Are your unvaccinated children in preschool/school? - Page 2

[LisaSedai]

Originally Posted by SilverMoon010 

I want to make sure I'm aware when the school gives out vaccines. I would certainly be keeping him home from school on those days as well. Do they send out letters to all parents beforehand, and are there any types of cases where they do not need to notify parents? I'm assuming they need the parents' signature first. I have a fear that they will not notify me and give my child a vaccine withouy my knowledge, and how would I know if they did?  I remember reading a case where this has happened, where the school vaccinated a child who was exempt.

By the way, just curious, after the school administered the nasal flu vaccine, do you recall if your child got the flu from being around all of those live viruses?

They did send out a letter that had a permission form attached to it, and told the date it was going to be given. I can't think of any reason they would be allowed to give your child a vaccination without your permission but if you look at some permission forms you sign for field trips or camps there is wording that says you give permission for your child to have medical care - where I could see  your child might be given a  DTaP if she had to go to the ER. I could also see an "oops" happening, my child getting in the wrong line and getting it by mistake.

The vaccine was given on a Friday, I kept my kid home that day and he didn't get the flu this year. ( We've never had the flu that I know of)

[Racecarma]

Both our boys are unvaccinated. Our 1st is in Kindergarten in public school.  He's been attending preschools since he was two and every year we provide the schools with the Dept. of Health's standard form with our philosophical exemption.  Our family MD wrote a medical exemption for him that the county Dept. of Health doctor denied!  What nerve.  Anyway, thank goodness for philosophical or we would deifinitely be forced to home school.  Our second son is 2 and is in preschool program and has exemption as well. 

As for being sick, they will catch viruses just like any vaccinated child does.  We supplement with vitamin D3, C and probiotics which seems to help them get over things quickly.  I won't go into the whole unvaccinated children causing the so-called preventable childhood illness theory because that issue is so long. However I will say it is so silly when they accuse the kids who are unvaccinated as "the cause" of a spread when most of the vaccinated children in schools are the ones getting the illness and are the ones who actually pass the illness on to those who are NOT vaccinated or whose full-course of vaccination was ineffective. Before we found our current non-vax-friendly doctor, our previous Pediatrician kicked us out of his practice because he did not want the liability.  He said that he could not protect us from getting the viruses being sloughed off from vaccinated kids. Whatever.  Wish Dr. Larry Palvesky (pediatrician) lived by us!!!  If we lived in NYC or Long Island, we'd go to him in a heartbeat!  I am not afraid of my kids getting the illnesses.  I was not vaccinated as a child and I, my siblings and all my friends had the measles, mumps, Rubella, Pertussis, etc growing up and all survived without incident.  I was vaccine injured as an adult and suffered a severe raction. Other family members have had reactions as well.    Boost your children's immune systems, eat healthy and don't live in fear that a vaccine that has side effects and is not even 100% effective will miraculously prevent anything.

I have a good philosophical exemption letter that I modified from one we found in the back of Dr. Sherri Tenpenny's book. If you want it, let me know.

[emmy526]

Parenting magazine??? seriously, thats one of the WORST magazines for new parents out there.. it's so biased and one sided information. I have 4  kids, all went to public school and all not vaxed. Never had any problems with outbreaks of anything. M youngest is going on 15, oldest is 24...never had an issues at all with any diseases popping up in school or daycare either.  Actually, they are far healthier than most of their peers 

[SilverMoon010]

Originally Posted by emmy526 

Parenting magazine??? seriously, thats one of the WORST magazines for new parents out there.. it's so biased and one sided information. I have 4  kids, all went to public school and all not vaxed. Never had any problems with outbreaks of anything. M youngest is going on 15, oldest is 24...never had an issues at all with any diseases popping up in school or daycare either.  Actually, they are far healthier than most of their peers 

LOL! I know! For some reason, I continue to get that magazine and I don't even ever recall signing up for it or renewing it! I've been getting it for the past 2 years. Sometimes I'm curious to read what their biased articles have to say, just to see what they have to say now, and I always seem to get agitated. I have since completely banned that magazine after reading the article I mentioned above and have ordered a very good natural-living type magazine, that is so not mainstream.

Anyway, thanks for your input. It's great to read all of these posts!

[gradstudentmommy]

My 4-year old is completely unvaxed and has been attending a university-run preschool/daycare since she was 15 months old.

I worry about being an outcast too but not enough to cause me to vax!

[babysanchez614]

My 3-year old ds is completely unvaxed and has been attending a daycare/montessori school since he was 15 months old.

The first 6 months he was definitely catching every bug, which I think is pretty common when starting daycare/school, but now he is healthy as a horse!

We make sure he has an organic, whole-food diet as much as possible, supplements, sunshine, and a stress-free, active lifestyle. Which I believe, really does wonders!

[Racecarma]

Pressing LIKE button. ;-)  

LOL, Parenting magazine is filled with pharma advertising...we certainly can't expect unbiased articles from them or any mainstream media for that matter. That would equate to biting the hand that feeds them.  I like Natural News by the Health Ranger on the internet. 

There is nothing wrong with kids getting a little sick from school.  Obviously we hope to boost immune systems so it's over quickly and uneventfully.  It is inconvenient for parents and uncomfortable for kids but I believe it is good for building a strong immune system. 

Sometimes, parents I know seem to brag about it as if it is some badge of honor that their kid is "never sick".  They walk around with mini hand sterilizer bottles, are first in line for every new vaccine and are creating a generation of germaphobes out of them.  They are further fueled by media fear-mongering. 

All this trying to create a sterile environment and never getting sick is actually counterproductive to building a strong immune system.  Not to mention all the "super" germs we've created by over-sanitizing, over-prescribing antibiotics and so on. 

[mattemma04]

12yo and 8yo vaccine free kids  in private school .They were in public for a time.One was in preschool. No major issues and no VPDs yet.

One fall the local health dept. came to the private school AFTER school to give kids and their families the swine flu vaccine.

[Calm]

I'm in Australia so I'm not sure if our exemptions are the same, but if you don't vax here you just fill in a conscientious objection form and that is shown when ever the vax forms would be shown.  My daughter went to pre school and they just said the unvaxed are the first alerted should a disease come through town.  They seem to understand the concept that the vaccinated are meant to be the ones with protection.  No one talks about vaccination at the centers, so I wouldn't know who vaccinates and who doesn't.  Vax status is confidential medical information, if the director of the center discloses such info to other parents, I'd bring them to serious account and demand to know their motive for doing so - at least make them confront you with their prejudice.

And take heart that this issue is only an issue for a few years.  People don't give a rats how vaccinated an older child or teen or adult is, the issue simply disappears as they get older.  How often do people care about your vax status?  Exactly.  Doctors used to get into the discussion with me about my dd's lack of vax, but since the age of about 4, they didn't even ask anymore, let alone care to push me into any particular direction.  I guess they see it as a risk for only a short time.  

[alpet]

Hi Marnica,what state do you live in and do you have an exemption ? Thank you!

[lokidoki]

DS1 has been in preschool since he was 15 months old and his last vaccines were at 4 months of age (so on paper he is not vaxed). He is now in public school since August and I haven't heard a thing after turning in our exemption (only choice here is religious which kind of fits however it is my only choice). I was worried I would hear something from the public school nurse or something...but nothing yet (crosses fingers)! His preschool was at a church and they were great to work with and never questioned my decision to not vax. In fact ~ all of his teachers commented that if he got sick with something the rest of the class had...he was always recovered sooner from whatever illness than the other kids (like one year the flu was going around and all of the other kids were out a solid 2 weeks...DS was out only 3 days and fever free and better by day 4)! I will add to this that DS1 is now 5 1/2 years old and has never taken an anti-biotic in his life...and his first fever was when he was 2 1/2 years old. He has never had an ear infection or strep throat. He has had chickenpox (we think, although chickenpox looks different now because of the vax so it was hard to know for sure) and has always taken 500 mg of Vit C daily (esp during cold/flu season) to ward off the snotty noses!

DS2 is only 4 months old but he will start at the same church preschool in another few months...and I plan the same routine for him! So far, so good! He is one HEALTHY baby boy!

[joellenh]

In Oklahoma we have medical, religious, or philisophical exemptions.

My children (3 and 5) have never had a vax.

DD (3) goes to preschool 3 days per week.  DS (5) goes to public kindergarten.

We did have to fill out exemption forms  for both of them.

When DS was born, this worried me to no end.  We lived in WV at the time, which only has medical exemptions.  If we still lived there, I would be home-schooling.

[muldey]

Dd,13,has been in public school since 3rd grade,homeschooled before that.She was vaxed until 2.5,when I was pregnant with ds and researched homebirth(I was very upset with the way the hospital handled dd's birth) and I found out a lot of info on vaccines.I was told when dd was born they were mandatory,with no exceptions,and that dd would be taken from me if I refused.Of course I found out I was lied to,and decided to stop all vaccines.Ds.10, has had one vaccine,one dose of hep b,which was forced on us after he was born(very long story).Anyway,ds started public kindy at 5yo,when dd went into 3rd grade.I signed the religious exemption(took a lot of talking with school officials and explaining the law,yes my dc were the only ones in the school that were not vaxed!),and continiued to do so until dd hit 6th grade,and ds 3rd.Then the middle school nurse refused the exemption.She said I needed a letter from a pastor,which is NOT in RI state law.I had copies of the law with me and everything,but the nurse would not back down.She insisted it was a city law,but could produce no proof other than a paper saying I needed the letter.I had a huge fight on my hands,but I got through it with neither child being vaxed.I was called a bad mother by a few school officials,but they finally granted it after being threatened with a lawyer.7th and 4th grade were another problem.I had to speak to the superintendent,and it was brought before the school commitee.That should never have happened,it was a total invasion of our privacy.Anyway,we were given the exemption again.This year 8th and 5th grades,ds's school sent home the exemption form without me saying a word.I haven't heard from the middle school,and I will not call them.I imagine it will be a huge fight next year,with ds entering middle school and dd the high school.Sigh.I really do not like the school dept for many reasons(one being they made uniforms mandatory last year),but ds is in self contained with a wonderful teacher(his whole school is amazing,I went there as a child too),and he recieves his therapies while in school.Dd loves her friends,but if I could afford the supplies and my health was better I'd homeschool her again.

Edited to add-Neither of my kids have been sick often.The very rare cold,and one case of strep.Possible pertusis,they had a cough that lingered for a long time,but nothing serious.

[DesireeH]

I have two completely unvaccinated children in public school (4th grade and kindergarten.) They do not get sick more often. They've both only ever had colds.  They are not treated differently. I did once get a letter saying there was an outbreak (4 CP cases in vaccinated kids) but that my child was NOT excluded (CA law is that if there is an outbreak, children with exemptions may be excluded from school per their decision.) The teacher did not know what the letter was for and it was in a sealed envelope from the office. Though I talked to the teacher once and she said she was not a fan of vaccines herself.

[twinsplusone]

I have 3 children in public school, who also had 2 years of preschool.  A completely unvaxed 1st grader  & my twin 3rd graders have only had 2 doses of DTaP & HiB (at 2 & 4 mos).

I have never had any problems.  2 of my kids have had Rotavirus(one hospitalized) & they have all had the flu......maybe even swine flu, that one year, who knows. I didnt bring them in to be tested.

Some years are better than others as far as colds & stuff, but nothing to get freaked out about.  All three of them have had Chicken Pox too ( I searched that one out & found it)

[mylilmonkeys]

My kids were homeschooled until oldest DS was entering 6th grade.  Only oldest ds has been vaccinated.  It was very easy to get an exemption in our state.  On the vaccine history form there is a spot to sign for exemptions.  Our state allows medical, religious and philosophical exemptions.  The first year in school, our kids caught pertussis.  I didn't figure out what it was they had until they had been coughing for a month and finally succeeded in giving it to our then youngest DD who was 8 mo.  She was small enough to develop the classic whoop with the cough.  When I took her in to be diagnosed, the clinic told me that she sounded exactly like a classic case of Whooping cough, but they would not diagnose it because she didn't appear "exhausted enough."  

It was really rough on her.  She was developing well and rather ahead of schedule like our other kids, but became delayed because of the severity of her sickness.  She ended up not walking until 14 mo despite learning to stand on her own roughly around the time she got ill (all the rest of ours have walked between 8 and 11mo) and she is still dealing with speech delays at 3yo.  She also has had the hardest time transitioning from the family bed.  She was just learning how to sleep on her own when she got sick, and I kept her in bed with us so when she coughed I could turn her upside down and infant Heimlich her so she wouldn't turn blue and/or develop pneumonia.  The second year they were in school, they all got Chicken Pox.  Oldest, vaccinated DS got both of these just like everyone else.  Since then, they haven't been more or less sick than their peers.  They probably all stay home at least once a year with an intestinal bug, and deal with a normal amount of cold viruses.  

[ladytigerfairy]

My child is in preschool, completly unvaxed. He went all last year and there were some colds and viruses, but nothing major. This year, at a new preschool, large class, he caught chickenpox within the first month. (an ear infection, bronchitis and other germs non-stop now!) worse, I am suddenly getting sick too (it's a co-op so I'm working there) - I really strongly feel that I skipped the shots for serious reasons, though now I am very worried about catching Pertussis (as we are in California) and there's tons of it in our town (literally) as alot of people don't vax here.. so on the fact I'm having a fear we are going to get Pertussis, been weighing in on the decision to skip DtaP - and we have a 4 month old, so I don't want her to get it.. But I am so cold, chilled and reluctant to get the DTaP shot for him...    (but right now have had a 4 week cough caught from the preschool, chickenpox was awful so I don't know what to do)...  tempted to run out ad get DTaP, been reading these forums, remembering WHY i made the decisions I did...

[Chloebelle]

 I would concentrate on his (and your) immune system. Running out and getting the shot isn't going to guarantee anything, nor will it necessarily keep your child from getting sick. Your best defence is a strong immune system. Vitamin C, Vitamin D, Elderberry extract, Probiotics and limit sugar in the diet.

Be thankful he got CP and now has lifelong immunity! 

[draigunfly]

My almost 2yr old son just started a Montessori school which goes up to 9th grade. He's NOT vaccinated. He has had a tetnus shot, only because he's always getting in to things and tetnus is something I'm not willing to deal with, because it can kill so fast. So, besides the tetnus he WILL NOT be getting any other shots. I just didnt want to risk the chance of him cutting his finger or something and it getting tetnus. But i DO STRONGLY oppose all other vaccines! I know serveral other children that are not vaccinated, and they're in school, preschool, elementarty, ect...Don't worry, your little one, wont be the only one! I have noticed that people "like my self" who chose not to vaccinate, don't talk about it freely, at least where I'm at" because you do get a lot of hype and drama. I have my friend "whos has a little boy as well" her mother questioned letting our boys play together since my son was not vaccinated. She didn't feel it was safe, because she said  my son could have only God knows what, and she wasn't sure he should be around her grandson...Stuff like that is annoying! So, not many people know that I don't vaccinate. It's probably the same where you are. There are probably more ppl than you realize that dont vaccinate, but just don't feel comfortbale enough talking about it openly!

[japonica]

Neither of my children (7 and 3.5) are vaccinated. My eldest child has been in school since pre-school. My youngest starts Kindy (pre-school in February).

I'm in Australia (moved here from Canada two years ago). No schools in Canada had an issue with my DD's lack of vaccinations. In Australia, we had to file a Conscientious Objection (signed by a physician) and we did so. The gov't has it on file as does the school (well, schools...she was enrolled in three so far without issue). Funny, even though we have a CO on file with Medicare and the Immunisation Registry as well as the school, local health dept. keeps sending us "reminders" through the school that she's behind on her shots. I just bin the papers.

As for getting sick, yeah, kids will pick up bugs. All you can do is the typical grandmother philosophy of staying healthy. Nutrient-dense diet. Plenty of sleep. Exercise. Sunshine. Reduce stress. Supplements when necessary (especially C, D, probiotics, elderberry when starting to fall ill). Always wash hands. If sick, stay home. 

My DS got pertussis at 23 months when his up-to-date (vaxed for work requirement) father brought it home. DS recovered in about five weeks with no complications. There's pertussis going around my DD's school right now, with notices up on the classrooms. I'm not concerned. To their credit, they didn't even ask her to stay home, knowing she's unvaxed.