Keep smart on kids' health

Is It bad parenting to try to make your child sick?

As mentioned in the Rotorua Daily Post on Tuesday, there were a number of parents who contacted a Rotorua daycare centre in a bid to have their children exposed to the chicken pox virus.

The manager of the centre, who didn't want to be named, said parents of children not registered to attend the daycare had called asking if their toddler could play with infected children in the hope of contracting chicken pox.

Bay of Plenty chief medical officer of health, Dr Phil Shoemack said it wasn't the "wisest thing to do".

It's a dilemma for many parents; for me personally I'm in the category of let nature run its course.

I feel uncomfortable with the concept of going out of my way to get my child sick.

Sure, there is a strong argument to say catching the disease later in life can be more dangerous but as Dr Shoemack says, chicken pox is one infection just about every child would contract and he didn't recommend deliberately exposing children to the illness.

The best advice for any parent is to be informed, don't rely on hearsay or old wives' tales when making decisions for your children especially when it comes to their health and wellbeing.

Greg Taipari is chief reporter at the Rotorua Daily Post