The Holidays and H1N1

Hi! You are right to want a plan for this. Contrary to what Sue W. and Cindy D. posted, having the shot in not a guarantee to protect you. According to the CDC's report for the last 2 years, the shot was less than 40% effective, leaving a 60% chance of contracting the flu. Not only that but a study from the Mayo clinic was released saying that kids who receive the flu shot are 3x more likely to be hospitalized from flu symptoms than those who didn't have the flu shot.

I am NOT trying to scare you, I just want you to be informed. The great news is that there is alot you can do to protect your family. Vitamin D3 and probiotics are going to go a long way in protecting all of you. We use American Health probiotics and you can get good vitamin D 3 supplements at www.vitacost.com Carlson's makes a great vitamin D 3 drop for kids. Everything I listed can be found at the website I mentioned, AND it's not expensive!
Frequent hand washing is great and make sure that your older daughter keeps her fingers out of her mouth and nose. Fingers in the mouth and nose is the easiest way to give yourself a sickness.

You have to live your life without fear, but you are being smart to not put your faith just into a vaccine. Oh, and feel free to be picky about who holds your daughter. Some people have no concept of staying home when they are sick and still more think that they can hold and kiss babies even though they are hacking up a lung. :)

Proper vitamins, rest, low sugar intake, all these things will go far in disease prevention. I hope you have a wonderful, stress free holiday!

shot or no shot, family get togethers are a recipe for illness. two HUGE reasons why are the fact that there are large groups of people together all bringing "bugs" together. the other reason might surprise you: sugar. sugar, especially of the high fructose corn syrup variety, is damaging to the immune system, or at the very least, can lower the effectiveness of the immune system. SOOOOO, basically, make sure that you and the kids choose healthy snacks before the cookies or whatever. you can MAKE some things healthy; use applesauce in place of sugar, and avocado in place of butter (one average avocado per stick of butter or half cup margarine)

you can make veggie chips: thin slice any veggie, carrots, potato, sweet potatoes are really good... then you can put them on a cookie sheet with a little seasoning and back them ... i wanna say 450 until crispy?

anyway, drink water instead of sodas, and choose the healthy snacks before the junk. ALSO: put a portion on your plate smaller than you think you want. you can always go back for seconds, but you wont stop eating it once its on your plate! :)

good luck!
and wash wash wash those hands!

THOUGHT OF SOMETHING ELSE:
bring some bottles of sanitizer. you could put them by the snack food so people will use it before digging into the "bowl" or whatever, and put them in the bathroom, wherever. make them highly accessable!

You're going to encounter H1N1 type flu's your whole life. Please don't let the media scare you and keep you from being with your family during the holidays. We've trained our children well to wash, wash, wash their hands. I give my children Vitamin D & C supplements to boost their immunity. So far this season no viruses have entered our home. I'm 7 months pregnant and have 4 other children who bring in germs everyday. I did not and will not get the vaccines as I can't help but suspect that the vaccine itself could cause more harm than the virus itself. My doc informed me that the nasal spray vaccine will make those individuals who get it contagious for 3 weeks. So, I expect the next few months this whole H1N1 flu will actually get worse because of the vaccine.

I suggest you relax and enjoy the holidays!

First, the H1N1 vaccine is as effective as any flu vaccine. Second, anytime your children have contact with other people (through you and their father coming home from work, from daycare, from going to a store, etc.) they are exposed to many different illnesses. Lucky for us we have bodies with immune systems that help us avoid most illnesses, and help us get over the rest.
Enjoy the time with your family.

Vitamins, start them now and stay on them. And get good vitamins not the bad flinstones, Shaklee has really great kids vitamins called incredevites and for a good price. wwww.shaklee.com you can also find good vitamins in the natural food store etc. Shaklee also has a great thing called defend and resist. I love the stuff you can take it if you feel like you are getting sick and it lessens the time of the sickness, you can also take it daily to defend against getting sick along with your vitamins. Vitamins are HUGE!!

You can do this, relax and have a great time. Thanksgiving is a great time for family get-togethers. Family is important, praise God that you have so much of it. Don't be the nutjob mom who won't let her kids leave her side. Don't let fear run your life. Put your faith in God and enjoy yourself. You don't want your kids to grow up constantly in fear of getting sick. So give every family member a big hug and let them hold the baby.

God bless

I understand wanting to keep your family safe and everyone across the country are feeling the same. I know this is a big family event and sure (Hope) everyone who does visit other families will take in consideration their health.
My husband and I are hosting again and he is remission due to cancer. I am a stickler to who enters must sanitize. I even have a sign posted to wash your hands in the bathrooms. I even go in the bathroom ans spray down everything a few times when people are here.
Try not to stress to much can lower your immune system.
Happy holidays,
B.

First if your children have had the shot you shouldn't have any fears. You can not isolate your children for the rest of their lives, just in case something could happen to them. We live iive in a world of germs and if we protect them for everything you wouldn't step out of your house. You have more of a chance of catching something at the store than from your family. Take a deep breathe and relax and enjoy your family.

First of all, you've had the vaccine, and most people haven't, at least in MN, so you're better off than a lot of people. Second, my whole family (all four of us) had it, and we had Influenza A two years ago when my baby was 6 months old. Both were awful, yes, but H1N1 was a LOT easier to deal with than Influenza A. Also, honestly, I'm kind of thankful we've had it; it should mean we're DONE with it! Besides, from what I've heard, you're contagious during the fever stage--and anyone who DOESN'T notice an H1N1 fever is really oblivious! The poster who said there's so much going around in families is correct; but all you can do is eat healthy, wash hands (and, I heard this from a hospital employee during flu season: wash clothes and bodies regularly, too), get plenty of sleep, and take your vitamins! You don't want the holidays ruined by illness, but fear will ruin them just as much as being sick. Try to enjoy it, definitely let your kids enjoy it, and be thankful you got vaccinated! :)

You have to live life...it's not just the h1n1 out there. There is strep throat, regular flu, lice, colds, viruses, etc....Chill out your lucky your kids got the h1n1 vaccine you should be the last one complaining or worried.Not trying to be rude I'm just highly annoyed with the whole process of who get's a vaccine and when becuase I think it has been a very unfair process.

My daughter's 8 and 13mos. have never been given the chance to get the h1n1 vaccine because our dr. office and government sucks. Both my kids got h1n1. My 8yr.old whizzed through it in 2 days yet when she was 2yrs.old she was deathly ill from the regular flu. My 13mo.old whizzed through the h1n1 flu BUT...with her age and asthma she had complications lots of complications like pnumona, bronchitis,asthma attacks, reaction from the antibiotics. 3 visits to the pediatrician and 1 trip to the ER. I was coughed on, sneezed on, loved, kissed, hugged, puked on and I didn't get it. During one of our many many trips to the pediatrician's office while my sick hacking baby layed lifelessly in her stroller we were trying to check in with the receptionist. The lady in front of me wouldn't hurry up she was holding the line up..she was all weird about making a appointment so her kids could their 2nd dose of h1n1..Really their 2nd dose and my kids never got a first dose? My 13mo.old baby has Asthma and was a preemie? I babysit regularily for a 2mo.old and we have not been able to get h1n1 vaccine in our house. So I do get a bit bitter about this topic.

Before the h1n1 flu hit our household I was thinking gosh if this ruins Thanksgiving or Xmas I'm gonna be mad...So I'm actually almost glad my kids got h1n1 and were over and done with it. Now we can move on and not worry about it. My kids have a natural immunity to it now.