Is your little one recovering from chickenpox? Or are you providing childcare for a child who is? Either way, there's a good chance you'll be feeling pretty overwhelmed by the challenge. Chickenpox is contagious for around five days after the start of the illness, or until all of the blisters have scabbed over. If you're still in the early stages, you won't have the option of taking your child out to entertain them so you'll need to get creative around the house.

We've listed some of the best ways to keep your child occupied while they're cooped up indoors during their chickenpox recovery. They'll likely be back to full health before you know it - but here's what to do in the meantime.

Play with toys in the bath

Taking a bath in cool or lukewarm water often helps to reduce the itching that comes along with chickenpox. This means your child is less likely to scratch, and their blisters will heal more quickly. However, most kids aren't keen to sit in a cold bath without entertainment! Instead of presenting it as something that they 'have' to do, present the bath as a fun activity. Pick a few waterproof toys and play imaginary games together. Plastic boats and dolls are a popular choice, and wind-up bath toys are fun to race. Bath crayons let your child have fun drawing all over the tub, which is a great distraction.

Create an indoor obstacle course

If your child is still infectious, trips to the park aren't an option. This means your child might start to get frustrated by pent-up energy and lack of active play. Creating an indoor obstacle course is a great solution to this. You could use cushions and stools as 'rocks' which your child needs to climb across to avoid the lava below. Rows of chairs make great tunnels to crawl through, and planks of wood can be used as balance beams. Get creative and have fun.

Prepare a fun fruit salad together

Eating healthily will help your child to recover more quickly, so why not get them involved in healthy food prep? Chop up fruit, then allow your child to create different combinations and mix everything together. You could even create funny faces or pictures using different pieces of fruit. How about a man with grapes for eyes, an apple slice mouth, and lots of red berries as hair? Once you're done, enjoy eating your healthy snacks together.

Caring for a child with chickenpox can feel really stressful. Make it easier on both of you by planning activities and staying occupied.

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