big city families who don't vax - advice?

[lcaitlin]

hi, I have a 4-month old beautiful baby boy. we live in new york city. babe has not had any vaccinations yet, and I'm leaning towards not doing any until he is much older, if at all.

I'm wondering if others who live in big cities take special precautions with your unvaxed babies.

I take my babe with me everywhere - including to work at a large university twice a week, stores, restaurants, yoga, playgroups, museums, you name it! but I've been really skittish about taking him on the subway. the crowded, enclosed, stagnant air environment makes me nervous. so we wind up driving everywhere, which can be inconvenient, but feels better to me. I'm thinking of avoiding the subway as much as possible until springtime. am I being silly? or should I be avoiding more than just the subway?

any advice for keeping baby super healthy in the city?

[BarnMomma]

Hi

I live in westchester but we're in the city all the time, at least twice a week. I never take the subway. Actually, I never took the subway all the years I lived downtown for the reasons you mentioned. NYC is filthy enough without having to deal with someone standing on top of you exhaling in stale musty air. I always walked or took cabs.

When DS(19 mo, unvaxed) and I go in I'm on "hand watch." Meaning there is no hands in the mouth allowed. I keep a close eye on him and if I even think he's about to put his hands in his mouth I distract him. Same goes for toys that have made the trip with us..none of them can go in the mouth.

We wash hands frequently. Gotta love Starbucks for being on every corner.

But also part of me likes being exposed to the dirt of the city. I think it builds the immune system but we're smart about it.

But as for subways...yuck! And this is yuck for everyone, not just unvaxed kids. We'll do the metro north because on off peak times it's not so crowded but I hate the subway. Always have. (not to mention that time the power went out? all those people trapped underground for so long? I would have freaked out if DS had been born and was stuck with me for that! it's NYC! This freaky stuff happpens all the time. I like being above ground)

[FernG]

Originally Posted by lcaitlin

I take my babe with me everywhere - including to work at a large university twice a week, stores, restaurants, yoga, playgroups, museums, you name it!

That's exactly what we did! DD went all over the inner city as an unvaccinated newborn.

Originally Posted by lcaitlin

but I've been really skittish about taking him on the subway. the crowded, enclosed, stagnant air environment makes me nervous. so we wind up driving everywhere, which can be inconvenient, but feels better to me. I'm thinking of avoiding the subway as much as possible until springtime. am I being silly? or should I be avoiding more than just the subway?

This is good advice for any baby. This has nothing to do with vaccination status. You are trying to avoid nasty colds and flu, which cannot be prevented by vaccines. (Yes, the flu vaccine is available, but it doesn't prevent the flu - at least not for 5/7 of the last years).

I would advise you to take high-quality probiotics, eat as much living food as possible, avoid preservative and food additives, eat truly free-range meat, and take a vit d supplement. I'm assuming that NY is too far north for you to make natural vit d this time of year.

Keep some herbs and sodium ascorbate on hand in case you feel a cold coming on.

[swissmom]

Wow, I always thought I'm the only non-vaxer in NYC!! My DS is 2 years old now and hasn't had anything worse than a runny nose once in a while. In addition to living in a big city we also travel to Europe twice a year. We don't take special precautions apart from common sense such as staying apart from caughing people and washing hands when coming home. I know how you feel about the subway. I don't feel particularly comfortable down there, too, for the same reasons you stated. But as I said, I try to avoid DS being coughed at directly and touching the handrails. But it's more that I don't want him to catch a cold, I'm not afraid he would get something like diphtheria or measles in the subway anyway. You will find that you will grow more comfortable with every month that passes while your child is thriving.

[ammiga]

I don't avoid anyplace with dd. For me, her unvaxed status always made me feel like she was healthier than everyone else, not more susceptible to diseases. I don't think vaxes work, which is one of the main reasons we don't vax. So vaxed or not doesn't impact my decision to take her anyplace.

[tracymom1]

We haven't vaccinated our son and don't plan to. We live in Chicago and have taken him everywhere we go. He has been extraordinarily healthy and I think that there are very few, if any, diseases you need to every worry about.

[Pyrodjm]

I live in Queens but travel to Brooklyn and Queens on the subway at least once a month. DD has had no vaxes and we have no intention of starting. She goes everywhere with me in a wrap or a sling. She also gets passed around at church. We do nothing special. I wash my hands whenever I can and I try not to let her touch things on the subway. But I breastfeed and eat well and she has been very healthy so far.

[lcaitlin]

thanks everyone! since I got such nice answers and nobody made me feel silly about my subway aversion, I'll ask a followup!

anyone use any sort of hand sanitizer while on the go? I hate the stuff, and obviously soap and water is best, but on days when I've been out all over the city, not near a sink, and feeling super grimy, I wonder if maybe I should have a bottle of something or other in my diaper bag...

[FernG]

Originally Posted by lcaitlin

thanks everyone! since I got such nice answers and nobody made me feel silly about my subway aversion, I'll ask a followup!

anyone use any sort of hand sanitizer while on the go? I hate the stuff, and obviously soap and water is best, but on days when I've been out all over the city, not near a sink, and feeling super grimy, I wonder if maybe I should have a bottle of something or other in my diaper bag...

Hand sanitizers are gross to me. I do keep a bottle of water and some cloth wipes in my bag to clean off grime.

[alegna]

We live in Houston and do nothing special with two unvaxed kids. We go anywhere and everywhere. I avoid hand-sanitizer. We wash when dirty and don't worry.

-Angela

[moonglowmama]

Good ideas so far. I also live in a big city and am on the go a lot. I would add: wear your baby in a sling! THey are so good at controlling some measure of the air they breathe.

I do keep hand sanitizer and we use it upon leaving any store where the kids have been running their hands around, but I wouldn't use it for a baby. Also, wipes are handy for keeping fingers clean. And, another way a sling is handy with a baby is to keep their hands in, so others don't touch them, and they don't get germy and then go straight to the mouth.

I'm really not against germs, but I try to be smart and balanced about it all.

[BarnMomma]

I use hand sanitizers but the natural ones. Whole Foods sells them..little wipes with lemon, peppermint, eucalyptus oil. They smell pretty and DS likes them. No harsh chemicals.

Also, I have on occasion just juiced a lemon in my juicer, peel and all, poured it into a spritz bottle and used that as on-the-go sanitizer. Only thing is unrefridgerated it only last a few hours but it's perfect for a trip inot the city.