Traveling Abroad with Unvaccinated (As Yet) Baby

Traveling without vaccinations is putting your babies health in serious danger. I realize it is a personal choice, however even in the US measles, mumps and whooping cough are coming back due to non vaccination. I would never leave the US without proper vaccinations with my children, my two cents.
Just exposure to all the things on an airplane especially an international flight you are taking a huge risk.

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I really would not travel outside the US without shots. It is to dangerous.
C. b

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I have not done this but also have a unvaxed boy with desires to travel abroad. Mothering.com has a lot of resources to help with a variety of subjects. You may want to check out what they have. Also you can ask questions there if you don't find what you need here.

Personally I would not travel abroad until the baby is vaccinated, no amount of precautions will completely protect your baby from virus's, if we were talking the common cold that is different, but you are talking about the possibility of some very deadly ones. If you still decide to go look into the countries vaccination programs and see where statistically they stand, how many reported cases do they get, those kinds of things. Beyond that I don't know that there is anything you can do, I would still be worried about sitting on a plane with an infant who is not protected even if the country is "safe".

I completely understand your desire to delay vaccinations, however, traveling outside of the US can present a risky situation for your family and, furthermore, for those around you after you return to The States. Even well-developed countries have high incidences of vaccine-preventable diseases that can lead to life-long debilitations and are potentially deadly. Several countries have serious outbreaks of Measles currently, with Switzerland and Israel "leading the pack" in number of cases every month. In fact, the CDC just recently released an advisory to healthcare facilities (including school health offices) to be aware of the serious cases of outbreak among unvaccinated children in the US. All of which have been carried over here from international travelers and thus have exposed many other people inadvertently. PLEASE research the country(ies) you are wishing to visit and set up an International Travel Health Assessment with your Family Physician as well as your child's Pediatrician. Also, do some research into the present health risks in your destination areas by contacting the local Health Department at least. The risk really is not worth it when you consider not only your family, but also all of the families you are in contact with once you return to the US. One more thing to be aware of, there are some countries in which you will be required to be vaccinated to some degree to be allowed to travel there.

Be grateful you live in one of the very few states that is so lenient in their vaccination laws. Most states require much more to be allowed to delay or forego vaccinations. Some states will not even allow an exemption without a documented medical reason that must be signed by a physician every year once a child enters school. Just something to think about.

I agree that it is very dangerous to go abroad with your baby not being vaccinated. It is also risky not to have them vaccinated in the U.S. because they can still get many illnesses & then be a risk to other children.

Hello, A.. Our dd, over three years now is not vaccinated and we have traveled throughout the US and this last Fall, visited several eastern European countries. She was fine - all was fine, nothing to be worried about. We are also visiting Ireland this summer and she will not be vaccinated for that either.

I really would not worry about it. We make sure that our dd eats a good diet and that has always been enough. She has had a minor cold here and there, but never anything serious. Her health has maintained itself in the US and overseas.

Have a wonderful time on your trip, S..

I too applaud your research! I think it is wise to look into what the risks truly are wherever you are traveling to and use your own judgment as to whether you should vaccinate.

I find it hard to accept that your unvaccinated child causes danger to others, and often as parents of unvaccinated children we are made to feel irresponsible. Vaccinations can be dangerous so a balance and informed approach is best. It may be worth looking into homeopathy, there are often remedies you can take instead of vaccinations - all natural. My sister (granted, she is a grown woman) has lived in India for 7 years and has never vaccinated herself, the first time she went she consulted with a homeopath and was very happy.

Good luck, the only advice I really have is to follow your instinct and do what feels right after your research.

I don't know about any books...but I would definatly check with INS to make sure your baby CAN travel witout being vaccinated. I know some people from our church went to Africa and their children were not vaccinated and in order to be allowed into the country they were required to be...

The big question is WHERE are you traveling? If you're talking about the UK, Canada, Switzerland, or even Hong Kong then I'd say that you'll encounter no more risk of contagion than you would flying from Dallas to Chicago. But if you're talking about the hinterlands of Russia or the undeveloped, jungle areas of Brazil well then that's a different matter. EVERYONE in your party had better have inoculations before traveling!

The best advice I can give is to consult with a doctor at a TRAVEL MEDICINE clinic. Your ped doc might be an okay resource but the travel medicine clinics specialize in travel related medical issues. You can locate a travel medicine office here
http://www.travmed.com/

Also be sure to check out the CDC Travelers' Health site which shows the vaccines needed (or required) for every part of the world
http://www.cdc.gov/travel/

Remember, vaccines take 1-3 months to become fully effective.

I applaud you for choosing the delayed and limited vaccination schedule. I also have done this with all five of my kids. I had one have a very bad reaction to them and decided to do the same thing. And know I beleive there is a strong connection to autism and the vacines. I have met several mothers with autistic children and they were fine until after they had their shots. I really don't know about traveling abroad though.

I also delay vaccinations for all of my children since one of the oldest had a reaction BUT would NEVER consider even boarding an airplane with all of it's nasty recirculated air without vaccines. There is just too much out there...and abroad.
NO WAY.
Sorry.

why haven't you vaccinated him? just out of curiosity? where are you going? a lot depends on where you are going, and for how long?

Where are you going? That will make a big difference on determining the vaccination issue. Talk with your doctor. 3rd world countries I think you absolutely need vaccinations. 2nd world countries, too. 1st world countries you might be able to get away with not. I, frankly, would follow the vaccination schedule. I'm sure you will determine what's best for the health of your baby.

Why are you delaying vaccination? The benifits of vaccination far outwiegh the risks. Not vaccinating is a danger to your baby and the general public, diseases that have bee eradicated could become a problem again, especially if you are travelling internationally.

Dr Sears and Dr Jay Gordon are great resources.
We traveled to a 3rd world village in the Dominican Republic last year with my 5 year old son and 2 year old daughter. Only vaccinations they had were 1 Hep A each and 1 DTap & Polio each. We opted for the Hep A based on our research in the area. The DTaP and Polio were the ones we chose to do here in Colorado. They were/are fine and healthier than most vaccinated kids we observe.
My sister just traveled with her exclusively breastfed 11 month old to the same region with absolutely no vaccines. Common sense (wash hands, keep child in a sling or pack, and awareness of the risks in that area)can prevail. We applaud you in your research.
Bon Voyage!!

I would strongly suggest at least getting the basic vaccinations. I myself have travelled abroad andI do believe that vaccination reacords are required. Also depending on where you are oging certain countires require certain vaccinations. Just be careful, a lot fo people in various countires aren't a hygenically disposed as we are and there are many germs around. I would hate to haveyour baby get sick because of someone else's germs.

Well, this so much depends where you are going. Europe or some underdeveloped country where hygiene is a big issue? Remember though, any airplane is filled with several hundreds of people and the germs are just hanging there for a couple of hours - no matter where you are going.
I travelled to Europe with my daughter when she was 8 months old and again with 1 1/2 years. Some airplanes offer bassinets (Lufthansa eg), though your kid might be too old for that by then - just ask when you book. So you will have him on your lap or pay for the additional seat. Check in early and talk to the agent, you might get a seat in an empty row so your little one can do some climbing (especially great if you didn't pay for the additional seat). Get a couple of small toys and wrap them individually. This way you can give one "gift" to him every couple of hours and the unwrapping will keep him occupied. Get something very cheap, so if you loose it it doesn't matter. Don't take any toys with many small parts or you can go fishing in a tight airplane seat. Check also any flight regulations about bringing baby food and liquids. And the best advice if it is a longer flight: get a portable DVD player! By then your boy will be runnning up and down the eisle, just relax, he can't go far and he will be busy.

Check to see what the country you are traveling to requires. Some are very strict about having certain vaccination, mostly to protect their citizens from what travelers may bring in.
It would be a shame to get to customs and not be able to go in.