Non-vaxed, sharing toys ok? beach ok?

[tumblebeee]

FTM here of a 5 mo. So we had a home birth, CD & EC, co-sleep, BF, baby wear, and don't vax. I feel pretty confident about every single one of our decisions and in fact, feel our ds is thriving because of it (all 27 inches and 20 lbs of him!). While I don't doubt our decision not to vax him, I am sometimes nervous about things like sharing toys at play dates, going to the pool, and going to the beach.

As far as sharing toys, I'm afraid of the other vaxed babies shedding viruses. How long does the shedding last? Should I request to know when the babies receive their vaxes? Do I even need to worry? We are a small private group and are very tolerant of each others parenting decisions.

How safe is the pool? Again, I'm worried about other babies peeing in the pool.

How safe is the beach? We are going to the Outer Banks at the end of the summer.

[EVC]

First, take a deep breath.

Your baby will be fine

Live vax'es aree only Rotavirus, chickenpox, mmr, and flumist. They can shed for up to a month.

I would NOT worry about them with the exception of rotavirus which is highly contagious. However, good hygiene especially after diaper changes (i.e. contact with poop) can often prevent transmission. The question of the pool is interesting and I'm not sure if there would be a risk of catching rotavirus if a child poops in the pool. I would assume a swim diaper would contain the poop, though--that's what they're for. But it's probably not 100% guarantee.

Sharing toys, going to the beach, and general close contact with recently vax'ed kiddos is NOT a danger.

Be careful of rotavirus, and the others have pretty low transmission rates (chickenpox is possible, the mmr generally not, and flumist isn't given to infants).

Enjoy your summer and try not worry so much

[alegna]

I've never worried about any of those.

-Angela

[lokidoki]

No worries! My son is not vaxed and we have been to the beach, the water park, the pool and many other locations ~ and I have never given shedding vaxes a second thought. I have greater worries ~ like trying to keep up with my 16 month old as he runs all over the water park and jumps right in the pool. I have a dare devil as a son and I cannot ever be fast enough!

I have posted this a lot recently ~ but to me there is really very little to fear of a vaxed child...just as there is little to fear of an unvaxed child. While some vaxes can and do shed ~ I really think that it is nothing to be worried about. Honestly your child has a better chance of catching the wild versions instead!

[tumblebeee]

Thanks for your replies! In general I have not been too worried but wondered if I should be. I had told my pro-vax sister about our decision not to vax and she put a little fear into me making me second guess myself. Even though I had already done all my reading and knew what I was talking about, she always wins her arguments (because I can't talk as fast ).

[Heavenly]

Wow! My unvaxed kids are 6.5, 4.5 and 1.5 and I never even though to worry about any of that. It just never occurred to me.

You will get more confident in your decision as he gets older and you will probably get to the point where you don't even think about the vax status of your kids. The only time I think about it is when someone asks about vaxxing - and then I lie.