Better to give vaccines more often or more at one time but less often.

[NAABG12]

So if we spread DDs vaccines out in your opinion is it better to give one vaccine a month for quite a few consecutive months in order to not overload her all at once. Or is it better to do a few at a time and then give her body a few months break? I feel like the former makes more sense but it is virtually 9 months of one shot a month and that seems like a lot too.

[phathui5]

How old is she? What shots are you planning to give?

[prosciencemum]

I think there is some research which shows it's less stressful for the child if they get multiple shots at once since then they're not constantly having to go in for shots. 

However if a reaction did occur (which is usually unlikely) it would be much harder to pinpoint what it was she was reacting too. So I can see the argument for spreading them out if you're concerned about that. 

[NAABG12]

@prosciencemum do you happen to have a link to that research? Or know where I could find it? Not that I doubt you I just want to make the best choice. My DD is 15 months we are going to wind up getting most of the vaccines recommended. Skipping a few but not many. But we are also creating our schedule for the next LO. We were initially planning on skipping all but have since done more research and changed our stance. We are also moving and switching doctors and the new doctors are less than willing to change the schedule so we are trying to have a schedule we feel comfortable with and they feel okay with hoping to find middle ground. Because they are good doctors. 

[prosciencemum]

Sure. The reference is listed at the end of this leaflet from the Children's Hospital of Philadelphia which address parental concerns that children get too many vaccines at once. 

http://www.chop.edu/export/download/pdfs/articles/vaccine-education-center/too-many-vaccines.pdf

[grumpybear]

I don't know the answer to this but if its a matter of anxiety towards the shots, we have this buzzy4shots.com. My 3 yr old has no negative feelings towards getting a vaccination at all.

[prosciencemum]

Originally Posted by grumpybear 

I don't know the answer to this but if its a matter of anxiety towards the shots, we have this buzzy4shots.com. My 3 yr old has no negative feelings towards getting a vaccination at all.

That's really neat - thanks for sharing. Is it a bit like TENs? Because I used that for my second (natural) birth (until transition), and it was amazing. 

 I imagine any kind of distraction helps as well. I always look away from shots. 

[philomom]

We did one at a time. Spread out by a month or so. I wasn't going to take a chance that their bodies would have a reaction and then me not knowing what they reacted to. They both had some minor reactions to vaccines and now I do know which ones caused those reactions. if you get a bunch at one time... how would you know?

[grumpybear]

I'm not entirely sure how a TENS machine works but the buzzy just vibrates. You put it on the injection site for a minute before the shot then move it a few inches away, still vibrating, while the child gets the shot. It takes away the startling sensation of the shot. My daughter doesn't even feel it.

[prosciencemum]

TENS does it with some kind of small electrical signal, but it's the same kind of principle I think - that stimulating nerves in one part of the body can reduce the impression of pain from another.