Flu Shot Advise

sorry but you can't force them to get the shot. However if your baby is vaccinated then he should be protected. It is important for everybody around the baby to get the flushot if the infant is to young to receive the shot himself. But in response to some of the other writers: The shot is not a live virus so it is impossible to get the flu from the shot, and there are preservitive-free vaccines available.

I think it's a personal decision for parents on whether or not they want their child to get flu shots. Medical professionals encourage people of all ages (from 6 mos+) to get a flu shot. Do keep in mind though that there are MANY strains of the flu. Just because your child has gotten the flu shot doesn't mean he won't get the flu for sure. Same applies to your step children. Even if they were to get the flu shot doesn't mean they can't get the flu or give it to your baby. The flu shot is typically distributed to prevent against what medical experts predict to be the most prevalent strain for that season. Sometimes their predictions are wrong or the flu strain mutates. A couple of years ago when there was a major shortage of flu shots, the media even reported that what little supply of the flu shots that were available were actually for the wrong strain.

I agree with the other moms it is up to the M. of the kids to decide the health decisions.

A great website to research vaccines is www.thinktwice.com

Blessings

Dear C.,

Regarding your concern about your step kids and being around the baby. Nonsense. The Food and Drug Companies make their money using scare tactics. My nephew (now almost 20) has never had a shot of anything in his life (his mom is a religious gal). Chris has "never " had anything worse than a toothache! He has been around my kids (now 23, 26, and 14, and they had their shots) They have not been sick with anything more than ear infections, and a few colds. They are all fine.
I am a Type 2 Diabetic, and was told that I had to have flu shots...I never have had any, and though I have occaisonal bouts with bronchitis, I recover quickly.

A good book to glance over is Natural Cures by Kevin Trudeau, you can get it on Ebay for under 5.00 bucks. You will truly be amazed. (There are a few things I don't disagree with, but for the most part he has hit the target on the mark!)
Gods Blessings,
C. mom of three.

I think your heart is in the right place with your baby boy. To let you know what I'm familar with about the flu shot is

A. It's last years strain (you can't be sure it will even work on this years' strain) and
B. The preservatives in the shot are horrible in the body, leading(possibly) to all kinds of auto-immune disorders and not to mention it could in fact just make you sick or (not prevent it)or cause an allergic reaction.

I haven't innoculated my children and I wouldn't want to give them the flu shot unless it was spoken from God to me it was neccesary..*(not sarcastic)* I think your step kids can get RSV, or Strep, or any kind of virus which cannot be innoculated against...school is a breeding ground, so the question is, Is the flu any worse than RSV(which can cause pnuemonia, menengitis, encephalitis and actually hopitalized my baby) or strep, which can cause Scarlet Fever( which I had as a kid), or any common cold that can proceed to any kind of ear infection, or bronchitis or pnuemonia or even common chicken pox (which I had twice, once as a girl, and the second time when my 3 yr old had it last year) and the friends who contracted it even though they were vaccinated. I am very skeptical against those flu vaccinations, and I think you might be too, otherwise it wouldn't matter to you if the step kids get it?? I'm a firm believer in making sure the hands are washed after each outing, not going to crowded places in the peak seasons of the flu and ABSOLUTLY not allowing anyone (even family) who might be sick around my children. That's my two cents. I hope it gives you help. God Bless. T.

kind of a cute message along these lines- no advice tho- I have always been a huge opponent of the flu shot- but my kids are asthmatics- so they are pretty much mandatory- but for a healthy 7 aned 6 year old- they probably are not. Your son already got the flu shot- if they get it and bring it home- he is protected.

A Love Story

I will seek and find you .

I shall take you to bed and have my way with you
I will make you ache, shake & sweat until you moan & groan.

I will make you beg for mercy, beg for me to stop.

I will exhaust you to the point that you will be relieved when I'm finished with you.

And, when I am finished, you will be weak for days.

All my love, signed: The Flu.

Now, quit thinking about sex and go get your flu shot.

I don't really agree with flu shots. We never get them for us or our children. And we are always fine. I agree with us being over vaccinated. We have known people that have gotten sick right after the shot. I dont think thats coincidence. I think you should do what you think is right for your son and she should do what she thinks is best for her children. Yeah, you have joint custody but that doesnt give you the right to go do something against her wishes behind her back.

Hi C.,
I personally think that it is up to the parents of the children to decide what's best for their kids. I would not put myself in the middle of two divorced people like you are doing. If my daughters' step mom made her get a flu shot I would be extremely upset. My daughter is 14- never had the flu and for 11 years has NOT had the flu shot.
Just a heads up, let the parents worry about it- sounds like you're doing a good job getting the information out to them, and being a conscienscious with your little one :)
I'm not so sure I helped.............

As the Step-Mom to a 15yo DD (who lives with us for the last 7 years), I say the fight isn't worth it. You've done your part, the baby is taken care of and even if they don't get theirs, he's still better off. Dealing with an ex can be so tough, pick your battles and let the small stuff slide as often as you can (which isn't as easy as it sounds I know). You'll feel a lot less like choking someone for it, LOL. Good Luck!

Hi C.-
I agree with a lot of the MOms out there that it is not up to you to haver your step children get teh flu shot..If there Mom wants them too she will get it,but as long as you protected your daughter do not worry about the other kids..She can get teh flu from walking in the supermarket past someone who just coughed and has the flu just as easily as your step children..I only get my daughter who is 1 1//2 the flu shot, but since my son is 4 I do not get him the flu shot anymore he is old enough now not to need it..With the flu killing kids it is actually VERY rare in the United States that that really happnes..Back in Chicago I worked in teh Pediatric ICU and honestly the only children I ever saw in our unit with the flu were the children who had heart defects or immune comprimised not average healthy children so I would not worry that much about the flu and who has the shot and who does not..
I dont agree though with the mom who said that it is only for people with immune comprimised systems..That is wrong it is for anyone, but really after the age of 4 or 5 it is the parents choice..I would recommend babies as they dehydrate a lot faster then kids and adults..
Good luck,
M.

hi C.,
I am not a doctor but i do belive you can have adverse reactins to flu shots but they are minor and not as bad as the actual Flu. If I was in your position I wouldn't worry about making the part time kids get one, since your baby had one. I have three girls and I was so much more worried about every thing with my first one. I think she gets sick alot now because she wasn't exposed to stuff when she was little. I am not saying not to be careful , but colds and viruses make thier immunities stronger for later when they start school.
:) A. V

It's true that babies can die from the flu, but did you know that babies die from vaccinations also? We are definitely living in an over-vaccinated society these days, and sometimes less is more. Many children (and adults) have reactions to all kinds of shots, so it's true they CAN get sick from a vaccination... but not from the thing it's protecting against (the flu vaccination is a dead virus, therefore one cannot get the flu from it). As for the flu shot, it only vaccinates against one particular flu, and since there are many different flu viruses, you are NOT insuring your son will not get the flu this season simply because of the vaccination. I would say no, your stepchildren do not need to get vaccinated... just ask their mother to not bring them over if they are showing signs of being sick, and that should take care of any problems.

When my older daughter (she's 6) was a baby, the pediatrician said not to get the flu shot. Only kids/babies who were "high risk" were to get it.

That being the case, I was surprised when, with my 11 month daughter, the doc recommended to get a flu shot. I asked her about it because this was opposite of what we did with my oldest child.

According to the doc, this year the flu is predicted to be pretty bad so they are recommending the shot. I took my younger daughter for her first shot, (if they're under 8 the doc said they need 2 at least a month apart) made an appointment for my older to get her 2. I talked to the doc, and we talked about it was goofy to give the baby the shot and not the one who was in school!

So, both my children are getting the shot. I figure that if you've gone to the effort to give the baby a shot, the kids around him/her should have it, too - step siblings or not.

The flu shot is only for people with compromised immune systems. It's not necessary for older kids.

hi C.,

i agree in regards to flu shots, that it is extremely important to keep up w/ this regularly as babies. my son is 3 1/2 and i still take him for his flu shot. he has always come down w/ the flu after the shot too. our pediatrician told us that the chances are slim that they get sick, but it can happen. that is the point of the shot, to get the antibodies built up in the childs body to fight the flu for next time and decrease the length your child will have it. in regards to your step children, i don't agree that because they have never had it, they will never get it...that is just silly. i do think that flu shots as your children get older is just personal preference and isn't as important as when they are younger. i would definitely make them cleanse their hands when they want to pick up the baby.

i hope this helps and good luck!

lisa

I would definately insist that the step children get the shot. They are around tons of sick kids at school and they could bring it home to the baby. You are right, just because they haven't gotten the flu yet, doesn't mean that they won't.

L. R.

It's a personal decision and everyone has his or her own take. Many people DO get sick after getting it. In addition to the mercury exposure, your body is also exposed to live viruses and some people will react and get sick in response.

The people and babies who die from the flu are usually already immuno-compromised for some reason. They have other issues that make them susceptible. Healthy kids and babies have little chance of dying. Our pedicatrician has never insisted or even suggested we get the flu shot. We never have. Even when I have a young baby I don't make my older child get it. And I'll have a newborn come January and won't have my older kids get it, despite exposure at preschool to germs. And none of us have ever had the flu.

Finally, my husband is in healthcare and sees patients all day long. He will try to avoid getting the flu shot (some facilities require it). So, it is a personal decision. We avoid it. You have already opted to give it to your baby. But if your step kids are healthy, they don't need it. If they get the flu, their systems should be able to handle it. If they get it, your baby may or may not get the flu, depending on what virus they are exposed to.

Finally, try to be sure your babies get the child/baby version of the shot. It's in short demand sometimes. When it is, often practitioners just give reduced amounts of the adult version. This version will most likely have mercury in it.

I agree with previous comments,... if you do not have custody decision making powers to stay out of it.

I would be more concerned if the older step kids were getting shots and getting something from the shots and your baby getting sick(or from stool of other infants). I know that sounds strange, but after some reading you may see what I mean by that.
Books such as A Shot in the Dark, and What your pediatrician won't tell you about vaccines, etc. are worth looking into. Go to Library and look for books on Vaccines and immunization programs...look at British Medical Journal(Online). You will find that disease is not necessarily erradicated by vaccines, and that the scheduling is arbitrary, or contraindicative in the combining of vaccines, and potentially dangerous. That is why there is now VAERS- Vaccine Adverse Effect Reporting System.

Then there is National Vaccine Information Center...http://www.909shot.com/

Try not to judge older kid's mom...the kids are older, she may have great advice for you and your little one, and possibly a better pediatrician..you never know!

Be prepared for a battle and alot of scoffing once you see the other side of this Industry.

I personally object with my two older children, have to file with health department, and have a modified schedule for my toddler, as I have joint custody.

Some good articles on Mothering .com too.

Good luck, it is hard when ones you care about have so many influences, and you feel powerless...was a step-mom myself, had no rights over step-son, ...but feel that way about bilogical son with ex quite a bit too.

Docs do not know everything...had one want to cut my daughter's tongue, because he said she would not be able to talk...I refused,
haha...if you only knew my daughter!Blah blah blah...
Yak Yak Yak! Never stops :)

Try to relax, be open minded, and gather information from many sources in order to be able to make a more informed decision.

Great baby age! So fun at this stage! Enjoy.

I do know some people do get sick from the flu shot it might not neccessarly be the flu but it might be a very bad cold. I don't thinky ou can force her to get her children the flu shot. I understand you are trying to protect your baby but getting the flu shot doesn't automatically mean you will not get the flu either.

HI. All doctors have thier own opinions on things. Not one doctor is right about one thing.

Me and my husband choose to not vaccinate our children because we beleive that it is better to let the child become immune to little things like a cold or the flu and that will make them stronger as time goes on for other things they may come in contact. There are other personal reasons as well, and have done alot of research on the subject.

I have never had the flu shot and I am almost 30 years old. I just got over the stomach flu last week and have never had the flu in 15 years.

So didn't you say that your doctor said that if you get the flu shot that your baby would not get the flu?

then why are you worried about your step kids? If it is for the babys sake, you should not be worried if you beleive that the shot is good for your child to not get the flu.

So I have to agree with the other mother. I beleive that you can get the flu from the shot. Another example, my father in law never had the shot in his life until about 4 years ago. Soon after he got the shot he got the flu.

Remember you are in control of your children's health, not your doctor.

Hope this helps.

K.

Everyone has their own preferences on raising their children. My brother and his wife do not vaccinate their children. Mine are current on their vaccines... with the exception of the chicken pox vaccine. I don't like how most doctors write a prescription for everything. We were given an immune system for a reason. If it's working properly, why not let it do its thing and rid our body of the illness. I'm 31 and have never had the flu... nor have I ever had the flu shot. After doing a little bit of research, I found out the flu shot increases a person's chance of getting Alzheimer's as an adult. That scares me. Anyway, I feel it's not up to you to decide what's best for your step children since their mom is still in the picture.

Our doctor also advises NOT to give our little guys (4 and 2) flu shots.