that you will need a booster for the chicken pox vaccine. But studies so far have shown that protection has lasted for as long as vaccinated persons have been followed (25 years in Japan and more than 10 years in the U.S.) To say that you will have to keep getting vaccinated your entire life and is far worse than the having chicken pox is a little bit of an exaggeration.