Why isn't there an easy, accepted, conservative vaccination plan?

[MrsSlocombe]

I am getting frustrated by the lack of clear articles I am finding about this.  There is an article saying that each individual vaccine is bad, and another saying that the same vaccine is good.  Since so many parents are concerned about vaccines, and there are seemingly some doctors who agree with the, why isn't there a consensus about what a conservative approach to vaccinations would look like?

I suppose what I would like is for the doctors who are neither in the mainstream max-vac crew, nor in the no-vax crew, to get together and vote on which vaccines provide the maximum benefit for the least risk (which would be the recommended vaccines), and which provide the least benefit for the most risk (the not recommended vaccines).

I have one friend who followed a delayed vaccination schedule, meaning she got all of the usual vaccines for her daughter, but with more time between each vaccination than usual.  Intrigued, I asked her why, and she just said it was because she had a general feeling that it was bad to expose a baby to so many pathogens at once.  Her daughter is healthy, just as my other friend's daughter who was given the mainstream schedule is healthy, so I'm not complaining about her decision, but her reasoning didn't really help me with mine.

Is there any sort of established selective or delayed vaccination plan that numerous experts have agreed upon?  (I am hoping the answer is that I have just not found it yet.)  If so, do you personally agree with this plan?  Why or why not?

I am not someone who cares about being natural for natural's sake, though I do find that, more often than is acknowledged in mainstream society, the natural choice turns out to be the best.  What I am finding frustrating is that anyone who doesn't want to follow the single mainstream recommendation on any given issue has to practically do PhD-level study in the subject, herself, in order to make basic decisions.

[claudie2011]

I too wish I could find a more straightforward risk/benefit analysis for existing vaccines, receiving vaccines at older ages, etc..  I have seen several delayed vaccine schedules, but none that I feel comfortable with.  My son will be 6 months soon and has not yet received any vaccines.  I intend to selectively vaccinate as he gets older, but keep going back and forth on that decision and pushing back the age I'm willing to start at...  I never thought I would delay or selectively vaccinate or not vaccinate at all...  I started out doing the research months ago with the intent of easing my worries about vaccination.  I was certain I would find the evidence that would make me perfectly comfortable with the idea of going ahead with the recommended vaccine schedule.  Instead, the research I did only made me MORE hesitant.  But I still worry about not vaxing, too.  Every week I look at local disease outbreak frequencies on the CDC website and usually I feel reassured that my son's chance of catching any particular disease is relatively low.  But I worry about when he is no longer breastfeeding and staying home with me all the time, when we travel, when we have more kids passing around germs, etc.  The decision to delay vaccination is one I am constantly evaluating and reevaluating and I wish there was more unbiased information out there.

[claudie2011]

I too wish I could find a more straightforward risk/benefit analysis for existing vaccines, receiving vaccines at older ages, etc..  I have seen several delayed vaccine schedules, but none that I feel comfortable with.  My son will be 6 months soon and has not yet received any vaccines.  I intend to selectively vaccinate as he gets older, but keep going back and forth on that decision and pushing back the age I'm willing to start at...  I never thought I would delay or selectively vaccinate or not vaccinate at all...  I started out doing the research months ago with the intent of easing my worries about vaccination.  I was certain I would find the evidence that would make me perfectly comfortable with the idea of going ahead with the recommended vaccine schedule.  Instead, the research I did only made me MORE hesitant.  But I still worry about not vaxing, too.  Every week I look at local disease outbreak frequencies on the CDC website and usually I feel reassured that my son's chance of catching any particular disease is relatively low.  But I worry about when he is no longer breastfeeding and staying home with me all the time, when we travel, when we have more kids passing around germs, etc.  The decision to delay vaccination is one I am constantly evaluating and reevaluating and I wish there was more unbiased information out there.

[claudie2011]

ugh, sorry for multiple posts, trying to delete

[slmommy]

I would say that the alt schedules Dr. Sears gives in his book are conservative.

Why not accepted? because to mainstream, any vaxing selectively, or even slightly delayed = ANTI-vax...

and then you are crazy, worried about autism, following jenny mccarthy, and/or a threat to society. I think this unfortunately further alienates parents who would maybe just like to space out vax, delay, or skip chickenpox... I think Dr. Sears was trying to bridge that gap, but I don´t think it has worked, it is so polarized...

[MrsSlocombe]

Thanks, guys.  I just looked up Dr. Sears' approach to vaccinations.  When I had tried Google searches before, I could not find any particular recommendations for a reduced or limited schedule, but I now see that he suggests one.  I think what I was hoping is that a group of doctors who differ from the mainstream would have gotten together, and we could receive the best of their combined knowledge.  Of course, Dr. Sears may have a good plan (or two, from what I'm finding so far), though of course, the pediatric mainstream doesn't think so.  I admit I have a bit of personal skepticism about Dr. Sears because his childrearing philosophies are so different from mine, but this shouldn't affect my opinion of his medical knowledge.

Claudie, I feel for you!  I think I want to avoid feeling like I need to check the CDC website every week.  I just want to decide what is best, and go with it.  That's easier said than done.