Input pls- vax for 2.5 yo starting preschool with newborn at home

[expat-mama]

Hi, I'd really appreciate the wise input of some mamas who know about this stuff. I know you are out there- I've periodically checked out this section of the forums and have seriously marveled at the knowledge of and dedication to this topic displayed by so many posters here. It's impressive. 

So DS is 2.5 and we are getting him ready to start preschool in the fall. We are also expecting DD to arrive in April. 

DS is unvaxed except for polio- a decision we made because we planned to (and did) breastfeed until just a couple months ago and he was staying at home. (I know some here may not agree with that decision, but that's not what I'm posting about) Now that he will be going out in the world, out of my watchful eye more and mixing more frequently with lots of other kids and adults we are trying to decide how to handle his vaccinations and considering that there will be a newborn in the house (who will also be unvaxed at first) I'm wondering which vax we should consider for DS- those that would be beneficial for him as well as for his baby sister. I plan on going back and reading my dr Sears vaccine book but I thought I would start here first.

The vaccinations we are considering right now include DTaP (or DT pediatric dose?), Hep B, Hep A (I do want my kids to eventually get Hep B + A and tetanus vaxes). I'm also taking a look at HiB and PCV13 and wondering if those will be valuable to him now that he will be in daycare or if because he is older the illnesses these vax protect from are no longer serious/life-threatening. I see no reason for DS or DD to get the chickenpox vaccine until they are older (middle school aged). And I'm on the fence about MMR, but I'm open to considering it.

Which of these vaccinations do you think are important in actually preventing an illness that would be serious for DS at his age (he will be 3 when starting school) and that he would be more likely to be exposed to in a preschool environment?

And which vaccinations are important for DS to have when attending preschool in order to protect his baby sister from stuff he may be exposed to? (For example, I just read that even if DS is vaxed for pertussis, he can still be a carrier to transmit to DD anyway... also considering HiB and PCV13 mainly because of concerns of transmissions to the baby)

And finally, (I'm not sure if this makes much sense) if DD is unvaxed as a baby and DS is receiving vaccinations, is there any reason to worry that DD could acquire any of the illnesses from DS just being vaccinated? I know live-virus vaccines should not be given to people with weak immune systems, so are there concerns with an unvaxed newborn around DS who will be getting vaccinations? 

I'm really sorry if my questions seem kind of stupid or if this post is rambling and I haven't articulated my concerns well. I do plan on trying to read more about all this but am overwhelmed right now and very pregnant and exhausted. Any input or advice will be greatly appreciated! 

[Dakotacakes]

Personally, I would definately get DTAP and HIB. i would also do it now and not wait as immunity can sometimes be delayed. Pertussis is not something i personally would play around with. If it were me I would also get a DTAP booster for your the adults in the household as well. Yours after delivery (this is what i did as well).

Those are the two that I would get for your DS for sure before delivery. I also would want to get MMR fif it were my son. Though I wouldn't be that concerned about it before the baby is born. Measles is serious and does circulate from time to time. But also, mumps if acquired later in life ( a possibility since we do not have a lot of it so every kid gets it as a child for immunity) can cause infertility in males.

Hep A and Hep B are also a good idea, but not as vital before baby is born. Some of it also depends on the daycare and work situations of your spouse and yourself. We vaccinated for Hep B because the enviornments in which we work with (DH is in social service, I am in Higher Ed) were higher risk populations.

The only vaccine I would be worried about transmission to the baby from recently vaccinated child would be varicella which you are not doing, and is not a crucial vaccine in my opinion either. I delayed DS varicella vaccine because his daycare provider had a child who was 6 weeks old and I didn't want to accidently give her pox. So he was 1.5 when he received that vaccine.

[nia82]

DS had one HiB and one DTaP before DD was born, which is when he started preschool. Nothing since. He'll finish the DTaP series now (2 years later) while DD now at 2 years had her first vaccine ever, HiB, and then will move on to DTaP. We will get measles for both of them this summer in Europe, where a monovalent vaccine is available luckily. That would be the end of it until puberty, when we will do MMR. That's it then. Oh and tetanus titers will be checked then to see if we will opt for a DT at that point (I'd get DT now but there is none approved for toddlers).