Questions about Vaccinating my new baby

[dog groomer89]

I've been doing some reading about the controversy of vaccinating children.  I DO want to vaccinate my baby, but I was thinking about doing a delayed-spread out vaccine schedule.  Does anyone have any suggestions, or a schedule they could recommend?  What vaccines did you opt in/out of? Any help would be greatly appreciated!

[emmy526]

http://www.mothering.com/community/t/1364006/your-go-to-list-of-vaccine-research-questions

you should base your choices on what you think  your family needs and  educate yourself on what you are giving your family.    Vaccination is a personal decision, not a one size fits all solution.   If one vaccine is good for someone else's child, it may not be good for your child.   

[mgrella]

Hi - great to hear that you are thinking hard about your baby.  As you can see there are MANY opinions here, both pro and anti.  I'm personally an all-in vaccination supporter and giver but if you are seeking a "suggestion" for spacing things out, Robert Sears, MD has a book (called "The Vaccine Book") and includes a suggested schedule for those who want to space things out. 

Big disclaimer: I do NOT recommend following this schedule but it is pretty much what you are seeking.

Good luck!

Marc Grella

[emmy526]

Let's not forget some of us also abdicate making one's own choice...i do not consider myself   'anti- vax',  but   'pro choice'....and why would you recommend a book to a mom you wouldn't normally recommend to anyone else since  you don't agree with it?  

Originally Posted by mgrella 

Hi - great to hear that you are thinking hard about your baby.  As you can see there are MANY opinions here, both pro and anti.  I'm personally an all-in vaccination supporter and giver but if you are seeking a "suggestion" for spacing things out, Robert Sears, MD has a book (called "The Vaccine Book") and includes a suggested schedule for those who want to space things out. 

Big disclaimer: I do NOT recommend following this schedule but it is pretty much what you are seeking.

Good luck!

Marc Grella

[marsupial-mom]

We opted in for all vaccines. However, if my child were my own biologically and I were able to breastfeed and share antibodies then I might have opted for a delayed schedule. But even if that were the case, I would have chosen a standard schedule if we were going to have contact with lots of people (for example, if we were going ride public transportation or use daycare). In essence, the higher the risk of disease, the more standard the schedule I would choose. The lower the risk, the longer I would delay some vaccines. The World Health Organization has a delayed schedule too: http://www.who.int/immunization/policy/Immunization_routine_table3.pdf

They don't recommend delays; they just specify which vaccines are needed and which aren't if the first year or so is skipped.

Edited by marsupial-mom - 10/1/12 at 7:50pm

[prosciencemum]

There's a free online course Paul Offit does (see other thread on this board) where he discussed the alternative schedules. His main point seems to be that the currently recommended schedule is the only one which has been properly safety tested, and spread out schedules could involve increasing the risk of your child catching vaccine preventable diseaseas. If you have the time it might be worth enrolling in the course to watch at least that one video. :) 

Best of luck with your decision.