The Flu Shot, Yes or No?

We have an appointment to get my 15 month old son the flu shot on Saturday. He will be getting a thimerosol-free vaccine, because the only product for kids 6-23 months is thimerosal-free. There are also thimerosal-free ones for older kids as well. This is from the CDC website:
For the 2008-09 season, there is one product licensed for 6-23 month old children (the product is thimerosal-free). For children between the ages of 2 and 5 years of age, there are three products available that are thimerosal-free (sanofi's Fluzone; MedImmune's FluMist) or preservative-free (trace thimerosal- [Novartis's Fluvirin]).

http://www.cdc.gov/FLU/ABOUT/QA/thimerosal.htm

I have heard horror stories of children under the age of 2 getting the flu, so I think the shot is important. Also, I am pregnant, and I intend to get the shot as well.

Absolutely not! Most flu shots still have mercury (thimerosol). Your husband might be okay, but the FDA has recently ruled that amalgam (mercury fillings) aren't safe for women and children (we've known that for years and the ADA still isn't on board!) so I sure wouldn't think it's any safer in vaccinations (the reason they did remove it from most childhood vaccines!)

Also, your husband may not get sick as often as he doesn't spend his days around children or in crowded classrooms and honestly his level of stress is quite likely lower than yours. My husband also gets the shot almost every year and he still gets the flu. Typically, the shots only protect you against half the strains as they're based on an "educated guess" in terms of which will be dominant.

The best protection against the flu are the basics: good sleep, quality food (little sugar and processed foods), supplements (a good multiple + vitamin C + zinc), etc. Whenever my kids come home with the slightest cough, sore throat or tummy ache, they get Sambucol - it's a proven anti-viral based on Elderberry extract. It never fails to avoid the bug, along with about 5 10 mg zinc lozenges over a 24 hour period. There are also homeopathic flu remedies.

Hello L.,

My kids got it once and that's when they got really sick. What I do now is have wipes and hand sanitizer in the car and when they get out of school, clean their hands and when they get home wash their hands with soap and water. wash their hands often. I have herbs and essential oils to help. like elederberry, astragalus, anise seed, fenugreek, etc. Good luck! ~C.~

My kids always get one, and I am getting mine in an hour. This is my first time to get one, that I can recall anyway. My 3 year old always has a check up about this time so he gets one while he is there. My oldest is 14 and he gets one if he happens to be at the dr at the time, but we do not make a special trip so he does not get one everyyear.

My husband and I get it every year. My children all used to get it when younger because my daughter had a heart defect and you don't want the flu if you have heart issues.

In retrospect, I would not have gotten the shots for my son if we'd known then about the mercury. He has Asperger's and I don't know if the thimerasol (mercury) additive did anything to trigger it or not, but if I'd known I wouldn't have gotten the shot for him or my other daughter. I had to get it for my older daughter with the heart defect as it could have killed her if she got the flu, so that was a no brainer.

There is Flu Mist, live virus vaccine, which does not have Thimerasol.... but if I were you, I'd get the shot for the adults and consider the 12 year old and if your doc recommends it give the flu mist to the younger 2 or give them nothing and pray they don't get the flu, because the flu is nasty.

Mary B's health advice is good, too.

Yes, both my kids and I get it every year. My daughter just turned 7 months and even she had hers. You can get the preservative free kind so that doesn't have to be a concern. Plus, your kids are all old enough to get the flu mist, so they don't even need a shot. My son just had his first mist - much better than the shot! Have you ever had the flu? I certainly want to do all I can to prevent my kids going through that!

Yes! Every year that my husband didn't get it, he got the flu really bad! I made him start getting it, and he hasn't gotten the flu since. I've been vaccinated for several years. I do get my son vaccinated, too. Of course, there are side effects, as with ALL meds and vaccines, but to me, the extremely rare chance of having horrible side effects outweighs the very good chance of getting the flu, and my husband missing work (he's our only income, so we really can't afford that).