How bad is Hand Foot & Mouth Disease really?

Usually a miserable but overall fairly mild illness. There’s some possible rare association with stillbirth when caught near term in pregnancy as well as increased risk of complications in newborns, although most pregnant individuals and newborns who catch it will be fine.

We were recently in this position. My toddler broke out in characteristic lesions just a few days before I ended up giving birth to her baby brother. Baby had a rough few days but was otherwise okay. Despite our rigorous handwashing he did end up catching it last week - it sheds for quite a while - but fortunately had a very mild case and never even developed a fever.

Just be super cautious with handwashing, that’s all you really can do to avoid these bugs that spread like wildfire among kids. Chat with your care provider about your risk of exposure and see if there’s any extra steps they’ll want you to take in case your kiddo brings it home.

/r/Parenting Thread