Have you guys heard about this? When parents choose not to get the Chicken Pox vaccine for their child they try to get their child infected by taking them to the house of another child infected. It becomes a Chicken Pox party. A mom I know was telling me she took her daughter to one and hoped she'd come down with it.

Anyone ever host or go to a Chicken Pox party? Did it work?

I've heard about this online, but I don't have any friends that have done this. Are you guys getting the chicken pox vaccine for your little ones? My ped does it at 12 months, which will be Will's next check up and I'm just not sure about it.

I'm also thinking about getting the chicken pox vaccine for myself. I've never had CP and it's much worse the older you get. My dad and aunt both didn't get it till they were in there late 30's.

My older two have both had the CP vaccine. Mason is only 8 months - so he will have it eventually.

I don't know what to think about the parties. I guess it'a a good idea if you really want to get it over with, but I can't imagine purposely trying to get your LO sick.

I've read about the parties but have never actually known of one. Both of my kids had the chicken pox over Christmas vacation. And btw, at my son's school, there was an outbreak of 27 cases, 24 of whom had been vaccinated and another 2 that had been infected already as babies but apparently didn't build up an immunity with such mild cases. So the vaccine is no guarantee against later infection. I would personally prefer my kids to have a good case of it and have lifetime immunity rather than have to get boosters for the rest of their lives or risk infection at an older age (when, like SarahMay said, it's potentially much worse) when the vaccine immunity wears off.
SarahMay, have you had a blood test to check for immunity? I would do that before getting the vaccine, in case you had it at some point and your parents didn't realize it or something.

You know these have been around for years. I went to several when I was young.

I never caught the Chicken pox at any of them. I went to a lot of them as a result. Even had to wear some of my sister's clothes sleep in the sam bed with her when she got it. Never caught. ( I am starting to feel that maybe I am naturally immune to it)

I am opting fot the vaccine for both of my kids. Even though nobody in my house caught it last Christmas when my inlaws had it and we spent the day with them.

I think the paries are more commn in the black community though.. my husband ( who is white) had never heard of them either.

Both of my boys had the CP vaccine, but my daughter had the chicken pox when she was only 4 months old, boy talking about tough that was tough. She had ear tubes put in one week and the chicken pox the next week! yikes! I will have to say that it was a really bad experience.

never heard of them until now. both boys have had the vacine, we are not sure if we are going to continue vax'ing right now, so i dont' know if alyssa will have the vax or not