flu shots for family?

kamcfarlane

DS has gotten his first flu shot and will get his booster on october 7th. i will get mine in november and DH will get his around then as well.

here's my question - should we be having other people that are around DS get flu shots as well? if so, why?

here4u

DH & I got flu shots last year, and when Sophie was 6 months she got hers.  Basically the ruling was, anyone who was going to have a lot of contact with her, ie: Mother in Law, had to get shots as well!  Most of DH's family is diabetic, so they automatically get flu shots every year, so I didn't have to have that ackward conversation of saying get vaccinated or else!

goblue

We asked everyone who would be around DS last winter to get a flu shot, and we will do so again this year.   The flu is spread by person-to-person contact; thus, the best way to protect your DS is to keep him away from other people.  To the extent that he has contact with others, you should try to make sure they are as healthy as possible.  You can find more information at https://www.cdc.gov/flu/.   I believe a few moms on here had letters/blog posts they sent to family members last year explaining the situation.  Hopefully one of them will post one of those letters.

lemen99

We asked everyone in our immediate family to get flu shots because we see them a LOT and they are around DS a lot, and we want to minimize the chances of him getting sick!

gymrat

We made anyone who was going to be around the babies a lot get the flu shot. Here's the letter. I got it from someone last year and you might want to change it because mine is for twins but you get the idea:

LETTER for e-mails or blogs:  

I am posting about a very important matter: RSV. For those of you who plan to visit us over the next few months, and even if you are not, please take a few minutes to read this.

I want to start by saying that we are experiencing the biggest challenge of our lives, and we?re lucky to be surrounded by so many family members and friends who have shown us so much love and support.

We?d also like to share an important topic that we recently discussed with our babies? pediatrician. If you are not aware of RSV, respiratory syncytial virus, you are among the majority. Most people have not heard of RSV, even though nearly every child has had the virus by age two. For full-term babies, RSV typically is not any worse than a common cold, but for preemies, the virus can be quite different. Babies born earlier than 36 weeks are at the highest risk for serious complications like pneumonia, bronchiolitis, and other sometimes fatal complications.

Our babies were born premature, are multiples, and had low birth weights; these are among the highest risk factors for contracting RSV and developing serious complications. This website offers a great visual comparison of a preemie?s lungs compared to the lungs of a full-term baby: https://www.preemiecare.org/LungsTrees03-4.pdf

Preventing the spread of RSV is very difficult. Thus, we must be vigilant about keeping our children safe during RSV season (October through April). The virus is spread through physical contact, in the air via a cough or sneeze, or by touching an infected object. The virus can live as long as six hours on hands and up to twelve hours on objects, and it spreads very easily, especially from child to child. Studies have also shown that infants pose an even higher risk of spreading RSV to others.

You may ask, ?Can?t they fight it off and build up their immune system? Kids need to get sick, right?? The simple answer is NO. Since our babies were pre-term, they did not acquire the necessary immunities to fight off infection. If they contract RSV, they could be hospitalized and develop serious complications.

We?ll be asking our visitors to follow a few guidelines to help prevent the babies from contracting RSV or any other illness.

We ask that all visitors do the following:

1. When you arrive, please wash your hands and use hand-sanitizer as needed before touching the babies.

2. Please, if it is possible, get a flu shot.

3. Please refrain from coming over if you are currently sick and have not been symptom-free for at least 5 days, if you live with someone who is sick, or have been in close contact with someone who is sick.

4. If you smoke, we ask that you change your clothing and refrain from smoking prior to visiting, as a preemie?s lungs are very sensitive to smoke. Most RSV sites recommend against passive smoke exposure.

5. If you are parents to a baby or toddler, please refrain from bringing them to our house during RSV season.

Unfortunately we will not be attending many events during RSV season. Our goal is to make it through this and the next RSV seasons without the babies contracting RSV or any other serious illness. Their lungs are still very fragile until they are 2-years-old.

Please understand that this post is not meant to offend anyone, just simply to provide an explanation. We hope you understand, and we appreciate your help keeping our babies safe.

Here are several resources with additional information about RSV below.
https://www.preemiecare.org/rsv_resourceshtm.htm
https://www.preemiecare.org/rsvfaq.htm
https://www.preemiecare.org/rsv2.htm
https://www.mostonline.org/preemieBB/viewforum.php?f=82

Love and best wishes to all!