Question: How Often Have Your Non-Vax Kids Been Sick? - Page 3

[just_lily]

I don't think that unvaxed children never get sick.... I just think they have a better chance of resisting whatever is circulating around, and tend to recover faster when they do become ill. 

My DD is 2.5yo, received pumped breastmilk for three weeks due to her complete and utter refusal of the breast despite all attempts, and formula fed thereafter.  I started running a home daycare when she was 6mo up until last month with up to five extra kids here during the week.  We attend a number of activities and she goes to Sunday School, so is around at least 30+ different kids each week. 

She has had a few mild colds.  Maybe two each year?  I have never counted but I was never concerned about the frequency.  Each lasts only a couple of days and she is back to her old self.  She has never had the lingering cough of constant green snot that I have seen in countless other children. 

We had one puking experience that lasted about three hours, and again back to her normal self. 

The worst thing she has had was last summer when she had Hand Foot and Mouth.  That came with a very sudden fever of 104F and she felt pretty crumby, and then we had a couple of sleepless nights when the sores on her feet were really itchy.  And then she was fine.  (I, on the other hand, came down with it a couple of days later and was laid up for a week.)

I would say that all of the kids I know who seem to be constantly sick are fully vaxed.  One little guy in my daycare was sick with, and then passed on to me, six separate colds, two stomach flus and the aforementioned Hand Foot and Mouth all between August and December.  He also had a couple of ear infections during that time.  I picked up nearly everything he got because he was always coughing and sneezing in my face, but DD missed most of it.  I wish I had her immune system.  I closed my daycare just before Christmas and this has been the longest I have been healthy in months. 

[otono]

I just wanted to know where you live and who your doc is he sounds like a good doc.

[kriket]

We're at almost 2y and DS has had 2 fevers. We seem to be a cold/flu family something about us, we will get stuffy and sometimes run a fever once a year. Mine is in the summer, DH and DS are fall/winter sickos. We had breathing 'issues' at birth (37w), but they never found a cause and he has never had an issue since.

DS barfed right after thanksgiving when he was 18m. MIL gave him caffeinated soda. and she's a walking disease. She has to be reminded to wash her hands, and has lots (dozens) of cats that are constantly sick. Anyway. He had a fever a few months ago also and was super boogerie. But that's it. He's nonvaxed and EBF/extendedBF which the boob juice I think helps :)

[daisymommy]

DS#1 Fully vaxxed, BF for a month, then formula fed.  Sick ALL.THE.TIME.  DH and I also got the flu shot, and all recommended boosters.  We were sick all the time too.  I mean the whole family was sick 2-3 times a month.  It was crazy!

Then we stopped all vaccines when DS was 2.  Now no one gets sick,  DD and DS#2 haven't had any vaccines and were exclusively BF before starting solids at 7 months.  DH and I haven't had any shots for over 6 years.

DS#1 and now DD have gone to preschool and don't get sick.  Meaning one little cold each winter,  That's it.  No one has needed any antibiotics or prescription medication for 6 years. 

Last year, during the whole H1N1 season, DS' school was considering closing down because so many kids and teachers were out sick with it.  DS was healthy as a horse.  And guess what?  The school had hosted a free vaccine clinic at the school (parent permission forms were given out), so I'm sure many of the kids were vaccinated against it.  All of my friends kids (playgroups, church, etc.) are vaccinated and they are always sick!  Of course my kids are around them, playing with them, and don't catch all the viruses.

I really feel like we had killed out our immune systems back then instead of strengthening them.  Now they are strong and do a good job of protecting us.

[Lillitu]

My 11 month old is non-vaxxed. He is very healthy and has only been sick with a head cold once- I take that as part of building his immunity. He handled it like a champ.

[lovingmommyhood]

My eldest was vaccinated with every vax on time. That child is NEVER sick. Maybe twice in his six years of life. 

DS2 Partially vax'd gets sick every once in awhile. Not constantly but maybe once every two months he'll get a bug. 

DD1 Unvaxed...is my sickest child. Asthma & eczema, among other things. She's constantly at the doctor and if anything is going around, she gets it. 

So for us, it didn't work out that way but that's just us. 

[JavaFinch]

This is my experience, as well.  My daughter is 2 years 9 months and has been incredibly healthy, even given the fact that she was born 1 month early by c-section with a knot in her cord, a super crappy placenta and underweight!  I was worried that her immune system would be compromised.  I did breastfeed her, but I also breastfed my full-term, fully vaccinated son.  He got more sicknesses than she has.  She's only had about 3 snotty noses, no respiratory stuff, no ear infections, and did get roseola, I believe, because she got a slight rash after days of no-symptom fever, but the rash was super slight and went away within hours, so who knows.

I think not vaccinating is to credit partially for DD's good health, but I think I credit breastfeeding more than not vaccinating.

[MommaMoo]

This used to be a very touchy issue for me, until I finally accepted the fact that kids DO get sick and it's not something I should take personally. My 5 yo DS is very susceptible to colds and coughs. I went nuts when he was younger, trying to figure out why he was constantly sick, even though I did all the "right" things-not vaxing, fully BF, gets plenty of sleep, all organic, fresh foods, never tasted junk food or candy, etc. Also he was never really around other kids until he started kindy, but STILL he always seemed to have a cold. He's had a couple ear infections, bronchitis, and so many colds that I couldn't possibly count them. He also has permanent black circles under his eyes and cannot have gluten or dairy. Now he also seems to have environmental allergies as well. BUT, dh is also an allergic person and had "allergic shiners" as a kid as well. I also have a small nose and am prone to sinus issues, which DS also seems to have inherited. Lucky kid! He's never had anything serious, though. He's never had the flu or even vomited. I get kind of prickly when parents brag that their kid is "never sick," as if it's because of their excellent parenting skills, and only us crappy parents have kids who get sick. Probably not the way they mean it, but it's how I take it (like I said, I get defensive on this issue.) Vaccines played no part in my son's health issues, but I'm still glad I didn't vax him because he would probably be worse off.

[tanyalynn]

My 2nd child is unvaccinated and has gotten sick more often than any other kid I know IRL.  That said--vaccines wouldn't have made him healthier, and IMO probably would've made it harder for me to work on improving his immune system. 

Some kids come into this world with a lot stacked against them, and while not vaccinating may help, the homebirth and the breastfeeding and such isn't enough, alone, to create a healthy immune system for them.  Other kids start out in a reasonable place and have good genes (DH's family comes to mind) and stuff that would cause problems for other kids, they aren't bothered with.  There are more nuances, and more variables, than those that we know about before our kids are born, and some stuff is out of our control.  But it's always possible to work to optimize the health of each of our kids, to help them reach their potential, even when they need something different than most. 

[lovingmommyhood]

Originally Posted by MommaMoo 

This used to be a very touchy issue for me, until I finally accepted the fact that kids DO get sick and it's not something I should take personally. My 5 yo DS is very susceptible to colds and coughs. I went nuts when he was younger, trying to figure out why he was constantly sick, even though I did all the "right" things-not vaxing, fully BF, gets plenty of sleep, all organic, fresh foods, never tasted junk food or candy, etc. Also he was never really around other kids until he started kindy, but STILL he always seemed to have a cold. He's had a couple ear infections, bronchitis, and so many colds that I couldn't possibly count them. He also has permanent black circles under his eyes and cannot have gluten or dairy. Now he also seems to have environmental allergies as well. BUT, dh is also an allergic person and had "allergic shiners" as a kid as well. I also have a small nose and am prone to sinus issues, which DS also seems to have inherited. Lucky kid! He's never had anything serious, though. He's never had the flu or even vomited. I get kind of prickly when parents brag that their kid is "never sick," as if it's because of their excellent parenting skills, and only us crappy parents have kids who get sick. Probably not the way they mean it, but it's how I take it (like I said, I get defensive on this issue.) Vaccines played no part in my son's health issues, but I'm still glad I didn't vax him because he would probably be worse off.

Ditto. I've done everything exactly the same for all of my kids, in fact DD was breastfed longer than her less-often-sick, partially/vaccinated siblings. I've come to the conclusion that you're right, some kids just get sick. 

I've never thought that my DS1's great immune system had anything to do WITH him being vax'd. Not to be mis understood. I just personally haven't put a lot of stock in less vax = healthier kid because it's not my experience at all and it's not my reason for not vaxing. 

[Lisa1970]

4 of my children were "fully vaccinated" and the youngest has not been. The youngest is far healthier and bigger than the others. He has a better temperment too. At 1 yr, my vaccinated children were 16 pounds, 20 pounds, 17 pounds, and 19 pounds. My unvaccinated child was 23/24 pounds (he did not have a 12 month check up, but was weighed at 13 months at about 24 pounds). My 1st and 3rd had a lot of gastrointestinal issues. My 2nd child had a lot of ear infections and such. All my children until the youngest have been speech delayed. 

[THANKFULFORFIVE]

My first 4 children are older and fully vaxed according to the 90's schedule (except for DS2 who had severe reaction to first MMR)...DD3 is 3 and completely unvaxed and the only one to NOT be breastfed (not for lack of trying).  Unlike the older kids, she has NEVER had an ear infection or even a cough!  only a few runny noses and what I believed to be Roseola as an infant.  I do not believe that it is a coincidence.  Of course, I am also convinced that the organic diet that the youngest has enjoyed is a key contributor to her overall health.  I only wish I had known earlier what I know now...

[zippy_francis]

DD1 is 3 and was vaxed till 4 mo old. Never got the hepatitis shot though, ever. She has had 5 or so ear infections (and a few colds) since birth and the flu once when she was 17 mo old. No flu shots given. BF till 11 mo old, working and pumping reduced my supply along with my 2nd pregnancy.

DD2 is 2 and never been vaxed. She has had the usual colds/ear infections (a couple) but nothing more. She was BF till about 9mo, same as before, working and pumping killed my supply.

DH have not had any shots or boosters since we were 18 or whenever the last ones were given. I remember when they implemented the 3 rounds of hep back when I was 18 and just graduated high school, my mom had me go down and get those. Wish I knew then what I know now. Cause of course I was 18 when they made me get them, and did just fine the prior 17 yrs. Now of course they start the rounds with infants. I remember when I first refused the shot with DD1, the doc asked me why I wanted to delay and I said "well I am not too worried about intravenous drug use or promiscuous sex with my 2 wk old"

Funny thing is when I started on my journey of learning about non-vax I had intended to delay or selective vax. And it was my DH who really pushed for no vax at all. He was the one who thought we were all crazy about not vaxing and whom I had to share much literature, research and the occasional disagreement with just to see another side. But once he did, he wanted NOTHING to do with it.

[sugarmags]

My 4.5 yr old son is unvaccinated and was BF until 3. He got sick once when he was about 1 and had a temperature for a day or 2 with what the doctor said was probably just a virus. Unlike all my friends with vaccinated children, he never had any eye/ear infections, sore throat, recurring fevers, or croup or anything else - but he also didn't go to daycare or have siblings in school/daycare. He started pre-k 4-months ago and caught a cold within the first 2 weeks. It was not fun because he had never had a stuffy or runny nose before. I wasn't surprised though because whenever we drop him off there are kids coughing and sneezing all around and they only seem to wash their hands before "snack time." Some of them seem to have perpetual colds. He's since had the sniffles for a few days and had an elevated temp once, but he recovered very quickly. Frankly, I'm surprised he hasn't been sick constantly considering all the interaction at school and the fact that parents don't seem to be willing to keep their kids home when they're obviously sick. All in all, my son has seemed healthier than other kids and it's something we've always been proud of -- and felt was partially the result of avoiding shots -- but then again he was BF for awhile, gets exercise, eats great food, and didn't go to daycare.

[ecoteat]

DD is 4.5. She was bf for 3 years and has only had DTaP, on a delayed schedule. Her immune system amazes me. When an illness runs through the family (like the flu we are recovering from now) she is ALWAYS the least sick and the quickest to recover. She was exposed to chicken pox three times in the last month and didn't get it. She occasionally gets a little sniffle that doesn't slow her down at all. When she was 4 months old she had an eye infection that I was scared/bullied into treating with strong systemic abx, which I still regret, but it doesn't seem to have had any adverse effects. She's been in preschool for 3 years and has missed more school this week because of the flu than she has the rest of the years combined.

Obviously I don't know what exactly to attribute her overall good health to, but I'm sure the minimal vax and extended bf don't hurt! We also grow most of our own food and eat very close to the source, which certainly helps all of us.

[awallrising]

My 3.5 yr old non-vax kid has never had a "vaccine-preventable" illness.  I think he gets sick as much as other kids, but I don't think the same severity or duration as other kids who I assume are vax'd.  I think it's good for kids to get colds & some illnesses to strengthen their immune system.  I feel like BFing him for 2 yrs, him eating relatively well & allowing his immune system to develop naturally has played a huge role in his strong immune system.  I have a secret fear that he will get a "vaccine-preventable" illness & I'll be hearing a lot of "I told you so"s/

[november]

My daughter is 100% vax free. She's never been sick, despite being around sick family members multiple times. No ear infections, diaper rashes, diarrhea, fever, has never puked, nothing.

[HannahW]

My nine month old dd is selectively vaxed. She got all of the DTaP and the first round of Rota, HIB and Prevnar (the more I learned the less I vaxed). My mama and I run a home daycare with up to 12 different children (all fully vaxed).She has had the sniffles two or three times. Over Christmas she had a fever of 103.9. I gave her Ty and it came down. Over the next two days I gave her Ty three more times because of her fever going above 102. Other than a fever, she was just clingy and tired. She got over it fast and was back to herself in no time. I say she is very healthy and has def not been more sick because of not being fully vaxed. Not sure what I plan to do about future vaxes. Def not some, but I am wishy washy on others.

[zippy_francis]

Originally Posted by awallrising 

My 3.5 yr old non-vax kid has never had a "vaccine-preventable" illness.  I think he gets sick as much as other kids, but I don't think the same severity or duration as other kids who I assume are vax'd.  I think it's good for kids to get colds & some illnesses to strengthen their immune system.  I feel like BFing him for 2 yrs, him eating relatively well & allowing his immune system to develop naturally has played a huge role in his strong immune system.  I have a secret fear that he will get a "vaccine-preventable" illness & I'll be hearing a lot of "I told you so"s/

Agree completely. Both my DD's get the occassional cold or sniffles or ear infection but nothing that last for days and days and they bounce back quickly. They have been exposed MANY times to MANY different illnesses and so far nothing. Even some "vaccine-preventable" ones too, and still have not gotten anything other than the usual kid stuff. I dont mind if they get sick because I know it builds their immune system, and of course I expect the "I TOLD YOU SO". I have already gotten a ton of that, plus the lectures of; I am endangering them, I am not educated about vaxes, etc., I saw WHATEVER, and put em on ignore!

I also believe in letting kids be exposed to germs. We own ZERO bottles of hand sanitizer and if my kids eat some food off the floor, so be it.
 

[annjo]

I have 2 completely unvaxed daughters, ages 5 and 3. In now 8 years of childhood, neither one has ever had an ear infection or been on antibiotics. I am NOT against antibiotics, when used appropriately, but frankly it has never even come up. They do get occasional colds, which I don't really consider "illness" but rather a healthy immune system response. They are both in school, the 5 year old in all day kindergarten and the 3 year old in 2 day per week school. I am generally quite healthy, but as a child had lots of ear infections. I was fully vaxed. We barely visit our doctor, except to check in occasionally. When we do, she asks me, "Do your kids ever get sick?"