Flu Shots for Kids?? - Hermosa Beach,CA

I wish I could send Kristen W a dozen flowers for her helpful response. She articulated it beautifully. You will notice even on this thread that the folks who are against the flu shot have anecdotal stories as to why they don't vaccinate. If you understand the science behind the flu shot, I think you will find that there's really no reason to be against it.

My family gets the flu shot every year. We get it because we do not want to get the flu. Although none of us have any health conditions that make the flu shot necessary, we really don't have time to be laid up with the flu. I work with young children, and I feel it would be irresponsible of me not to get the flu and risk infecting the kids. The people I know who do not get the flu shot don't either because they are misinformed, they are afraid of needles or just couldn't be bothered.

I don't have any scientific advice, but I have never had a flu shot and neither have my boys 4 and 6 years old. My older one rarely gets sick, and my younger one has had issues since he was a baby with colds going into his chest and getting bronchitis. The pediatrician has never recommended it for either one, so,I just have made the decision not to get it, because I don't think it's absolutely necessary.

We are a healthy family and get flu shots every year. We don't get them to protect ourselves, we get them to protect others. People who can't get the flu shot and who would struggle with fighting it off.

The intranasal vaccine has no preservatives it it. That's what we go with. And no, the flu shot cannot make you sick.

We all get flu shots every year.
My husband and I had the flu years ago (1st year of our marriage) and if we can have even a chance of avoiding going through that again - we'll take it.

Get it! Why would you not protect yourselves!

We all get the flu vaccine - my son gets the nasal spray. Here is the thing, it is not going to make sure you do not get it, it works kinda like the chicken pox vaccine, when/if you get the flu it will reduce the effects/severity. It could take a death inducing flu bug and kick it down to an annoying cold - Gee ... what do you think your house would prefer?

Here is a you tube video helping to explain how/why the majority of the world should partake in vaccines - http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=f-cKzzPkz2o

Part of the "moral" of the video is if you only vaccinate your kids there is NO point at all. So if the kids get it your house gets it.

I am fully vaccinated, so is my fiance & son - No issues here, not even sick after the shot like many say. My fiance is not feeling his best right now but it is typical with the job he does (delivery) that he has access to all of downtown Chicago's germs and he wears gloves due to the nature of his job and the frigid temps right now - can't was his gloves can he?

Not no, but HECK no. I am 29 and have never had one. I've had the flu MAYBE twice...the real flu. My older two kids (9 and 7) and the shots when they were 2.5 and 9 months. My 2.5 year old went on to have two seizures due to the fevers she got from the shot. My son ended up with pneumonia (sorry if I botched that spelling, but you know what I mean). My kids ended up WAY more sick than they would have otherwise.

We are cautious in washing our hands, not touching our faces, cleaning the house, etc. But I will never put that virus in me or my kids ever again. If they get it, we'll fight it the same way someone who got the shot would fight it.

My husband gets it every year (not this year yet) because he has been in the military. He's been out for eight years, but he still works in a hospital...so normally it's required for him to get it. I always know when he gets it because he is sick for the next week.

I don't let doctors or my husband sway my opinion of my kids getting the vaccine. They won't ever get it again.

We don't get the flu shot. We refrain from going into crowded places, touching random things out in public and we diligently wash our hands each and every time we get home. We also take immune boosting supplements and eat a healthy diet, get plenty of sleep and exercise. Husband is 42, I'm 41, the kids are 15, 12 and 10 and I'm happy to say none of us have ever gotten the flu. Ever.

I'm one of those people who have anecdotal evidence that the flu shot messes with you. My son got a flu shot when he was 6. He had a softball sized rash around the injection site for NINE MONTHS. Hated to think what that was doing on the inside of his body. So we've never gotten the flu shot since. And our docs NEVER push the flu shot on us - they hear what we do each year to avoid getting sick and say "well, that should be just fine."

It's a personal decision. You need to do your own research and decide for your own family.

You might try searching this question on Mamapedia. We have debated the flu shot so many times already, I just can't bring myself to do it again ;)

emmy had strep and hates needles so i didnt rush to get her the flu shot, she has the flu now. i was forced to get the flu shot for work and i didnt catch it off her. all others who didnt get the shot around her have gotten the flu as well so far

I got the flu mist for both my kids, and my husband and I got the shot. I always say that the people who decide not to get the vaccine must have never before had the flu. I never want to go through that again, and most definitely not my children. It was the sickest I have ever been in my life and took weeks to get better. I couldn't imagine my babies going through that.

Children die from the flu. That should be reason enough. If you ever had the real,flu, trust me, you would have had your flu shot in Oct. adults also die from the flu.

If you feel funky after the shot, it is your body build up immunities. Actually, people who feel,funky are better off and have a better immunity to it. M

We get the shot because it kills people every year and this year it's even worse.
It's a rough year they say it's like back in the 90s when we lost 18,000 to the flu. perfectly healthy people are fine one day get the flu and 2 days later are dead.
That's how it happens. You can get a natural preservative free version if you are afraid of that. There really is no reason to not get it.

my daughters nurse at childrens hospital asked if i wanted the flu shot for my daughter.

i said, uh-NO... and she said, "good. I wouldn't take it either, but they make me take them because I'm a nurse".

So, hopefully that helps.

I don't have time to look them up now, but there are several studies that have been published recently in well known medical journals that have shown that there is NO evidence the flu vaccine reduces flu in children or elderly. It simply has no effect on these groups. Now the average healthy adult, who has less than 3% chance of catching the flu anyways, will have a decreased risk of catching the flu after getting the vaccine. Basically they go from having a 3% chance to a 1.5% chance. So as for vaccinating kids....it seems pointless and why put artificial chemicals, preservatives, and neurotoxins into their bodies for nothing? Also ALL vaccines cause a temporary decrease in immune function - so you are increasing their risks of getting sick with the next virus they come in contact with. Also, I have never read any solid scientific data that supports the claim that if you get the vaccine and catch the flu it will be milder. I've heard people say "in their experience", and I've seen pro vaccine articles state this, but nothing actually PROVEN. I also know JUST as many people and anti vaccines sites that claim that when they get the flu after NOT being vaccinated, they get a less severe case because they are making naturally healthy choices - like taking vitamin D and eating healthy. So it's basically subjective. I do know for a fact a 14 year boy died recently from the flu and he was NOT vaccinated. I also know for a fact that a 14 year old girl died recently from the flu and she WAS vaccinated. So sometimes bad things happen no matter what we do, but we can heart in knowing that it's extremely rare.

In response to your responses, the Flu Shot doesn't cover every single strain of Flu out there, and one shot would never cover all of them anyway. That's sort of like saying one shot will cover ALL the childhood diseases, it
doesn't happen ! I work in a large Doctor's Office and for all the years(25 yrs) I've taken the Flu shot I've not had the Flu since I have received them, and I ,as well as my coworkers, are exposed to alot of things ,including the Flu. You also have to keep in mind that it takes approximately 2 weeks for your body to build up the antibodies to fight the flu. If your immune system is already weakened , it may not help as much as if you were healthy . If someone has already had the flu and now has it again ,there are 2 things to consider, an already weakened immune system from the 1st bout of flu and 2 maybe a completely diffrent strain of flu altho the symptoms are the same or similar. Just some things to keep in mind, it all amounts to personal preference !
Stay Healthy, C. S.

we will never get a flu shot. We just make sure to wash our hands and then we won't get sick. Most of the time flu shots don't work and why put all those awful chemicals into your kids bodies that they don't need? So, not shots for us :)

Both my kids got the Flu mist.
My husband and I got the Flu shot.
I also have Asthma. And thus, I also got the Pneumonia shot.

Now: this week my son has been sick with Flu like symptoms. He is home all week and not in school.
I took him to the Doctor today. They gave him a Flu test. It was negative. He does NOT have the Flu.
BUT... if a person is sick and seemingly... has the "Flu"... they might think they have the Flu, but it might not be.
Thus, even if my son got the Flu shot... he did not get sick, with the Flu.
He does not have the Flu. But, TONS of kids at my kids' school, are getting sick with the Flu, the past couple of weeks.

The gist of this lesson is: If you or your kids are sick with Flu like symptoms, you CANNOT assume... it is the Flu... UNLESS you get a proper medical Diagnosis and Flu Test... from the Doctor. And the Flu shot, does not give you, the Flu.
Prior to going to the Doctor, friends were telling me "Your son must have the Flu... " because of his symptoms. To a Layperson, it SEEMS like the Flu. But my son does not have it. But his symptoms, are like... the Flu.

We are glad we got the Flu shot.

My daughter is 22, has never had a flu shot in her life, and has only had the flu twice.

Talk to your pediatrician. Get his or her opinion. Don't read conspiracy theory stuff. Do understand that we can still get the flu even after we get the shot, though the symptoms aren't as bad as if we didn't.

I will tell you that it's scary for our young children to get the flu. Scary enough when our spouses get it and they are down for the count. But REALLY scary when our children are THAT ill.

Dawn

I only have anecdotal experience but I didnt get the shot, my H did. We both got the flu the same week. I would say his was about a third lighter than my case but he still has the cough 3 weeks later.I have a friend with a child 14 who has CP. He had the shot.
He now has his 2nd confirmed case of the flu. That family gets the flu shot all the time and has the flu more than any other family I know. I hate to hear of anyone having the flu I got but I just am not so sure a shot will prevent it.

Read a ton. It's hardly effective, lowers your immune responses (makes many people sick after getting it), etc. Just vitamin d and a healthy immune system!

I hate to be blunt, but I bet the parents of the 14-year old boy in our town that just died from the flu wish they had gotten him the shot, because they hadn't.

Honestly, I don't know either. But, it's VERY confusing. I've never had a flu shot. I don't think my husband has either. And, my kids have only ever had it once - with the H1N1 was going around and was so deadly. And none of us have ever had the flu. But, I make sure my 98 year old grandmother gets it every year, mostly because I'm not sure if she's survive having the flu.

I recently read an article that said "Flu and other vaccines contain harmful stabilizers, neutralizers, carrying agents, and preservatives. They include 25 micrograms of mercury (thimerosal). It’s a known neurotoxin. One microgram is considered toxic." and “Most people getting the flu right now are the same (ones) who were vaccinated with the flu shot.” Here's the link http://www.veteranstoday.com/2013/01/13/flu-epidemic-hyst...

And I read another one that said "There is a total lack of real evidence that young children even benefit from flu shots. A systematic review of 51 studies involving 260,000 children age 6 to 23 months found no evidence that the flu vaccine is any more effective than a placebo." http://www.bewellbuzz.com/general/10-reasons-flu-shots-da...

I hope we make it thru another season with it.

I guess read it and make an informed decision.

When pregnant, I got the shot. I realize that my body could produce a bit of inflammation from the shot (normal immune response), and inflammation isn't good for a fetus and goes into the pot of adding up risks that contribute to autism. Mainly, you want the mother's gut as healthy as possible with the right bacteria, and as few toxins as possible in her body, and you want to avoid infection. I've read everything I could get my hands on with new research about that. Fascinating!

But getting the flu when pregnant would be even worse. TONS of inflammation. So I had to choose the safest route, which was the shot. Best thing would have been to get the shot before pregnancy but the timing was not perfect with that.

My kids always gets the flu mist (nasal). Anyone who gets the regular shot, we get the mercury-free kind, simply because I don't think a known toxin is a good idea. Ask around if you need to find a type of shot.

Absolutely get the flu shots for your kids. You can do live virus (flu mist) or a shot with dead virus. They have different versions of the shots if your kids are allergic to eggs and if you don't want you kids to have the shot with the mercury in it. But the advantages far outweigh the disadvantages.