Hand foot & mouth or chicken pox?

[hectors house]

Had a 11 month old mindee yesterday who had a cluster of spots under his chin (just thought it was where he has been dribbling, due to cold & teething) - he was very sleepy yesterday but as it was only his 4th whole day with me I didn't have much past sleeping records to go by - he did eat a reasonable amount of lunch and would sip from cup but wasn't keen on his bottle. By the end of day the cluster of spots had turned into quite raised blisters.

This morning mum phoned to say she was taking him to drop in clinic at hospital as he now has spots on chin, cheeks, groin area and legs - she phoned from there to say Nurse had said it was probably chicken pox - I asked if on way home she could call round so I could see him in the car - the spots on his face have now burst and scabbed - I don't think it is chicken pox at all - I think it is hand, foot and mouth as chicken pox spots take a few days before they dry out into scabs, also in my experience the spots first appear on the trunk - which is the area he hasn't got any spots at all.

Just wondered what other people thought? I do know that hand, foot & mouth is going around at the moment, whereas normally associate chicken pox as being a Spring and summer infection.

[natalieatk]

Sound like impetigo, hand foot and myth in on hands and feet and inside the mouth, sometimes groin area, they don't burst the spits just disappear, one of my minders has it and I was curious about incubation,
However you child certainly sounds like impetigo, also highly contagious! Defiantly needs to be off, it's spread through salvia,

[hectors house]

No don't think it is impetigo - that takes days for the blisters to scab over (looked it up on website), think it must be hand, foot and mouth as several other childminders today said they had, had children who have gone down with it after attending a toddler group last Monday - hardly any of them had blisters in mouth, mostly areas I described - chin or cheeks, groin area, legs.

[natalieatk]

Ah rite, are you excluding for that, one of mine has it not sure what to do

[Simona]

All different but check it out here

Chickenpox - NHS Choices

Impetigo - NHS Choices

Hand, foot and mouth disease - Introduction - NHS Choices

[hectors house]

Ah rite, are you excluding for that, one of mine has it not sure what to do

I don't normally exclude for hand, foot and mouth but the mum is insisting she was told it was chicken pox - so I DO exclude for that! I felt a bit guilty that this is only her 2nd week back after nearly a year off maternity leave, until she said that she was taking the day off because SHE felt to ill and now she had to look after a sick child - she knew that I am ill too but was quite prepared to still send her child so she could go back to bed.

She is going to wait and see if any chicken pox symptoms show over next few days, but I only have him Monday & Tuesday so hopefully he will be better by then.

[hectors house]

Just had text from spotty mindees mum - he now has spots on his hands and feet so she thinks it may be Hand, foot and mouth after all!