THE SPOTTY rash that comes with chickenpox can be very itchy and make children – and their parents – feel miserable.
And keeping your tot calm and happy while they're covered in blisters can seem like an uphill battle.
The symptoms will usually go away on their own in one to two weeks and most parents will have an idea of how to treat their little ones.
But first aider Nikki Jurcutz from Tiny Hearts Education said parents could unknowingly be making a mistake when it comes to treating their kids.
The paramedic – who specialises in baby and child first aid – shared a clip detailing a common mistake you might be making and two other things you should know about chickenpox.
1. Don't give your little one ibuprofen
If you're tot has chicken pox, they should not be given ibuprofen as that could make them more likely to develop severe skin and soft tissue infections.
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Nikki shared some pictures of what an infected blister can look like.
But she said paracetamol was safe to use.
2. Blisters that are scratched are more likely to scar
Stopping your little one from scratching their itchy chickenpox spots is quite the struggle for most parents.
But the first aider noted that blisters that are scratched are more likely to scar permanently.
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She recommended cutting your child's nails and putting mittens on their hands.
3. Blisters can pop up in unexpected places
According to Nikki, chicken pox blisters can appear in your tot's mouth, aside from their face and body.
The spots can be painful and make your child less eager to eat or drink.
The medic suggested you give them regular paracetamol, as well as cool drinks and ice lollies.
Since your little won't want to drink as much, it's important to monitor them for signs of dehydration.
These include:
- thirstiness
- dark yellow and strong smelling pee
- peeing less often
- a dry mouth, lips and tongue
- dizziness, light-headedness or tiredness
- sunken eyes
The signs are slightly different babies, who might have a sunken spot in the top of their head, few or no tears when they cry and not many wet nappies.
Nikki also shared pictures of what chickenpox looks like on darker skin tones.
The illness tends to happen in three stages, according to NHS guidance.
Small spots will appear first and these can pop up anywhere on the body: these can be red, pink or the same colour as the surrounding skin, depending on skin tone.
The spots will then fill with fluid and become blisters – these will be very itchy and may burst.
These will scab over afterwards. Some will be flaky while others can leak fluid.
Posting to Instagram, Dr Ranj Singh warned parents against using another popular remedy, calamine lotion, as it could actually make chickenpox worse.
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How to treat it
In order to treat chickenpox, Dr Raj recommended the below remedies:
- stay hydrated (jelly and ice lollies are great for this)
- paracetamol for pain/fever (avoid ibuprofen and aspirin unless medically advised)
- use anti-itch medicine/cream (e.g Eurax, Poxclin, antihistamines -but avoid calamine lotion as it is drying)
- try oatmeal in the bath using cool water (pat the skin dry afterwards)
- use cool wet flannels/cooling gels on the skin
- trim nails/use mittens to reduce scratching
When to get help with chickenpox
Chickenpox will usually get better by itself in one to two weeks without you needing see a GP.
But you should get advice from 111 if:
- the skin around the chickenpox blisters is hot, painful and red – note that redness may be harder to see on brown or black skin
- your child has chickenpox and is dehydrated
- chickenpox symptoms suddenly get worse
- you're pregnant and have not had chickenpox before, or you're not sure, and you've been near someone with chickenpox
- you have a weakened immune system and have been near someone with chickenpox
- you think your newborn baby has chickenpox
Go to 111.nhs.uk or call 111.
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