There’s a lot of info out there these days on getting our kids vaccinated. Should we or shouldn’t we? I’m sure you’ve heard Jenny McCarthy’s story, and now Amanda Peet is taking the opposite side. It’s like West Side Story. Unfortunately, this throwdown involves actresses none of us really care about anymore (although, I do admit I rather enjoyed Singled Out).
If you choose to follow the American Academy of Pediatrics’ Recommended Vaccination Schedule, your head will be reeling at the sheer number of vaccinations. Hello, let me introduce you to my baby the pincushion.
Anyway, while I was pregnant, I found Dr. Sears’ The Vaccine Book to be a great resource. I also read a few other vaccine books, but found them too daunting, having way too much medical history, or were just too preachy.
I like Dr. Sears’ book because it remains mostly objective as he covers each vaccine and illness. He includes the different brands of vaccines and their ghastly ingredients (did someone order monkey kidney cells a la cow serum?). At the end of each section, he does offer a pseudo recommendation, “How I See It,” for any readers still needing a little nudge one way or the other.
“Dr. Bob’s Alternative Vaccine Schedule” creates a timeframe that will get your child fully vaccinated, but in a way that “minimizes theoretical risks of vaccines.” In his words, “it’s the best of both worlds of disease prevention and safe vaccination.” I like that in this schedule, your baby gets no more than two vaccines at one time. It also suggests only one aluminum-containing vaccine at a time.
Dr. Bob’s Alternative Vaccine Schedule
2 mos. – DTaP, Rotavirus
3 mos. – Pc, HIB
4 mos. – DTaP, Rotavirus
5 mos. – Pc, HIB
6 mos. – DTaP, Rotavirus
7 mos. – Pc, HIB
9 mos. – Polio, Flu (2 doses)
12 mos. – Mumps, Polio
15 mos. – Pc, HIB
18 mos. – DTaP, Chickenpox
21 mos. – Flu
2 yrs. – Rubella, Polio
2 yrs., 6 mos. – Hep B, Hep A
3 yrs. – Hep B, Measles, Flu
3 yrs., 6 mos. – Hep B, Hep A
4 yrs. – DTaP, Polio, Flu
5 yrs. – MMR, Flu
6 yrs. – Chickenpox
12 yrs. – Tdap, HPV
12 yrs., 2 mos. – HPV
13 yrs. – HPV, Meningococcal
For details about this schedule, see pg. 236-237 in his book. He also offers a Selective Vaccine Schedule for parents looking to get only “the most critical” vaccines.
Whatever your decision and wherever your allegiance may lie, there is tons of research out there for both sides. Trust me, your head will explode.
One things for sure, the pharmaceuticals always win… don’t they?
Share the love and purchase your own copy of this very informative book using my Amazon link:
This is a great idea, however here in Australia they are putting all the vaccines into single vials, so you don’t have a choice to be selective about which vaccines you get – it’s all or nothing. Thankfully at least the MMR/MMRV is separate…
Kristina, we just went through this. The best advice I got was to interview pediatricians and that is exactly what I did. I have a long history of dealing with the medical community (my husband has chronic autoimmune issues, which was why vaccines were such a big issue for us) so I am used to standing my ground. If I don’t like their answers or attitude, on to the next one. Don’t EVER let them talk down to you. Many pediatric practices establish a practice wide policy of following the recommended vaccine schedule so also check out some family practices (that is eventually what we settled on). Our doc had a long, respectful, two-sided conversation with me which I greatly appreciated. I came in with my research, listened to her explain anything where I had gaps or needed additional information and then we worked out a schedule together. There are docs out there who believe in a slower vaccine schedule, it just takes some work to find them.
How do you suggest I locate a Pediatrician who will be willing to follow an alternative schedule? We live in NM and its super Liberal here! Everyone I keep talking to about vaccines is shocked to hear me question the get em all at once schedule! Our Pediatrician made me feel under educated and that I didn’t truly care about my baby. He was very upset and told me he “absolutely disagreed with my decision”. It wasn’t until my husband spoke up that he gave my son a single DTap shot rather than the million that he was sup to receive. thanks for the help! : )
Hi there,
I noticed that the Heb B vaccine is not recommended until much later. Why is it then, the very first vaccine given at most hospitals? we declined it, but gave it to our daughter at her doctor’s office a few days later.
Hi Amir
I don’t think anyone answered this for you. It used to be general practice to ONLY issue the Hep B vaccination in hospital to newborn infants who were at a higher risk of contracting Hep B – those born to parents with drug addiction, those living in conditions that increased their likelihood of contraction or those with lowered immune systems. Along the way, it seems like they just decided (and I don’t know if “they” stands for hospital bureaucrats or Big Pharma) that it was just easier to give it to every newborn.
I think Dr Sears most likely suggests holding off on the vaccination because for most babies, it’s a really hard virus to contract – it’s a blood born virus, so if your child is healthy, you are healthy and you aren’t hanging out in places where your child could come into blood-to-blood contact with the virus (this includes acupuncture practitioners if you don’t know enough about their needle cleanliness), then it’s highly unlikely that your child would contract it.
In the end, it’s up to you, but for a virus that is significantly more difficult to contract than an air born virus, it’s definitely one you can consider leaving until later if you’ve considered all the variables.
Thank you so much for simplifying all this info for me. You are amazing! And spot on sense of humor to boot. I have my first baby who’s 5 months and have read all these books, but you nicely recap all of them and have given me a great cheat-sheet (er cheat-blog). Thanks again.
The library is also a great resourse for getting the book without shelling out the cash!
Great, thank you! – Jenny
I will start working on a follow up to this post for you, Jenny, and other parents wondering what Dr. Sears’ recommendations are for the vaccines. I probably won’t go into the details of each brand, as he doesn’t give much insight into his preference of one brand over another. He mainly cites the ingredients in each brand. Keep an eye out next week!
Hi Noob Mom – I am not sure how I found your blog but I’m glad I did. I’ve been researching vaccines today and wondered if you could post a blog on the recommended vaccine brands from Dr. Sear’s book. I am trying to avoid buying it because money is tight – but I do peruse the bookstore looking for a used copy! Here is the list of vaccines that he says are out there, and he has a recommendation to which manufacturer is best. I’d love if you could blog what the recommendation is!
http://www.askdrsears.com/thevaccinebook/12_childhood_vaccines.asp
Thanks,
Jenny
Nicely written, we went with a mix of alt sched/selective vac and have been happy with it. Noob Baby is flipping adorable!