12 Month Vaccinations

I personally believe the MMR is PLENTY in one day! Sounds like you're leaning towards skipping the flu and pox- good idea. These immunizations are so much on their little bodies, skip what you can. Good luck.

I didn't do the chicken pox vaccine. I don't do the MMR until 18-24 months, and I have NEVER done the flu vaccine to my children. Google NVIC if you want to know why.. and Texas offers you a waiver that will still let them attend daycare and school - they just don't tell you about it. http://www.909shot.com/state-site/Texas.htm

The nasal flu shot IS capable of causing the flu... which is why it's only recommended if you're very healthy.

They do the flu vaccine in two parts at that age, and a nasal vaccine isn't available for that age yet (2 and up).

I am so against vaccines, so my opinion will differ from others. The MMR is the one that has the big movement against it ou in Washington. This vaccine will cause autism in some children. Do not let them talk you into this one. The doctors do not know, they are just doing what they are told. Your baby also does not need the chicken pox vaccine. Who cares if she gets it, it is a childhood illness. Besides, the vaccine does not prevent chicken pox. It will actually give it to her, because she will be injected with it. Does that make sense? The flu is another bad vaccine, because it is laced with aluminum and mercury. This has been linked to Alzhiemers. Every flu shot increases your risk of Alzhiemers by 5 times later in life. Don't EVER get the flu shot for any reason ever! Besides it doesn't work. There are too many diferent strands of the flu to try and vaccinate against it. The choice is yours on vaccinations. Don't let the doctors office tell you what you have to do. A co-worker of my husband's lost his 9 month baby girl, because they told him she HAS to have so many vaccinations. She died 5 days later. They were on the news and everything. Another big lie is they say that they have "mercury free" vaccinations. That is not possible, because these vaccinations have to have shelf life. Good luck! Stick to your guns!

http://www.vran.org/vaccines/doctors/s-tenpenny.htm

I am in favor of informed choice in health care. Our physicians often only give one side of the information, so I don't feel fully informed unless I am proactive enough to "hear" the opposing view.

The above link is one place to go for more info. Dr. Sherry Tenpenny is a voice about the problems with vaccinations. You can certainly find more on other sites if you look, but she is well known as an expert in this area.

Multiple vaccines at one time are definitely implicated in our current autism epidemic, due to their overload of immature immune systems. This is one thing to consider. Another is the toxic ingredients in the vaccines. Another is the long-term effects which are basically unknown.

The statistics on the flu vaccine specifically and it's benefits seem to be skewed. Go to www.mercola.com and do a search for flu vaccine to read more about this and the toxic ingredients in the flu vaccine.

In general, "follow the money", and do a "cost to benefit" analysis. Who is most benefiting from the large amounts of vaccines being recommended for our children? Are the risks of the vaccine (and yes there are risks though it sounds like your doctor will minimalize them, and the long-term risks are not well understood at this time, so these are overlooked altogether by most health care providers)...anyway are the risks worth the potential benefit?

Congrats to you for remembering that you have choices, and for looking for more information before making this choice.

Not wanting to scare you, I'd advise you to wait. Since you are a SAHM and no one is holding a gun to your head to give your child shots, DON'T! When you do feel comfortable about giving her the shots, do one at a time, no matter what your doctor or nurse says to you. YOU are your daughter's only advocate. Go Slow! Allergic reactions aren't ordinary, but they do happen. My daughter changed pediatricians because they treated her with such disrespect over vaccinations! My reason for this opinion is that I have a friend whose child DID have an allergic reaction to the DPT shots, and it wasn't diagnosed until she was hopelessly brain damaged. You only have to see one person's agony to know what you have to do to protect your child. Unless you put your daughter in daycare, or later in pre-school, you have plenty of time. Flu shots still have the mercury preservative in them, so they aren't safe, either. The best thing you can do for your family is learn about nuitrition and how to be healthier. Doctors do not study nuitrition in medical school. They are taught to treat, not prevent bad health. My daughter waited until her two started to preschool and they were, and still are, very healthy children.
J. B

The flu vaccine is not required and you do not have to get it. My sister in law just turned it down recently also. However if I were you I would ask if they have any thimerisol mercury in their vaccines since it's thought to be linked to Autism by many,including me. It was supposed to be taken out of vaccines, but some have small amounts. The best amount in my opinion is no amout of thimerisol mercury. I'm telling you this because I wish someone would have told me. My daughter is on the Autism spectrum. It's very curious that just after getting the MMR vaccine she had a 106 temperature that would not come down easily even at the emergency room. Besides, the flu vaccines also are said to not even be effective. Just want to make you aware. Thanks!

I would not personally even give the MMR together but would request the individual vaccinations be given seperately.

Ask them to order the individual shots and follow your instinct - too much at once is too much at once and increases the risks exponentially. :-)

I've said it time and time again - parents get these little nagging voices to protect their children. If you feel like it's too much at once than go with that. Tell them you aren't comfortable with that many shots at this time and you'll continue to reschedule as needed.

The clinics are often overworked and prefer to give as many shots as possible all at once becuase they are afraid parents won't bring their kids back.

Blessings, A. <><

P.S. Personally I would avoid the chicken pox as well unless there is a psecific medical condition that would make it truly dangerous (ie leukemia, HIV or other severe autoimmune disorder). A natural immunity is usually much longer lasting.

P.P.S. I wanted to add after reading some of the other posts - it is not chicken pox that "goes down on a man". That would be mumps. Just to clarify. Chicken pox is the itchy disease that is nearly harmless though irritating in children but very painful and serious in adults. Better to let them get it naturally now.

I would only do the MMR vaccine. At the time I didn't know what the varcella vaccine was for the chicken pox.(I was very young) Knowing this now I wish I had never had it done because vaccines have to be redone even as adults and most adults don't do it. If you child doesn't do this when she is older and contracts chicken poxs as an adult then it is much worse and she can become infurtal (sp?) I wouldn't wish that on anyone. Knowing what I know now my son will not have the second round of it.

Although I don't know much about the new nasal flu vaccine, I will say that the flu vaccine in itself is a God send. The flu vaccine will cut wayyyy back on the number of times that she gets sick during the winter. I used to get sick a lot as a child, and the years that I had flu shots were wonderful. My youngest child got the chicken pox vaccine, and she has not had any problems with chicken pox six years later. The MMR is the one that is going to give your child a mild case of the measles, fever, etc. so I agree with the nurse, you might as well just get it all, but I would definitely ask about the nasal/flu vaccine, because anything noninvasive that you can get will be much easier on your little girl.

It's only easier for them to give them all at once.. You are her mother and you can spread them out. Yes, I gave my daughter Tylenol before going to get her shots and I spread them out since the dosages are based on adults immune systems. I don't think she got the flu vaccine.. I don't get it and I work with children- I did it once and was sick for 2 weeks..2x longer than if I hadn't gotten it.

Talk with the Pediatrician..and remember the final decision is up to YOU...

I just want to add that there are two companys that make the thimersol-free flu shot. I don't know the names but my pedi ordered some and my son had a flu shot without mercury.

My daughter didn't do so well after her MMR at 4 years old. We saw a drastic decrease in her speech, more spacing out, and in general alot of withdrawl from who she was. This continued until they gave her the diagnoses of PDD-NOS (a mild form of autism) She was just mildly delayed before the shots. She's 7 now, and doing much better, but not thanks to any pediatric intervention. When our pedi saw how much better she did after our treatment (basically a change in diet) she said she didn't want her to have the flu shot that year or the next and same for this year as well. She said the THERMERISOL (an additive in the MMR) was still in alot of the flu shots. Without the doc admitting what was done, that pretty much confirmed my suspictions that for certain kids MMR (due to thermerisol) is just bad stuff.

I'd follow the advice on the other posters about how to go about getting it spaced out, or if you're freaked, and don't want it, call our state capital to have the form to not do it.

S.

I would definitely give her some Tylenol before the appointment. It will help with the pain and any fever that she may run from the vaccinations. I recommend the flu vaccine to everyone! My girls have gotten it since their first winter and I don't regret it one bit. My girls were never in daycare, either, but you CAN pick up the flu from just being out-and-about in public. My youngest daughter picked up some very bad cold strain from a shopping cart, for example. As far as the chicken pox vaccine is concerned, both of my girls have gotten that, too, and they haven't caught the chicken pox. I have heard that if you get the vaccine and then catch the chicken pox anyway, that it's a very mild case that doesn't last very long. Hope this helps some and good luck with whatever you choose to do!!!! :)

~H.~

yes give her tylenol, and I would let her get the flu shot. I got my kids their flu shot and they didn't have any side effects. I would get my four month one if he was old enough but he isn't.

P., I would opt out of the chicken pox vaccine until age 2. Don't give it with the MMR. There is some chance of a reaction of the 2 types. It is a slight chance, but one that is bad. My oldest son (now 8) received the MMR and chicken pox vaccine at 1 year. 5 days later, we were in the ER. He had a 105 fever and had to have tests done for blood infection. Later, I realized that the 2 probably reacted. Good luck with your decision.

We often got multiple shots in a visit. My kids did fine, maybe not feeling great the next day but not really sick either. Both of my boys so far haven't got the chicken pox. I think your friend had a bad experience for some reason, I cannot think of one kid I know that has had it. As far as the flu, I personally got them for me and my kids in the past. I would give my kids Tylenol before the appointment and they would usually cry for a fey minutes but not too long, and be fine and playing a couple of minutes later.

It is easier on everryone to get them all at once. As for the flu vaccine, they like to give those to babies simply because it is so dangerous for little ones and it just isn't worth the risk. The chicken pox issue is definitely a different one. I have vaccinated both of my kids from them and they have both gotten it. However, the people who I know who didn't vaccinate their kids were blown away about how minor the cases were. They only had to miss 3 days of school. I am sure you remember as a kid how bad it was for our friends and family, I don't know how many of you guys made it out with no scars but I have a couple!

P.,
I applaud you for giving this extra thought. My first four were immunized according to schedule until I met a woman who had a daughter with autism, that she is sure was a result of immunizations...(the little girl was normal until that day) Since my children don't do daycare and I have breast fed all of them, I feel very confident that when they are very small, they don't need all the immunizations. This was confirmed to me recently when I met another mother who had a similar experience. Her 17 year old son is autistic as well because of shots. I would do some research into this before you make your decision. If it was me, I wouldn't do it, at least until she is 2 or 3 and even then, I would not allow them to administer all of the shots on the same day.
There's lots of info on this on the web. Just google "autism, immunizations" or something like that and I am pretty certain you will come up with plenty of info.

Blessings,
Laura

I would space out the flu and chicken pox vacs. I have talked to people who said they felt awful after the flu vac and I know that the chicken pox is a live vac and it makes many kids )including my son) get a mild case of the pox : (

My mom decided not to vaccinate me when I was younger. I did get the chicken pox during my junior year of high school, but that is it. I have never had the flu shot, nor have I ever had the flu. My sister, on the other hand, gets the flu shot every year, and has also had the flu almost every year. I decided to vaccinate my son, but we don't get him every vaccine. He just went for his 12 month check up last week, and we decided to forego a few of the vaccines, including the flu shot. I didn't even discuss the flu shot with my husband before I declined it. I felt guilty a few days later and decided to ask my husband if he felt that our son should have the shot and he agreed with me that he didn't need it. Our son does not go to daycare, have a nanny, or spend time with other children at this time, so I didn't feel his risk was worth the possible side effects of the shot. Good luck with making your decision, I know it is difficult sometimes.

P.,

Despite what you will hear, this is plenty of evidence to connect autism and the MMR vaccine in particular. There is a huge amount of pressure placed on doctors to fall in line with the drug companies' official storyline on vaccines, but remember they said Vioxx was safe, and it has caused many deaths. There are plenty of other examples of how the pharmaceutical companies and the FDC have not provided all the information to make an informed decision, and how they have approved drugs that then have many horrible side effects, including death.

Read "Evidence of Harm" before you do anything. Even just go to the bookstore and skim through it. There, you will find highly educated parents (doctors, nurses, lawyers, business entreuprenours) who began to question the possible link after their otherwise normal baby started regressing and having horrible health problems.

At the very least, I would strongly encourage you to space out your child's vaccinations. Although you will be told the new vaccines don't have thimerosol, many doctors' offices are still using old batches that do. The flu vaccine does have mercury. There are also so many other terrible ingredients in most vaccines, it becomes mind boggling to think we are putting this stuff into our children's bodies! Also, I know some moms think we've been getting these vaccines for generations - we haven't. The schedule has more than doubled the amount kids receive today, compared to the 1990's when my nephews were vaccinated. There is also plenty of evidence, to the open mind, that these vaccines don't prevent the illnesses they purport to; many of these diseases had already been eradicated before the vaccine was developed. Go to some very trustworthy sites such as safeminds.org; vaccineinfo.net; and 909shot.com for valid information.

It is definitely a tough and controversial subject, but my neighbor across the street is my best example of the need to be informed. Her son has autism, and she resisted for several years the possibility that it is linked to vaccinations. After attending many seminars, talking to many, many moms, and doing her own research, she has reluctantly concluded that, for them, that was the cause. He was developing normally until he received a flu vaccine and the MMR at the same time. He was also given a booster a few months later. All three had mercury. She was referred to a pediatrician here in Dallas, who told her that was most likely the cause, but she won't give his name out because he has to be so careful about litigation. She has joined a class action lawsuit (I think against the pharma company that produced this particular MMR? I'm not sure), and they have hopes of getting compensation. Her son's care costs them a fortune. I'm really not a weird nutcase! Nor do I jump on bandwagons easily. But another friend had a child who developed autism after her MMR back in the mid 1990's and that started opening my eyes. Then, my daughter had a physical reaction to her MMR - her leg developed a huge welt that took over a year to go down, and it grew thick, coarse hair out of that spot, which has remained. So I am a believer now! My pediatrician's only remark, when I asked him about the coarse hair and upraised welt? "She won't develop cancer." Well, I hadn't even thought of that possibility! We now go to a new pediatrician, and we don't vaccinate. I feel very comfortable and safe with that decision.

Best wishes in deciding what is best and safest for you and your child.

The preservative Thimerasol in vaccines is the possible cause of autism in children. It has been removed from most vaccines at this point but is still used in some brands of the flu vaccine. Call your pediatrician's nurse and ask if the vaccines are Thimerasol free. My pediatrician does not use any vaccines containing Thimerasol. I wouldn't get the flu vaccine if I were a stay at home mom unless your child has breathing issues/asthma or a compromised immune system. There is a small chance that your child could get chicken pox even after receiving the vaccine but it's a small chance (10%). Also if they get chicken pox it is a milder case than someone who hasn't received the vaccine. My 2year old son didn't have any problems with vaccines and my new 3 month old son has done fine w/his too. I usually wait until after the vaccines to see if they run a fever or are extra fussy before giving more meds like tylenol. Hope this is helpful to you.

I would recommend going with the nurse's advice, especially if your child hasn't had any exposure to other children. Her immune system probably isn't very strong in that case, so she would be more susceptible to getting sick.
After reading the other posts, I would also like to add that you should do as much research as possible regarding the safety of vaccines so that you are comfortable with your choice. My daughter's pediatrician was very adamant that there is NOT a proven connection between vaccinations and autism, which I had heard of and was worried about. I understand there are cases of illness/death that were possibly caused by vaccinations, but after talking in depth with the doctor, I believe it's more of a risk to pass up the vaccination and risk your own child AND OTHER PEOPLE'S CHILDREN getting sick. I don't believe it's fair to put other children at risk, but if your daughter is not going to have contact with other children that isn't a concern. Just my opinion though! Good luck to you.

Hi, P.. My experience is this: my daughter got a sore arm and ran a low grade fever for a day or so. Tylenol helps, right before her check-up and then when she needs it. The main reason for the chicken pox vaccine is a lot of little ones get secondary infections when they have the chicken pox and can become deathly ill in a short amount of time. The flu vaccine is a must. You are in the work force and could bring the virus home with you and pass it on to your baby. Babies don't handle a respiratory illness as well as older children and adults. And, also, as an added bonus to the chicken pox vaccine, you DON'T want shingles, which is what you get as an adult. They can stick around for months. Hope this helps.

You may want to look into the links at www.camsvoice.com before deciding to do so many immunizations especially at one time. As for tylenol, it actually weakens the immune system making the child more inclined to have a reaction to the vaccination. I think the CDC will issue more warnings about this in the near future due to the autism epidemic.
The flu shots also contain thimerosal and I personally would never give one to a child. There is info. on this topic on the website as well.
I would highly recommend Stephanie Cave's book What your doctor doesn't tell you about vaccinations.
Just my two cents for what it is worth. I do not believe in vaccinating until the blood brain barrier is developed around age 4 just as a precaution to help prevent learning disabilities, adverse reactions, and autism. My nephew has onset autism as a direct result of his body not processing the toxins in the MMR shot. If you do want to give the MMR most doctors are beginning to recommend it in split doses. DR. Rao in Plano is one who offers the safer option for the MMR and flu vaccines. Good luck with your decision.

I have never given my children the flu vaccine and they have never gotten the flu. I know that they have good immune systems. If you aren't sure about your daughter or know that she has a weaker immune system than you may want to get it. Make sure it is the thimerasol free though. I also choose not to get the chickenpox vaccine because after doing the research on it I didn't think it was a good idea. All the other vaccines my girls have had. I would just do some research and do what is best for you and your child, it is different for everyone. If possible you may want to see if you can space them out a bit. maybe go back a month later for one of them. Good Luck.

I believe very strongly that parents have a responsibility to their children and their communities to have their children vaccinated. It is all but proven that vaccines do not cause autism. Both of my children have had all of their vaccines on time (including flu every year) and they have not had any side effects. Although, it is possible for vaccines to cause side effects, they are rare and usually mild.

They cannot get the nasal mist flu vaccine until they are 5 years old. Ask your doctor if the flu vaccine has the mercury base (I want to say it was called thimerasol?)- I don't give my kids ANY vaccine with the mercury base. But having said that, I am a fan of the flu vaccine- it is so hard on little ones.

Not a fan of the chicken pox vaccine- I think too little is known about it's long-term effectiveness. And it is much harder on an adult than a child. But this is a very personal decision and you should discuss your concerns with your pediatrician. As far as giving them tylenol before the appointment- I tend to go with the "Don't give them medicine unless they need it" idea. My youngest two kids did not have a problem with the MMR and the flu shot- but my oldest was crabby and had a red bump at the site of the shot, so I gave him tylenol (or maybe ibuprofen?) several hours after the MMR and he was fine then.

We have so many tough decisions as parents- some truly tough and some that we make tough even if they're not!! The vaccine dilemna's are tough.... Good luck, P.

I never allow my children to have the flu vaccine. If you get sick in June you have a "cold" but if you get sick in October or November you have the deadly "flu"? I'm not buying it. I would look for a Ped who is on the same page as you and doesn't want to overload babies immune systems with so many vaccines. This will change in the near future due to the information being leaked out. Drug manufacturers can't hush them anymore.

I read "What Your Doctor May Not Tell You About Children's Vaccinations." Written by a pedi. It was great. This book offers suggestions on how to reduce side effects to the vaccinations. She also recommends doing some shots separated, only getting one shot at a time, etc. Great stuff and I followed it loosely. We only gave our girls two shots at a time, and we did not do the new combos. The MMR, we gave to our oldest at 18 months, with about three months with out a shot before and six months after before her next one. She had not issues. Not sure about my lil' one yet. SHe reacts more to the shots so we are being more cautious. Follow your instincts. God gave them to you to protect that lil' one and no one, not even daddy, has them like you.

My 10 year old had all her shots and is fine. Bright, intellegent, completely normal. My son goes for his one year and will get his as well. We have been getting these shots for generations. My duaghter never has gotten chicken pox becuase of the shot. Both my kids get the nasal flu vaccine and will again on Tuesday. While no day cares, etc. may be involved, they will be in public. Stores, etc.

I just wanted to make a comment about the chicken pox. You can get immunity naturally but it is not with out risk also. You can wait until she is a teenage and if she hasn't gotten the chicken pox you can get her vaccinated then. She needs some kind of immunization natural or shot by adult hood. I had the chicken pox at 9 years old. I was very very sick and had to be hospitalized. My siblings and I were very healthy overall and rarely got sick. I had super high fevers and some many sores it was like just several large sores. I had to have dressings applied to them and it was miserable. My youngest sister was also very very sick. She managed to stay out of the hospital probably thanks to the knowledge my mom gained caring for me. It was really terrible. Then I got shingles on my face and in my mouth in college. This is why there is a vaccine. I personally would have taken it over what my family and I went thru. Just a different perspective. There is good and bad in any decision you decide to make. Just make the one that you can live with.

Don't give her Tylenol before the appointment because they will need to check her temp before they give her the shots and the Tylenol can mask any fever that might be present. Once they check her temp then you can give her Tylenol, in fact, they might give you a sample in the office to give her.

We just took our daughter for her 6 month check up and we declined the flu shot. The doctor let us know that since she does not attend daycare and is not around any other children that she didn't think we HAD to have it. It is our choice. That said, we know that we need to be very careful when we take her to public places. We NEVER let her sit in the icky shopping carts without a cover over it, or in the icky high chairs at restaurants. If you choose to pass on the flu shot, you must be proactive on keeping your daughter healthy.

I know this is a tough choice but you have received a lot of advice. Do what you truly think is right for your child. If you have a bad feeling, go with it.

I think all of it is very important. My children were sick without going to Day Cares. Chicken pox is very important. If they get it later in life they can become sterile in a man if it goes down on him. Also they need all this when they go to school so I would do it in a heart beat. I do not remember my children getting that sick but my daughter did get the measles bad. I have did so mom marched me in with little kids to get one. It saved me later when I was pg and a neighborkid came for a visit who then came down with measles which can really be hard on pg women. At that time they did not have vaccine for chicken pox. My daughter got shingles later on too and that is a form of chicken pox but it never seemed to bother her. Was on her arm for a long time then disappeared. I would get it. Even in the military they have to have them going over seas.
G. W

Hi P.,
I would definitely give her tylenol before the appt. I chose not to give my son the flu vaccine until he was 4 and in pre-k. My doctor and I decided that his risk factor wasn't as high as others. With our next child I am going to ask that those 12 mo. shots be spaced out between 12 mo and 15 mos. I'm the parent and I feel that vaccines are important as is my right to space them out. It is your decicion, go with your gut instict! Lots of luck.
K.

I just have to add follow your own instincts, and don't be scared in or out of taking the vaccines. I do know there are several cities where parents have decided to not immunize their children and many old time children illnesses are back like mumps and measels so just be careful in your decision.

I vaccinate all my children with the standard ones they recommend. I do it making an educated decision. I do not do the flu vaccine, and last year while I was pregnant I decided to do it for myself, and low and behold I got the flu... first time with the shot and first time I ever had the full blown flu...

Just be cautious where you look and what you read, because believe it or not the vaccines have saved a lot of lives and maybe that is where we get the rise in numbers of children with different disabilities....