Health of non-vax vs vax kids

[apelilae]

A close friend swears non-vax'd kids are much healthier than vax'd kids. From the few kids I know who have never been vax'd, I tend to agree. I can't tell with my DS yet since he's still so young. What say you? What do you think?

[katiesmom]

I notice that my 6yo dd is WAY healthier than anyone I know, including me and dh. My 18mo old is also very healthy, and for the most part, I notice that kids who aren't vaccinated tend to get sick less, and recover quickly. HOWEVER, they are also breastfed, eat healthier, and belong to educated, more naturally minded parents.
So, I don't know how much of a difference that makes, but my cousin's dd wasn't bf'd (maybe 2 mo or so) and she has just had a round of abx at 5 mos for eye nose ear problems, and she never had shots, so I'm confused by this!
Neither of my kids have had abx, nor have they remotely needed them!

[zinemama]

I have a mostly vaxed kid and an unvaxed kid. If anything, the vaxed kid is the healthier of the two.

I do not ascribe either of my kids' health status to their vax status. There may well be anecdotal evidence on either side, but I tend to discount it in favor of the long-term benefits over a lifetime. I don't expect my unvaxed kid to be any healthier in childhood than any other kid who was breastfed and eats a fairly healthy diet.

[waiflywaif]

All the evidence is anecdotal. Some people will tell you that all the vaxed kids they know are sick a lot, others will tell you the opposite.

My anecdotal "evidence" is just as worthless as anyone else's, but my vaxed kid is much healthier than my friend's unvaxed one.

There are so many factors, as someone else said. Including genetics and simple luck.

[thepeach80]

My kids are sick more often that my friends' vaxed kids. I think they would be worse (especially w/ all the allergies they've had) had they been vaxed. When my oldest gets sick it's generally just a fever for a few days, not really any other symptoms. His DR says his body fights the problem before it causes many symptoms, which means his immune system is doing GREAT! All 3 of my kids have tubes and Evan had has hid adenoids out too and is looking at tonsils out as well. They were not able to be ebf, but the first 2 had some bm till 12/13 mos and Ilana had some till 9.5 mos.

[alegna]

I would LOVE to see a real study on this.

That said, it's going to vary greatly of course. So far, *my* kid has been healthier than vaxed kids we know.

But maybe it's just my kid.

-Angela

[TanyaS]

Could be a coincidence, but my first was vaxed through 18 months and he has been much sicker than my unvaxed girls the first two years of life. They are all breastfed, fed the same solids, and are not in daycare. My ds also suffers from allergies and SPD. Until a study is done, we'll never know for certain how vaccine status affects long-term health.

[attachedmamaof3]

There have been many, many threads on this topic. It's pretty much been the consensus that genetics and other variables play more into general health than vaccines. (like extended breastfeeding, etc)

In my family, my DS#2 is unvaxxed and has severe asthma and eczema. He is immunocompromised due to the steriods he has to take for his breathing.

Sometimes kids are just sick. Sometimes they're just not. Sometimes it's not vaccine related. Sometimes it is.

IMO, it's just as dangerous to generalize about the "sickly" vaccinated children as it is for people to generalize about my "germy" unvaccinated children.

*Not in any way saying vaxxing doesn't cause issues. I know firsthand that it can. Just speaking to the generalizations.

[rmzbm]

Hard to say.

My first two...totally vaxed except for chicken pox. VERY healthy...DS1 had one ear infection at age 5. A couple colds each.

Third...fully vaxed for the first year, then stopped. Very healthy, a few sniffles here and there.

Fourth...no vaxes. At age 2 has never even had a runny nose. No colds, etc.

Fifth...no vaxes but she's only three weeks old, too early to make notes.

So, all very very healthy. Though my totally unvaxed toddler has never been sick a day in her life...COULD be coincedence, could be extended nursing, could be no vaxes.

[TanyaS]

I think this is a question similar to breastfed vs. formula fed. Of course breastfed babies get sick, but statistically, overall formula fed babies are sick more frequently. The same holds true for mothers who do not breastfeed. There are higher rates of breast cancer in that group. Do mothers who breastfeed get cancer? Yes. Are there other things at play in these equations? Yes.

There will always be some vaccinated children sicker than unvaccinated children and vice versa. But the bottom line is this study still has not been done. It should have been done when the first vaccines were recommended and continued as vaccines were added to the routine schedule.

[tsando2]

Good Nutrition?

I have worked for three different doctors who have never vaccinated their children who are anywhere from 2-18 years of age and they have all been the healthiest of children. While I am sure that vaccines decreases the immune systems ability to fight off a virus, I am pretty sure it also has alot to do with good nutrition and putting your child on vitamins.

[nalo]

DD's first ND (we have since switched) says that in her practice that absolutely non-vax'd kiddos are much healthier than vax'd kiddos. This makes total sense to me and I have also seen clear examples with people I know.

[Spy]

Unvaxed definitely healthier.

[gcgirl]

Originally Posted by waiflywaif

All the evidence is anecdotal. Some people will tell you that all the vaxed kids they know are sick a lot, others will tell you the opposite.

My anecdotal "evidence" is just as worthless as anyone else's, but my vaxed kid is much healthier than my friend's unvaxed one.

There are so many factors, as someone else said. Including genetics and simple luck.

Yeah. I know several unvaxed kids/adults, and it totally varies.

[MilkTrance]

Originally Posted by apelilae

A close friend swears non-vax'd kids are much healthier than vax'd kids. From the few kids I know who have never been vax'd, I tend to agree. I can't tell with my DS yet since he's still so young. What say you? What do you think?

I have noticed that among my friends but I tend to think it may not be due to the vaccination status but due to non-vaxxers tending to read a bit more. And not just run off to Doctor and get ABX for every little sniffle. Know what I mean?

[Sparky]

All but youngest ds are vax'd (i had my own schedule...it was whenever i felt i had the courage to hold them down while they were stuck with 5 or 6 needles..but that's besides the point...) Youngest is 100% unvax'd and has been sick more from birth to 18 months then the other 3 ever were so I can't really make heads or tales of it.

I'd like to add how sad I think it is that the unvax'ing parents get looked at like scum and yet (maybe it's just me) my kids have never been more ill back-to-back than when my daughter started kindergarten. Before, they got the flu once /year and an occasional cold here and there..now, it's a miracle if I can keep them healthy for a whole month. Maybe they need to start pushing better hygiene practices just as hard as they push the vax agenda and maybe less kids would be out of school and *gasp* healthy.

Apologies..I'm venting cuz all 4 of mine just went thru Fifths Disease..lol.

[angie7]

My twins are 100% vax free and the healthiest kids I know. They hardly ever get sick (4 minor colds since birth, they are 26 months) and it is just a runny nose and they are over it in 24 hours. Everyone else I know have fully vaxed kids and are always sick with something. I credit their no vax status and the fact that they eat mostly organic food, drink only organic, and they eat organic, whole fruits and veggies daily.