Should I wait to vaccinate my baby at 2yrs. old?

Question

I am currently pregnant with my first child and am doing a lot of research online about vaccinations (specifically, their possible link to autism, which still has not been totally dis-proven). While I think vaccines were one of the best medical inventions of the modern age, I am concerned that giving so many doses (24 shots before the baby is 15 months old) of vaccines when an infant is so young and is still growing and forming their immune system seems harmful. I will be a stay-at-home mom for the first few years of my baby's life, so I don't need to worry so much about the baby contracting deadly diseases at day care or from me and my work. I'd like to wait until the baby is a little older to get the shots. I was just wondering what others have thought about this issue, and whether or not you had your child vaccinated right away.

Oh, I also found out that the flu shot (which is recommended for all pregnant women) is the only one that still has mercury in it, which was shocking!

Thanks everyone! This issue has brought out many strong opinions from people I know, both pro and con, which is why I wanted some more input. I will be talking with my doctor about it, but had just done some research on the topic beforehand. I myself was vaccinated as a child and have not had any problems that I know of, and I did think about the baby being less likely to remember shots at an earlier age, plus it seems easier to deal with a baby getting shots rather than a 2 yr.old.

Answer 1

Trust yourself. I think these vaccanines, as wonderful as they are, could be dangerous. The govt is not 100% certain. Do what YOU want. Especially since your baby will not be in day care

Answer 2

My daughter gets all recommended vaccines except the flu shot. But she got several of them late and I don't really regret it. Why do I vaccinate? Because I think the fewer kids that are vaccinated, the bigger chance a disease has of making a comeback. I do NOT want to be a part of the problem. But I do have utmost respect for parents who choose not to vaccinate their children, as long as they make their decision based on personal beliefs instead of laziness or stupidity. Do I think it is necessary? I think that we have done a great job of lowering the risk of getting certain diseases. And if we don't want them to make a comeback, we should continue to vaccinate the majority of kids. Yes. I think it is ok to catch up between 15 months & 2 years. Like you said, 4 shots at once sounds like a lot. And no, at this point I don't do much research on vaccines. I would hold off and see what the verdict is if I heard of a new one. But I get so stressed and worried when I read/hear stories about vaccines gone wrong! In this case, I feel it is better to trust my doctor's advice and not subject myself to the stress that would come with research. ... I would do more research though if my child had any known medical conditions to find out if the vaccine is likely to aggravate it.

Answer 3

The vaccination scare is just that: a scare. A quarter million children die of measles in the US every year, and the ones who start the epidemic are the un-vaccinated ones. It's not worth risking your child. The UK has done a lot of good research on autism and vaccines and found that there is no significant link. The flu shot is hit and miss. Last year they didn't even get the right strain in the first batch.

Flu shots in the US do not contain mercury. They do contain a necessary preservative called thimerosal which some people consider questionable.

Answer 4

There are plenty of ways for your baby to become ill; even if you aren't leaving the house much, once is enough to do damage. Look at the symptoms of these diseases, and the possible complications (some of which can be deadly). Would you really want to subject your child to that? I wouldn't. My son is up-to-date on all of his vaccinations, and he will be getting the MMR (which is the most blamed for autism) right on time as well. I think autism is the lesser of two evils, and after doing a lot of research have come to the conclusion that it's mostly hereditary/environmental anyway.

There is a mercury/thimerosal-free version of the flu shot. I believe it's a nasal spray.

Answer 5

as a new mom you are very impressionable and that is cute!!!!! I am a young mother (20 when i had her) i only have the one so i know what you are going thru. but what ever happened to having a baby and learning from trial and error? new moms are making themselfs sick by reading all these what to expect while you are expecting and this other nonsince, so this i say to you alot of these things the Dr, gives to protect the baby against are air borne and if you take you baby to the grocery store can make you baby real sick. they have been giving the kids immunizations for years and now they want to claim that they are causing autisim, well autisim is something that the kid is born with and not due to vaccinations, they spread out the vaccinations so it is not one big dose and this is safe for the child, if you wait the child will be way behind in shots and also you can get in trouble for child neglect. the kid has to have their shots for their own good,

Answer 6

1.on the paperwork given to you by your pediatrician if you look through it you will find a website for contacting a government agency for children that are seriously injured by vaccines
2.your Dr. is a sales person that profits from selling shots,having patients and treating illnesses
3.most children that die from Sids are at the same month age of when the babies recieve there vaccinations like at 2 mth old and 4 mth old;howvere there has only been one study the CDC uses to see if Sids could be caused by the vaccines and it was "inconclusive
4.10 years ago 1 in 3000 children had autism now along with the increases in mandatory vaccinations,1 in 161 children are diagnosed as autistic
5.they have anti-biotics now to treat tetnus,diptheria,pertusis
6. more children have adverse reactions (such as brain swelling,brain damage,paralysis and death from the vaccines than from those that actually contract the diseases
7.most people answering your questions have never looked into the data on if the vaccines actually prevent diseases or cause serious injury and are basing their answers out of pure emotion like fear and anger not having a clue of what they are actually talking about
8.the medical community and governmnetr are ran by people that use mass psychological warfare on the masses
9. nobody really cares one way or the other about yor specific child other than you and your immediate family

Answer 7

I do not know anything about the flu shot for I didn't get one when I was pregnant (daughter is now 2 as of Oct. 8th) but as far as vaccine's go YOU NEED TO GET THEM DONE!

Just because you are going to be a stay at home doesn't mean that he/she will not come in contact with anything. Are you going to stay inside with the child 24 hours a day, 7 days a week? Not go any place for anything? There are some diseases that are airborne and can enter the home without even going place.

I am sorry if I sounded harsh. I personally have not heard of vaccine's causing autism. My daughter, as I stated earlier, is now 2 years old, she has had all her shots right from the start. She is smart as a whip. She can count to 10, say most of her ABC's, knows my husbands name is Mike, knows more than any 2 yr. old that I have ever came in contact with, including my oldest daughter who is 12 yrs.

Don't always listen or believe what you hear. Vaccine's are given for a child's safety not to harm them. And if they had more vaccine's earlier on then I believe more children would have lived through small pox, and other diseases.

Again, sorry I sounded so harsh. Good luck on your decision but it doesn't matter what we say, in the end it's totally and completely up to you and your spouse.

Answer 8

No. Autism has been going on way before vaccines in high numbers. They just viewed it as mentally ill. Most of us came out fine with the same vaccines. People have forgotton how polio and diseases like that took millions of babies to their graves. If you want to chance your baby getting sick, wait. If it were my child I wouldn't.

Answer 9

Are you kidding me? A day care center is a breeding ground for germs and bacteria! My girlfriend worked for a day care center and caught a cold that turned into bronchitis, the doctor, upon learning my friends type of job told her that he'd see her next year. He said more children and their care givers pass their colds and what not around when they're in an inclosed area. Vaccinate.

Answer 10

I had my daughter vaccinated like normal with no side effects at all. As long as you plan on going to the grocery store and taking your baby in public, she/he will be exposed to disease out there. To me, it wasn't worth the risk to wait. I talked to my doctor about all the negative side effects we here and he said it's just the media focusing on the 1% rare problems people have. By the way, mercury is okay, just not too much of it.

Answer 11

from my understanding the shots help them stay healthy while the immune system is building plus the shots prevent diseses that could do real harm. I am sure you are going to take the little one out and about they could get sick from some one else. I did have mine given shots when they were due, and nither of my kids have been very sick. The choice is yours.