If you do an alt. vac. schedule...

Jess.O · January 2012

Would you mind sharing some information with me? I'm currently reading The Vaccine Book but I'm curious about what others do. I don't think I'm going to decide that opting for no vaccines is the way to go for us but so far, I don't like the idea of doing so many at one time.

If you have any resources that you felt really helped you that would be great. Also, if you don't mind sharing how you decided to divide them up that might be helpful, too. PM me if you aren't comfortable sharing - I know this can be a touchy subject.

I'm not trying to start a big debate or anything. I'm just curious what others do or found helpful. TIA!

Jess.O · January 2012

Maybe I should say a delayed vaccination schedule... Does that make a difference? Obviously, I still need to research more.

thethomps · January 2012

I don't do alt, per se, but we do space out DD's vaccines so she never gets more than one at a time. I SAH and we live about 5 minutes from our pedi's office, so it's not terribly inconvenient for me. What usually happens is she'll have an appointment on Tuesday so we'll get one shot then, we'll get another shot with a nurse on Friday, we'll get another shot the next Tuesday, etc. That way if she does react, we know which shot she had a problem with. She hasn't had any reactions so far, but I still like to space them out. The only one we didn't space was the Rotavirus since it was oral. We did that in combo with a shot.

ec3under4 · January 2012

For me, it started when my oldest had a febrile seizure. Although it was in no way vaccine related, it made me research because it put him at a much higher risk for another febrile seizure. Also, all my children run fairly high fevers after vaccines so that also made me question giving them so many at one time. I will say that we had an outbreak at my school over a vaccinated illness that an unvaccinated child brought back after a trip home to Mexico. I think I am well versed on both sides of the issue. I am fully pro vaccination but like everything else in life, I think one schedule doesn't work for all. I give two at a time and sometimes just one. It makes for many more drs visits but I am okay with that. I think just unvaccinating without just cause is irresponsible and will one day come back to bite us in the ass. However, I think vaccinating on a schedule that you feel comfortable with is a much better option. I know many children who get all their vaccines at once and have no issues whatsoever. Unfortunately, my children aren't that way. I will also say that we dont typically do the flu vaccine or chickenpox. Also, my youngest has a severe egg allergy so I have had to do a lot more research into the ingredients as well. Good luck, parenting decisions are never easy.

RevJG · January 2012

We follow the Dr. Se.ars schedule with the exception of MMR (he recommends getting separate vaxes for measles, mumps, and rubella, but it is next to impossible to get individual doses here). We delayed MMR until 2 years old with DD and will do the same with DS. The most they ever get at one time is two vaxes and usually it's only one.

By the time she was 3 years old DD was completely caught up with someone who was on the typical schedule.

ali-1411 · January 2012

thethomps:
I don't do alt, per se, but we do space out DD's vaccines so she never gets more than one at a time. I SAH and we live about 5 minutes from our pedi's office, so it's not terribly inconvenient for me. What usually happens is she'll have an appointment on Tuesday so we'll get one shot then, we'll get another shot with a nurse on Friday, we'll get another shot the next Tuesday, etc. That way if she does react, we know which shot she had a problem with. She hasn't had any reactions so far, but I still like to space them out. The only one we didn't space was the Rotavirus since it was oral. We did that in combo with a shot.

Do you have to pay a copay every time you go in?

BLONDIE6FT · January 2012

we follow dr sears alternative schedule. if it's important to you, find a pediatrician that supports you too. quite a few don't--just a headsup!

kiarox2002 · January 2012

We space them out and opted to delay some a bit. Kate will be fully caught up before she starts preschool at age 3 and was caught up with everything besides Hepatitis by age 2.

I think that vaccines are very important and had no intention of not vaccinating. I also think that the vaccine schedule is crazy heavy on the first year of life. We mainly followed the delayed schedule from the Dr. Sears book so never more than 2 vaccines at a time and at least a month in between vaccines. We prioritize some shots over others.

We got DTaP on time because I was concerned about whopping cough. I felt comfortable delaying Polio until 9 months as it's been eradicated in the Western Hemisphere. (CDC recommends it at 2 months.) I also felt comfortable delaying Hepatitis A and B until now. We are getting Kate caught up for preschool and started on them in November. Hep B was one of the ones I had the biggest problem with as it is recommended at birth. I figured I could keep Kate away from the drugs and hookers until she was *at least* 3 or 4. All joking aside, had she been taken to the NICU and needed an IV or something, we probably would have given it to her.

Kate's first year we got shots at 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, and 9 months. Our dr has lots of patients on a delayed schedule and they do not charge a copay for shot only visits which is nice. I would have been willing to pay it though. We then got a bit behind because Kate had a reaction to amoxicillin at was covered in hives at her 1 year well visit. There was no way that I was giving her any vaccines then.

We do not vaccinate for flu (though I will reevaluate that once she starts preschool) and were considering skipping chicken pox but Emily can't get that vaccine because of her egg allergy so it made our decision easy. She did have a localized reaction to chicken pox that freaked the nurse out a bit, but that the dr was unconcerned with. Still not sure what to think about that and it makes me nervous for when we get the booster...

ETA: I was also planning on delaying her MMR until she was 2, but we went on a cruise when Kate was 19 months old and I wanted her vaccinated before that. We've been playing catch up for a while because of some allergic reactions (amoxicillin one time and hives from who knows what another time). I usually ask her dr which 2 he thinks are most important at the time and go with those. He personally supports the CDC schedule, but is very supportive of us following a different schedule.

thethomps · January 2012

ali-1411:
thethomps:
I don't do alt, per se, but we do space out DD's vaccines so she never gets more than one at a time. I SAH and we live about 5 minutes from our pedi's office, so it's not terribly inconvenient for me. What usually happens is she'll have an appointment on Tuesday so we'll get one shot then, we'll get another shot with a nurse on Friday, we'll get another shot the next Tuesday, etc. That way if she does react, we know which shot she had a problem with. She hasn't had any reactions so far, but I still like to space them out. The only one we didn't space was the Rotavirus since it was oral. We did that in combo with a shot.
Do you have to pay a copay every time you go in?

No. Actually, we don't have to pay a copay at all the first time since it's a routine visit and is now included on our insurance. The rest of the shots are given by nurses, so no copay for those visits, either.

Mrs.Froggianna · January 2012

RevJG:
We follow the Dr. Se.ars schedule with the exception of MMR (he recommends getting separate vaxes for measles, mumps, and rubella, but it is next to impossible to get individual doses here). We delayed MMR until 2 years old with DD and will do the same with DS. The most they ever get at one time is two vaxes and usually it's only one.
By the time she was 3 years old DD was completely caught up with someone who was on the typical schedule.

This exactly. I read the Vaccine Book and found the information balanced and as unbiased as a book on this topic can be.

august8080 · January 2012

All we did was decline the Hep vaccine in the hospital so that pushed it out a little bit to like his 2 month check-up, I think? Everything else, we followed the schedule, unless DS isn't 100% healthy at a well-child check. If he's a little run down or just getting over an illness, I'll delay a couple of weeks and go back when he's well.

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