Flu Shots for 6 Mth Old

My daughter has never had a flu shot in her life, is 22, and has only had the flu twice.
I stopped taking flu shots because I always got sick after, and when I stopped taking them, I stopped getting the flu. I've had it twice in the twelve years since I quit taking them. So I would say no.

I dont get flu shots and neither does my daughter. They do not work. Please read the attached article.

http://gaia-health.com/gaia-blog/2012-10-05/no-value-in-a...

I wouldn't do it. Especially at that age. Now, my kids have had every other vaccine out there, so I'm not against vaccines. But, my kids have only ever had one flu shot their whole lives. That was a few years ago when that really deadly flu was going around that was seriously debilitating and killing people. For the most part, unless you have other major medical issues, or are older and at risk, the flu shot probably isn't necessary.

no way.
no way in hell.
khairete
S.

I agree with Sherry and B -- our family all gets flu shots every year. If you got sick after flu shots, the shot itself did not give you flu; that is not possible. You probably picked up something the same day you got the shots.

I have had the flu (different strain from the one in the shots) months after getting a shot -- but it was much milder than in the past when I did not get flu shots and got the flu. MUCH milder. If you have ever had real influenza you will know it; it's horrid and your body feels like you've been hit by a truck. Having a milder, shorter flu was a blessing. I know that the flu shot, though it did not protect from the strain I did get, helped make the flu less intense. Ask a doctor -- even if your shot does not contain the exact strain you get, the shot does help make the case of flu less severe if you do contract it.

Infants, the elderly, and those with compromised immune systems are the likeliest to become gravely ill with or die from influenza. If your child has no exposure to anyone with flu, then probably you might wait, but if you yourself or someone in the close family gets the flu, what do you think the chances are that the baby will too? Why not get flu shots for everyone else, if you don't want to get them for the baby? So the baby is not exposed to people who are unprotected?

If you want some objective medical advice, go to www.cdc.gov/flu and look especially at high risk groups. That's the Centers for Disease Control and they note that "children younger than 5, but especially children younger than 2 years old" are at high risk for complications if they do contract flu.

It's your call, of course, but infants are in a high risk group if they do catch it.

Everyone in my family gets a flu shot every year.

First let me say that you need to do what is right for you and your family. It's a personal decision you and your hubby need to make after doing your own research. And I agree with the first post about the different issues that may sway your decision.

Having said that, I am an RN with over 30 years of experience. My 'kids' are now 18 and 22. No one in our home has had a flu shot, ever. IF we have ever had the true influenza, it apparently has been very mild compared to what others get. And I do believe people get sick after receiving the shot, but not from the shot itself. They probably got a different strain or a mutant strain for which the shot was developed. That's one of my biggest issues - this years flu shot was developed last spring as a 'guess' of what the prevalent strain would be this season. I'm also not anti-flu shot though. Just anti-flu shot for my family.

The reason you hear of so many people getting the flu after getting the flu shot is because all vaccines temporarily impair your immune system. There are various strains of the flu and the vaccine only protects against one type, which is only a best guess scenario based on what was most common last spring. So you get the shot, your immune system is down, and then you go on to catch another strain. I would stay away from it. You didn't mention if you were breastfeeding or not, but if you are that would be better protection for him. Here's an article explaining the immune system thing:

http://www.healthy.net/Health/Article/Do_Vaccines_Disable
_the_Immune_System/539

I would not do that. Flu shots are not really all that good for you. They don't protect you from getting the flu either. I would stay far away from it. We do not vaccinate in our family, and we haven't had the flu (stomach flu, yes, but not the actual flu)

My kids are 18 and 15 (years) and have never had a flu shot. I haven't either.

Good luck with your decision.

Should you get a flu shot for your baby? Yes!

And the flu shot contains inactivated flu virus. It didn't give you the flu.

My kids and I get the flu shot every year, including the H1N1 shot, and we have never had the flu. I suspect the reason people get sick after receiving the shot is because they are going to clinics and hospitals to get the shot and picking up other viruses while there. We always get sick after a check up at the doctors office as well. Sarah C. has some good points as well. If your six month old is healthy, breastfed and doesn't go to daycare is probably isn't necessary. We get ours because I work in child care and my kids are at school.

Totally depends on your situation! Healthy baby or special needs? Nursing or Formula fed? Home or Daycare? Small in home daycare or large center? Does baby react badly to shots or are they no big deal?

I never get the flu shot and I never get my kids the flu shot.

I only had a flu shot in once. I was pregnant with my first. My OB said I needed it & since I had never had one before and had never been pregnant before, I said ok. Long story short, I was never sicker in my entire life, 2 days later. No one will ever convince me that you cannot get sick from the flu shot, like they claim.

I allow my pediatrician to do shots the way she sees fit. I love her and think she is on top of shots. She has never once asked me or told me that the girls should have a flu shot. Never. I finaly asked the nurse why last year. She claims it's everyone's personal choice, and she doesn't push it, but if someone wants it, they have them to give. I think that pretty much says it all, to me.

I definitely would not want my baby to get a flu shot on top of regular shots. What if he has a reaction? How are you going to know which shot caused the reaction? Flu shots are powerful. Get him his shots that he needs. Skip the flu shot. At his age, he needs to and can build up his immunity on his own.

In Europe they give less shots in general, and flu shots aren't given to little ones at all I think. They weren't even suggested for my son. I'd vaccinate against the serious stuff, like Tetanus, but stay away from those extra things that immune system of a healthy person can handle perfectly on its own.
Plus: As long as you are breast feeding your kid is basically bullet-proof!

My guy had pneumonia @ 3 months. I burst into tears when I heard this (he came to me at 3 months and I've been raising him since.) He has a flu shot every year without any problems, and, yes, I would have my 6 month old get a flu shot.

If you don't want him to get the flu shot for any reason, then don't. I always have gotten it for my children because without the vaccine they do get the flu. My middle daughter and I are also immune-compromised to begin with so we need the extra protection. If I get flu-like symptoms or the flu after the vaccine, it's so much milder than if I didn't get the vaccine at all. It knocks me down for weeks at a time and I just can't handle that, so vaccines all around in our house.

When my youngest was born it was February so I was able to get the flu shot while pregnant with her and she didn't need to get vaccinated until the following flu season.

If you take your son out of the house frequently; if he spends a lot of time around other family members; if he spends any time in a day care, whether it's an in-home day care or a preschool setting; if he has a lot of cousins he'll be spending time with around the holidays; if you take him to church frequently; see where I'm going? then I would *probably* encourage you to get him vaccinated. But that's if it were me.

You don't HAVE to get it done. Your pediatrician won't/shouldn't pressure you about it. You can simply say, "Thank you for letting me know. I think we'll pass this year."

I have a almost 4 yr old and 1 yr old. Neither of them have received the flu shot. Mainly bc they are home with me and I myself have never had the shot either. Do some research and do what you think is best for your little one.

We all get our flu shots every year.
Our son had RSV and pneumonia at 1 yr old so he got the pneumococial shot, too to help keep him from having a relapse.
We were fortunate he never landed in an oxygen tent in a hospital but it was scary giving him nebulizer treatments and prying his mouth open to give him his medicine but it was necessary so he could breath.

That's a personal decision, but I'll add my own story.

I never used to get the flu shot. I am, in general, a very healthy person with a strong immune system. I just figured I didn't need it, I was careful, and really, how bad is the flu? Then, one year, I got the flu. And it was awful. It lasted for a full 7 days, and it felt like I had been beaten with a stick - every part of me felt heavy and I ached terribly. I was weakened so dramatically by it that my hand would shake when holding a pencil for at least the next month or so, and I didn't get my full strength back for several months. I was really shocked by the severity. The true influenza viruses (as opposed to what we call the stomach flu, which is actually not an influenza virus) usually last at least a week, and differs from the 24-48 hour bugs that people catch on occasion in severity.

I am very careful with vaccines, and my kids are on an alternative vaccination schedule, but I will confess that we always get the flu shot now. If the disease could bring a healthy 20-something in her prime to her knees, I don't even want to think about what it could do to a baby. However, I did wait with my son because he stayed at home with me and wasn't high risk at the time.

Also, the flu shot contains an inactive virus, unlike several other vaccines like the MMR. It cannot give you the flu. It can compromise your immune system temporarily, but in that case, you would be catching something else, and would be at risk from any vaccine. The other alternative would be an allergic reaction - if you think that is a possibility, you should look into it, because there is a possibility that it could be genetic.

Good luck with your decision!

My family does not get the flu shot. My kids (8 and 10) have not gotten any shots (i.e. vaccinations). My daughter did get something last year, with a fever of 103 (on tylenol, so maybe higher) for 4 days, but no other symptoms. Then it passed. I was on the phone each day with the dr. then because a secondary fever started in low after a day break I went in. They said it sounded like she did have the flu (maybe swine) but that had gone and then a virus. She was not given anything and then got better. Yes, it is always scary. Check out the film in this website for more information:

http://articles.mercola.com/sites/articles/archive/2009/0...

For the most part flu shots yearly for my kids myself was once last year after 9 yrs of none and did get the flu while I was preggo for a week I was down it lasted beyond 2 weeks,and it was a strain that wasn't preventable in the flu shotsMy kids have never had the flu even when I had it last season we got them out of the house for 5 dayswhile I was no good to even get up.I get really bad headcold yearly that I can live with the flu not so nice I was never so ill in my life till the flu hit me.I will do reg. 6 month shots next week too but will hold off for the flu for 2 weeks then i'll take baby in and the others for a flu shot.My oldest is 9 and hasn't had them as reg as the younger kids we only did the H1N1 1 time when they were really young but not since then.And unsure if you knew this or not but the 6 months flu shots are half the dose given to babies at 6 months not the full dose,atleast at my peds office they are.They are in public schooling I have 3 in school now and even though they are well feed healthy thriving kids you never know what others will pass along we live in a public world not a bubble so it is just another added protection to me.Our ped. has never pushed the flu shots either she just lets me know when they are available and when to gove them.I don't do any other non required shots with any of my kids follow the guide lines to them & hold off on the ones not needed.It is a personal choice for all of us I hear noway to yes we are getting them.

I personally would not get the flu shot, much less let my children get It! I challenge you to google the ingredients in the flu shot and then make an informed decision. It is not the virus I worry about, it is the metals along with the preservatives and animal cells (yes i said they are injecting animal cells into your sweet baby)that are injected into our bodies. GBS caused by the flu shot this year has been reported in a large number of people. Please please please do the research before tainting his body with it.

We stopped getting flu shots 3 years ago.

The years we HAD the flu shots our kids didn't get high fevers when they caught the flu or other viruses, but then it seemed like every single virus ended up in their chests with coughing for weeks on end, and often ending up in bronchitis or severe secondary ear infections. And they would have to end up on antibiotics!

The past 3 years without flu shots, we have only had one kid end up on antibiotics once. My youngest is 3 years old, has never had a flu shot, and has never had antibiotics. I see a correlation.

Bottom line, we have been SO much healthier withOUT flu shots. It seems our bodies are stronger to fight off infections. We might get more sick for a couple days without flu shots, but then the worst is over. With flu shots, it just seemed like every virus just dragged on and on and on.
When we had flu shots, the kids were getting mild asthma as well. No one has had that problem since we stopped getting flu shots.

I wouldn't. Me or my kids never get them. Vitamin d supplements (for you if nursing) only, we sometimes get the flu but only for a day.

NEVER. EVER. 84 "recommended" shots by the age of 18 is a bit excessive in my mind. Our generation got 10. My kids, nor myself have ever had the flu shot and they have never had the flu. I got it ONCE when I was pregnant and pushing myself too hard. It lasted 3 days. I rested, took Oscillococcinum and got adjusted. I literally had it over the weekend and was back at work asymptomatic and perfect on Monday.

Look at the ingredients in what he wants to give him. Watch him pull out the packet insert or ask him which one he wants to give and look the packet insert up online.

There was also a research study I just read about how it MAY help with the current strains (if they guessed right), BUT it damages the immune system over long term by not allowing the CD8 T cells to react when they need to later. That alone bugged me. Short term help, but long term damage.

http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/21880755

Our results indicate that annual influenza vaccination is effective against seasonal influenza but hampers the development of virus-specific CD8(+) T cell responses. The consequences of these findings are discussed in the light of the development of protective immunity to seasonal and future pandemic influenza viruses.

yes, both of you really should get the flu shot. especially if u are at work and he is in daycare. if not, its more of a personal call.

My son is 10 years old now. I have always given him the flu shot since he was a baby. He's never gotten the flu (knock on wood) and he's never gotten sick from the shot. The flu affects very young and very old people the most. They get the sickest. I think the benefits of the flu shot outweigh the risks. I also get the flu shot every year because if I get sick I get asthma. I have never gotten sick from the flu shot. My husband never takes the flu shot. He thinks he gets sick from it. But he always makes sure our son has it. Hope this helps.

I am on the fence about flu shots. I agree that they are better than the alternative IF you get the flu and have complications BUT the flu vaccine is on one stand where as the strand of flu that becomes a probably on any particular year can be quite different. While it protects you from one, it does not protect you from all...and you can still get sick with something else besides the "flu".

Now that they have one vaccine that covers both the yearly flu and the H1N1, I do not allow my child to get it. When it was separate, I did allow the regular flu vaccine at my doctor's recommendation.