Flu Shot Time Again-Ugh

i've never had a flu shot, my husband has never had one, neither have my 8 and 5 yr old girls and my 10mo old will not get one either.
It's my understanding that since the shots need to be formulated so far in advance, they guess as to which strain of the flu will be most prevelant and if they're wrong - the shot will do no good.
We are all healthy and have no chronic illnesses or compromised immune systems. My children have never had the flu and my husband and I haven't had it since we were children.
My parents on the other hand do get it - however they are 75 and 89 yrs old.

don't get it, any of us. The only time my husband did he was immediately ill and sicker than ever before. The new shot with h1n1 led to my grandmother's passing. None for me of my kids, ever!

My MD friend says they're only about 10% effective and can be harmful. He suggests taking an extra vitamin D supplement all year, more in winter. And we do regular chiropractic care, which keeps the immune system at a higher level of function.

BTW, You aren't "required" by schools to get ANY shots, there are waivers for the ones you choose not to get in all but 2 states.

my boys dont get it, my oldest is in Elementary school today and my youngest is in preschool. For us the cons out weigh the pros. We make sure they take their immune support vitamins and local honey everyday.

I get all the vaccines, on the recommended schedule for my kids and myself. I didn't start getting the flu shot until I was pregnant though. I just think it is a great safety measure. We have never had any ill effects from them. However, our pediatrician recommended my son not get it yet because he has had a croupy cough/cold for the last few days. We will get his shot when he recovers from that. It is a small price to pay to ward off bad illnesses in the dead of winter, in my opinion! I am glad your little one recovered from the RSV. How scary!
A.

My husband and I haven't gotten a flu shot in over 20 years and we have not had the flu in that long either. My kids are 15, 12 and 9 and they have NEVER had a flu shot and have not thrown up since they were babies. My middle child had perfect attendance from K-end of 4th grade. So I would say no. Or worse case, don't get one this year and see what happens, likely nothing, then you will know you don't need to get them in the future. Good luck!

If your kids are in school, they are probably required to get the flu shot unless they have some medical issue or you have a religious objection. There is no "new" evidence that I know of except make sure that the shot is thimerisol free if you decide to get it. I personally get the shot as does my husband. We got my son the flu shot when he was an infant but I regret that and would not do it over. He is 3 1/2 now and hasn't gotten the flu shot since 18 months.

We didn't get it last year, and I ended up w/ the flu for 9 days and missed an entire work week (I've never missed an entire work week!). My daughter had it for 5 days. This year, we've already gotten our shots. With our daughter, we request the flu shot that they give to infants and toddlers; the one w/out thimserol.

I always get flu shots for myself (I'm a teacher), and for both of my children. My husband opts not to get one.

were in the same boat...lol.... heres where im at....school age def yes toddler yes also....i think its her goal to catch everything under the sun

We all always get it! I have a five and three year old and have never found any truly good reason not to get it for all of us. After almost dying with the flu and the subsequent pneumonia 15 years ago, I have never missed another flu shot and I don't ever want to take the chance of my children being that ill if I can possibly help it.

agree with the other mom who said it really depends on your own family and immune systems... My husband and I had never gotten them until my daughter was born. her first year we got them because she was too young to get it and the wanted to protect her- that year both of us where sicker then we have ever been. the second year she got the flu shot and the H1N1 and she has never been sicker in her life and also had a major reaction to the shot. oh and to boot she still got H1N1. last year none of us got it and we will not be getting it this year. That being said... for every story like ours- I know someone who will swear the opposite and gets it religiously.

Good luck making a decisions.

As I mentioned in a previous thread, if your child comes into contact with babies, elderly, or otherwise immunocompromised people, regardless of how healthy your child is, please get them the shot.

Last year we didn't get it and my son got sick 4 times. The years before when he got the shot he didn't get sick at all. This year we all got our shots.

I definitely get the flu shot each year and most of our family members do also. It seems we all got the flu about 6-7 years and it was so terrible and lasted for so long, that we all RUN to the dr. to get one within the next week or two. Maybe it's been a coincidence but none of us have had it since and have stayed well during the winters since having the shots. Our daughter got hers at the pediatrician about 1 week ago. Soon for the rest of us.

My twins got their flu shots at their 12month well baby appt. My hubby & I both got ours a few weeks ago. We used to never get the flu shot until a few years ago when my husband & I both got extremly sick and we both were sick for more than a month. Now I get the shot as soon as I can.

I honestly don't think our opinion matters in your situation.

The people best qualified to make a decision about you giving your kids the flu shot are YOU, your HUSBAND, and your PEDIATRICIAN. (I'm not yelling. It's just that MP doesn't have underlining or bold or anything).