Flu Shot for 8 Month old....to Get or Not to Get?

Absolutely no flu shot!!!!! I can mail you some info if you are interested. My email is ____@____.com.

I have given all 3 of my children flu shots every year and have not had a bad reaction yet. In the last 12 months, 141 people have died from the flu, not H1N1, the regular flu, and the majority are children under 2. This happens every year, I just don't think people realize it. My DH is a school teacher and brings home all sorts of germs and viruses so I believe it is essential for us.

On the other hand, I have heard that if you are breastfeeding that the baby doesn't need a flu shot b/c he/she gets your antibodies. Talk to your doctor and your pediatrician and see what advice they give. Hope you and your family stay healthy this year! :O)

God bless.
~J.

You might want to visit the website www.familiesfightingflu.org. Then talk to your doctor, review the cdc website and make the decision on your own. The 'regular' flu shots, not the H1N1, are tried and true. 36,000 people die every year, yes, every year, of the flu. So make yourself informed on facts before you decide. Take things into consideration, such as is your daughter in day care and exposed to other people? Do you have someone at high risk such as an elderly person or someone with pulmonary disease taking care of her, that if she got the flu, she could give it to them and they could end up extremely ill? It's good that you are asking questions, and please get the facts, not opinions, to make your decision.

Hi S.,

My daughter is allergic to eggs and therefore she has NEVER had the flu shot and she has never gotten horribly sick. She will be 5 next month and has had all of her other immunizations, but never the flu shot due to it being cultured in egg proteins (maybe cultured is the wrong word, but there is egg protein in the vaccine). She can't have the H1N1 flu shot either due to the same reason. But she's healthy and happy.

Hope this helps!

:) C.

We are not doing any shots other than the usual vacines. The flu shot is a stab in the dark as to what strain of flu is coming this year. Most people I have heard who have gotten the shot also get the flu. I used to work at a day care and got the shot - I also got the flu. Now I stay home with my kids and non of us get it the flu or the shot. We do run a humidifier
http://www.amazon.com/Vicks-99-999-Germ-Free-Humidifier/d... al winter long and it really has helped keep colds and other sicknesses down.

It is a tough call. Educate yourself and go with your gut.

Hi S. - I should say first off that I am a believer in flu shots and other vaccinations for my kids. I have discussed vaccinations in depth not only with our pediatrician but also a pediatric neurologist. They both recommend vaccinations for the usual reasons and vaccinate their own children, but you have to do a risk benefit analysis for yourself - what about the vaccination concerns you in terms of your child's health? Is it the autism issue or something else? Ask what are the benefits of the flu shot? A fact which is undisputed is that the flu virus is more severe and more deadly in small children, elderly people, immune-compromised people and people with other underlying health issues such as asthma, etc. Your son falls into one of those higher-risk groups. The chance that he may become seriously ill from the flu is, in my opinion, much greater than the extremely minor chance he would have of developing autism even if you do believe in that connection. Also, if you decide to get him the flu shot, to maximize the full benefit of it you and anyone else caring for him or living with him should get it too, to minimize the chances of him contracting it. By the way, I have a one year old boy. He had his flu shot a month ago (no problems other than crying, of course) and will get the second booster in early October. I'm not going to mess around with it or take any chances, but that is the choice I made for him. I also got a flu shot for my 4 year old boy with no problems and my own flu shot too. Good luck with your decision.

I feel very strongly about not getting the flu shot unless you are high risk. I worry about the exposure to mercury for my kids who they want to give the shot to every year. What is the effect of all the mercury in the brain after 40 years of shots? Scary stuff...

If you do decide to get him the shot please check into getting him one that doesn't have mercury in it.

http://naturalhealthblog.healthegoods.com/flu-vaccine-con...

http://www.nvic.org/

My advice....educate yourself and make the decision that is best for you and your child! Don't let people tell you what to do...there are WAY too many people who are much too opinionated on this subject. I found this out the hard way myself :):)

Good luck, and whatever you decide....you are doing the right thing for your son!

S., the Michigan Chiropractic Pediatric Assc. is hosting Mary Tocco (an independant vaccine researcher) and Dr. Andrew Moulden, MD, PhD to speak on vaccines. They are doing a 4 city tour in early October. Their website is www.mcpakids.org. You can go there for more info.

Dr. Rick Semlow

If you are a SAHM, I would pass on the vaccine for sure. You are not at a high risk. If you are breastfeeding, that is even more reason not to get the vaccine. I have not done the flu vaccine for either of my small children--ages 4.5 and 20 months and neither has been very sick period. I feel strongly that extended breastfeeding and a healthy diet full of fruits, veggies, and whole grains is the real secret to not getting sick--basically avoiding processed foods with all the preservatives, pesticides, high fructose corn syrup, food dye infested food that fills our supermarkets. My kids catch a bug occasionally and can get the sniffles but nothing that lasts more than a couple of days. Trust your own instincts. You are right to question the safety of anything FDA approved--its amazing to me the stuff they continue to approve... Vaccines are not bad in itself--they have there time and place. It is the quantity and pace that I object to. Do your own research and go with your gut.

Hi S., I've heard so much information about the flu vaccine and many questions about how effective it will really be. To quote one source, "What a lot of people don’t know is that true type A or type B influenza only causes about 20 percent of all flu-like symptoms that people experience during any given flu season6. 80 percent of all flu-like illness in a normal flu season is NOT caused by the type A and B strains of influenza contained in annual flu shots. And vaccine acquired immunity is temporary, while immunity gained after recovering from influenza is longer lasting." (Taken from www.nvic.org.)

My interest in learning more about the effectiveness of the flu vaccine is inspired by a Wellness Class that I am taking from a Naturopath who has her PhD in nutrition. It is stressed that our diet and lifestyles are our best and first defense against all disease, whether it be the common cold, flu or cancer.

I am putting together a presentation to share just that information. If you live in the Detroit/Flint area, or even if you don't, I would love to invite you to participate in that. I plan to share a list of foods that are used by the body to strenghten the immune system. Let me know if you are interested and I would be happy to send you the details. Thanks again for responding. In health, D.

I wouldn't. And you can feel better knowing that he will probably be healthy since you are lucky enough to be home with him every day/he won't be picking up scads of germs in a daycare. Just make sure you/husband/anyone else who comes into your house always wash their hands and stay away from the malls during the season. Let him get his "germs" from the mall and othe kids when it's not flu season.