Have you regret not vaccinating your child/dren?

Question

Why or why not?

And please lets respects everyones responses for we will respect yours.

Your children can go to school without the shots.. At least in California they can

Answer 1

I have not had my son vaccinated. I do not regret this decision. I don't want my child to be a guinea pig or testing grounds for disease prevention.

Answer 2

I have no regrets for not vaccinating my sons!
My first son is partially vaccinated, and I do regret it greatly and wish I could change that, but I cannot. I was a young mother and I did not research anything. When I became pregnant with my second child I began to research things more and more, and it was then that I came to my decision not to vaccinate. I have no regrets in this decision. I believe that an immune system that is untampered with is the best thing for my children. Injecting them with combinations of harmful substances, such as formaldehyde, phenols and aluminum(to name a very few) does not seem safe to me, especially since vaccines are not tested for carcinogenic or mutagenic properties, or their effects on fertility. My children are happy and healthy, and thankfully my eldest son did not have any adverse reactions, but I do wonder if there has been any damage done that is yet to be seen, or if his natural immune system has been damaged in some way. But I try not to worry, I cannot turn back time. I can only do what I believe is best for my children in the present.
After researching the vaccines and the diseases themselves, I fear the vaccines far more than the diseases. The diseases are not as scary and/or easy to get as people make them seem.

Edited in response to Angelena:
There are exemptions that allow children to go to public school without vaccinations. Most all states have religious exemptions, and many now offer a philosophical exemption(all states have medical exemptions, but those are pretty hard to get). Http://www.909shot.com has some info on vaccine exemptions.

Answer 3

I have two young children, both are vaccinated. I researched and really pondered whether or not they would be vaccinated. Quite frankly, vaccinations scare me! I finally came to my conclusion to vaccinate because the thought of them contracting a disease and not having the ability to fight it off scared me even more!

You hear alot of controversy over the issue. Quite a few as of recent have chosen not to vaccinate. Is this safer? My personal opinion is it is not. The less we vaccinate our children the more susseptible our nation becomes to disease. We haven't seen large outbreaks in YEARS and to me that is largely due to vaccinations.

I however, have opted for a longer stretch period between vaccinations. My daughters (my oldest) had her first set of vaccinations when she was 5 wks. They gave her two at once. I brought her home and she screamed for hours. It was a reaction to the DPT vaccination. Yet, since she had two vaccinations we can not really be sure that it was from the DPT.

I spoke with my pediatrician and decided what made me and my husband more comfortable is that my children only get one shot a visit. Since that first "SET", neither one of my chidren have had any major side effects. The most was my daughter had a swollen arm from the injection site that she complained about. A little Tylenol a little holding and she was fine. I felt much more comfortable knowing that if there was a side effect, I KNOW exactly which one it was. Another bonus is I can honestly say neither one of my kids leave the doctors office crying. One shot- a cookie and they walk out happy!

I would strongly recommend vaccinating for safety- but avoid the "fewer" shots 'shots'.

Mainly the decision is up to you- research and see how you feel. Don't feel guilty either way. =)

** To add- children can go to school without having shots (I believe in most states). There's a bit of paperwork to fill out, and if its for reglious reasons a Spiritual leader also needs to fill out the paperwork. A little more of a headache- but the state can not force vaccinations upon you. ** =)

Answer 4

This is a hard question..I have a 3 mth old and I don't want her to have any shots! She had her first set and was fine..I don't like the shots though and Ive read on the Internet some bad stories about them..but hes the catch if you don't give your child the shots...they cant go to school, day care, etc..so really you sort of don't have any choose in this world..it sucks. I want my daughter to go to school and be with other children but I don't want the shots at the same time??!!

Answer 5

People who say that the diseases are worse than the vaccines have not lived a long life. My father lost a brother to diphtheria. As a child we had frightening polio epidemics every summer. Three classmates got it, one died. I volunteered for two months in Haiti in the 1960's where I saw children die from tetanus, a most horrifying disease. Almost every child with measles is very ill with high fever and cough. I've seen children suffer from whooping cough. I've lost patients to meningitis. Thirty years later I still have nightmares as I gave the news to the parents.

Vaccines are far from perfect, but they are definitely better and safer than they were 20 years ago. Don't tell me they are worse than the diseases they are designed to prevent; that is simply not true.

Answer 6

I don't regret using a modified and significantly reduced vaccination scheme with my child, and if anything I might've chosen fewer vax. The more I read from *pro* vaccination sources, the less I agree with the "suggested" timetable and the volume of these chemical concoctions that are routinely given to our smallest children. It just doesn't make sense to me.

Answer 7

I regret vaccinating my daughter. She is about to turn 1 yr and thankfully she has not had any reactions to previous vaccines, but she will not have any more.

Answer 8

my mother had all her kids vaccinated and my son is right on time w/ all of his and I do not regret it! My goal as a parent is to prevent bad things from happening to my child so I take all precautions!

Answer 9

With all the immigrants coming here I can't believe anyone wouldn't vaccinate their child! We have diseases popping up again that the US hadn't seen for years!