vax ? with multiple kids

[kimmyka]

dr sears,

i have 4 kids: 7, 4, 2 and 2.5 months.  my eldest is vaxed for dtap, hib and pc. my 4 year old is vaxed for dtap and hib, my 2 year old only hib so far and my baby is not vaxed at all.  the 7 year old attends public elementary school and the 4 year old goes to preschool.  

i have two questions:

my two year old has only had his hib. i was planning on starting his dtap series, spread out. what do you think his risk at this age is for ipd?  knowing that he has two older siblings and one younger do you think it would be beneficial for him to get this vax and what is the reasoning behind your answer?

my 2.5 month old: i have always started my vax late with my kids. i breastfeed exclusively til they are two and they dont attend school until they are 3. my ped is pushing me to start vaxing my baby earlier his reasoning that i have 3 older kids and now this baby is " more " at risk for contracting something.  what are your thoughts on this and what would be the recommendation from you for which vax to give and when for me (breastfeeding, staying at home) knowing that i want to keep my kids safe and healthy but also proceed as slowly as possible?

thank you so much for reading this, it is truly wonderful that you offer your time to help others with this difficult issue.

best,

kim

[DrBobSears]

the overall risk of IPD (invasive pneumococcal disease) is fairly small for any one child. It's uncommon after age 2. So, although it's technically a risk, it's a small one. IF you decide to vax, that child would only need ONE dose. You can review full details in that chapter of the book.

As for baby, I generally don't tell partially vaxing families to give a new baby MORE vaccines than were given to previous kids. Although there is a little bit more risk to this baby, it's not by much.