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well, as a strict vegan i decided not to vaccinate, after i found out, what they use to make those vaccines! yuck! and there is also the autism connection. i don't see why i should vaccinate my kid against deseases which he / she will most likely never get! and if they get it, there is still time to do something about it. also i have experienced that kids who are vaccinated get the desease much stronger than kids who aren't, if they even get it at all! i just don't think that it is good to pump baby full of such horrible stuff! i guess, the only situation i would consider to vaccinate is when travelling to foreign countries, where the diseases are present.

This is a very controversial issue. After i had my fourth child, i had him vaccinated just as i did my other 3 children, i was all for vaccination as i felt it was very important. After my son's 4 month vaccination, i was sure that there was a change in his overall demeanour. He reacted very badly to the MMR vaccination (measles, mumps, rubella.) My son didn't appear to develop as well as my other 3 children, he was slow to talk, walk, sit up etc. I took him to many doctors and peadiatricians, eventually, at the age of 4 he was diagnosed with autism, the previous diagnosis was pervasive develeopmental disorder. I was SURE that this was a result of the MMR vaccination! After a lot of research and reading a lot of articles and listening to other parents in the same situation, many of them said that they too felt that the vaccine was the cause of their childs autism. Every doctor i have spoken to maintains that it is NOT a result of the vaccine, but it may be because the symptoms of autism may start to become more notable at that age. I certainly have my doubts about it. Wether its just an unfortunate coincidence or wether he already had a 'predisposition' to austism and the vaccine 'triggered' it. I honestly dont know. I am now VERY wary and unsure about vaccination, i have just had my 5th child and i am still doubtful if i will have give her the MMR vaccine. As a parent, it is up to you to do the research and decide for yourself if you want your child immunised. I still feel it is very important to immunise children against disease, i just think that we should be very choosy about what we put into their little bodies as kashi has indicated. Ask LOTS of questions first! sorry to go on, but its important to let all parents know the pros and cons of vaccination. All the best

Well, I am torn somewhat about this issue. It is thanks to vaccines that a lot of horrible diseases don't exist in our society anymore, and if we all stopped vaccinating, some could come back. I am wanting to be a bit selective about which ones to get - and I can tell you I am definately against Hep B in infants. I don't have Hepat_tis, and am not in a high risk group, my child is not going to day care, and obviously they are too young to work in a profession where there is a high rate of exposure. As for the others, I've not made a final decision on individual ones. Kashi - I see we have more than trying diaper free in common! I'm a vegan also (was raised that way from birth) - although with my current work I've slipped into lacto-ovo vegetarianism because of the limited selection in the cafeteria and my lack of self control. But I'm feeling very motivated to be more careful, and cut out that dairy again! Since I'll be home once the baby is here, it will be easier for me avoid temptation!

My daughter's not school age yet, but I was under the impression that all of the vaccines had to be current for your child to go to school. Also, I know for a fact that if you live in the US and apply for any kind of government a__sistance, your children's shots have to be up to date. Anyone know for sure about the school thing?

It is my understanding that to go to school in the US without vaccinations, you have to fill out all sorts of paperwork (refusals, releases etc), and give some sort of reason. (some have religious convictions on the subject). Typically, from what I can tell, schools will avoid letting you know you can get around it, in fact, some school employees may not be aware of your options - sometimes you have to be willing to be persistent. That said, I'm sure different states have different regulations, and you'd have to check yours to be sure. I currently know of 8 unvaccinated children due to religious convictions - but also due to religious convictions they go to private or home school.

I have 3 children and all have had their vaccinations. I fully believe that they help to prevent most childhood problems.

in CA one has the right to refuse to vaccinate due to either religious, philosophical or medical resons, in which case a doctors approval has to be submitted to the school. i'm not quite sure how it is in other states.

There are ~ 13 states that allow the right to refuse on philosophical reasons. MS and AR? won't disallow for any reason.

FOR D I agree with you on the Hep B. I am bypa__sing that one and putting off some others until 3yrs. I haven't finished researching all of them, but are there anymore you are saying "NO WAY' to?

I've not decided on any other vaccines yet. There are so many topics I've been researching (I LOVE the internet) that I put that one off for awhile! I need to get back to it before October! As I said before, I think vaccines are valuable, but I think its crazy to give them to infants right after birth - unless of course, they are in a high risk category where the consequences of not getting vaccinated would be worse than the possible side effects. I'll let you know if I come to any more conclusions!

i agree with you D. I declined the hepat_tis B shot they offered to give my daughter while she was in hospital after her birth, as i don't feel it was necessary for her to have that until she is older and may be at risk of contracting it. I will still have her vaccinated at 8 weeks for diptheria, polio, whooping cough teta__s etc as i have done with my other children. i guess my fears are that there hasn't been enough reasearch done on the side effects of introducing these vaccines to kids. It's really difficult having to make these decisions and knowing if you are making the right one. (sigh)

get the shots. it dosen't take debating. don't you want ur baby to be healthy? get the shots

Thanks to all of you who have actually done some research and weighed in. I have only scratched the surface of all this but I am still searching for answers or at least what I feel to be in the best interest of my baby. To Brucen: Let's compare notes. It's obvious you have done some research to even know about which states allow what. To D: Please come back when you have had time to look at some sites. Last but certainly not least Maya: My baby is healthy and I intend to keep her that way by researching this thoroughly. Once again thanks everyone!

There is tons of info out there, right now I am sifting through the garbage. I'd be more than happy to share what I come up with. I totally agree with these ladies on the Hep B shot, but you should look at your own risk factors to decide if this a good choice for you. Lisa you can report what you suspect despite what the doctors think. Here's a link: https://secure.vaers.org/VaersDataEntryintro.htm. Take a look at these too. http://www.hrsa.gov/osp/vicp/table.htm http://www.hrsa.gov/osp/vicp/INDEX.HTM

Brucean, i tried to fill out the VAERS form online, but i couldn't put in the relevant information as it is set out for U.S residents. I live in Australia. I think it's a great idea to have this kind of information being submitted as it's very useful for statistical purposes. Unfortunately, i don't think there is a sister site to this one for Australian residents. The other 2 links didn't seem to work. I think there are many parents who have the same dilemma when it comes to the issue of immunisation from what i have read so far

Check out www.cdc.gov/nip/ Under the Vaccine Safety Heading, there is a "Vaccine Safety Issues of Interest" In that category I found a number of interesting articles, including Six Common Misconceptions about Vaccination. I personally don't think there's any question whether or not my child will receive some vaccines, the question is more whether they will receive them in the first month after birth or not. I am definately pro Teta__s vaccines, as teta__s can be readily acquired.