should i or should i not vaccinate my child and why?

Answer 1

Because of the extreme bias and flawed studies about vaccination unfortunatly no one can answer that question for you, not even your doctor. You need to weigh the pros, the cons, your religious/moral beliefs, etc and make a decision that is right for YOUR child. Also vaccination isn't an all or nothing thing. You can, to some degree pick and choose.

I will tell you after careful consideration and looking at the death rates from disease preventable illnesses in other countries and their vaccine schedules I am not vaccinating my child until at least age two, and then I am going to have some tough choices. But that is what works for me and my family. Maybe I would feel differently if my child was in daycare, probably not, but I can't know unless I am in that position.

I will tell you that ever jurisdiction that I am aware of has at least one exemption available, so no you do not have to vaccinate to attend school.

Answer 2

It's really an individual choice. Personally, I would vaccinate because many diseases out there that are preventable can be catastrophic if contracted. The World Health Organziation (www.who.org) provides statistics on the number of people who contract and die from preventable diseases around the world. If you're concerned about possible side effects: most of the vaccines used today are mercury-free, and there has been no proven link to autism from the MMR vaccine. Most children have mild, if any, side effects from vaccines. (usually a little fever and some localized discomfort that goes away in a couple of days.) The American Academy of Pediatrics (www.AAP.org) and Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (www.cdc.gov) can also provide you vaccine information. Another thing to consider is family history (of disease contraction or severe vaccination reactions).

Don't be swayed by propaganda. Research it and make your own informed decision.

Answer 3

Vaccinate your child. They will not be allowed into school without the full set of immunizations, and it will be a lot harder to get a six year old to sit still for the whole round of shots than to have a baby cry for 2 seconds once every 6 months or so.

The diseases that vaccinations prevent are Real, and not fun to experience. These are diseases that killed and disabled millions of people around the world.

Search the term "polio" and read up on just how much better off we are to be living in a world where we can protect our children from the horrible plagues that our grandparents endured.

Answer 4

You should definitely vaccinate your child because of the protection the vaccinations give your child to the diseases and illnesses that are out there.

Answer 5

See below for myths and facts regarding vaccination.

The only one my daughter won't be getting is the flu vaccine (we declined it at her six month), and that's because my grandmother, mother, and I have all had somewhat serious reactions to it. (My grandmother was in a coma, my mother always developed severe cases of the flu, and I miscarried my baby's twin two days after receiving the vaccine).

Unless there are contraindications, I really believe it's in the child's best interest to be vaccinated.

Answer 6

As I mentioned before, this parenting gig is no cakewalk. Always trying to know the right thing to do...constantly questioning ourselves and others....

Then, there's that endless stream of information that seems to only raise more questions! Maybe it really was easier when my mother was raising her kids: you simply did what everyone else was doing or what your mother in law demanded that you do. There weren't many choices -- or conflicting research papers -- to complicate matters.

For my own part, I read the same books and literature that most new parents have been reading, regarding the possible side effects of so many vaccinations in such a young body. I was reminded of the story a friend of the family likes to tell of a car accident his mother was involved in. And, while the exact circumstances escape me, he always ends the story with "if she had been wearing her seatbelt that day, she'd be be dead."

He uses that story as his rationale for not wearing his seatbelt...and for not forcing his children to wear them either.

And yet statistics tell us that, despite what this incident may have taught him, we're all considerably safer WITH seatbelts than without.

In the end, my decision to vaccinate came after speaking candidly and freely with my child's pediatrician. As it turns out, I trust him more with my daughter's health than any friend of the family or book. The dosages, the timing....are all designed for maximum efficiency (he did give me a more compelling argument but that was quite a few years ago, sorry) and he was right.

Ultimately, you'll do what you think is right for you and your baby. Your maternal instinct will see to that.

Good luck to you and yours.

Answer 7

overall, yes. go slow, don't do them all on the same day as doctors prefer, don't do them when she's sick, don't do live virus, and whatever you do, don't put your child in day care.

My husband is a chemical engineer, and when I had him read the anti-vaccine articles, he pointed out to me over and over and over how the anti-vaccine people do not understand the science and continually misinterpret the data. Of course, these same people helped get rid of formaldehyde and mercury in vaccines, so they have a role to play.

Thomas Jefferson was an early proponent of vaccines. He vaccinated his kids for small pox, using cow pox.

Answer 8

Vaccinate your kid. I had a friend whose parents refused to vaccinate her and she got polio. She's dead now. If I were you, I'd ask myself if I were willing to take a risk on having my child come down with some horrible disease and die from it, or live a healthy normal life because I took the time and effort to vaccinate him or her.

Answer 9

By toddler hood, your child should be vaccinated from diseases such as the chicken pox with her boosters and so on. but i have heard a few cases where babies can get colds or fatigue as side affects to shots, as well as swollen-ness around the shot area. by don't let that stop you from keeping your child healthy if she/he is already a year old or +.

Answer 10

oh god we went throught the exact same thing and we still are. we read up on it and basicly i decided that the consequences of not getting the vaccination and him getting the disease (like polio) is way worse then anything he could get from the shots..remember kids could die from childhood diseases. but anyways you should read up on it everyone has a different oppinion