Parenting Toddlers

I was watching Law & Order:SVU last night (while pretending to work). The issue of the day was vaccines. There was a young toddler who apparently hadn’t yet been vaccinated for measles (they vaccinate for measles between 12 and 15 months). She was at a park and contracted measles from a little boy. His mother had chosen not to vaccinate him, he got measles, recovered and was totally fine. During the contagious period, however, he’d spread it to this little girl and two others. So, the mother of the little girl decided to sue both the State of NY parks system and the little boy’s mother. Because apparently people in NYC feel totally safe in parks and this was a blow to their security??

I wanted to bring this up here because it was a bit ridiculous to me, but I could also understand it. First, I think suing the park system is ridiculous. (I am aware that this is a tv show!) Are they supposed to screen people before the enter? Blood tests and the whole works? But suing the mother is a bit more complicated. My first thought was that you can’t sue someone for not vaccinating her child! It infringes on their rights. But catching a dangerous disease that vaccines all but eradicated kind of infringes on your rights as well. The little girl would have lived if this mother had vaccinated her son.

I have a very firm belief that people have their own parenting styles and should be free to exercise them. If they don’t harm the children. Vaccinations are a tricky issue because some parents are vehemently opposed to them. But it could put their child at risk, and it could put my child at risk. I really do understand where people who choose not to vaccinate are coming from. I always thought Jenny McCarthy was a nutcase, but hearing her and Jim Carrey talk on this subject has definitely turned me around. Not all the way around, but I do have a better understanding of the other side. Some people feel that these vaccines can trigger autism in susceptible children (and this was proven in one court case). Others in the medical community think that the pertussis vaccine and possibly others are linked to SIDS.

One-half of 1% of kids in school are unvaccinated under a medical waiver; 2% to 3% have a nonmedical one (a lot of people are now claiming that vaccines go against their religious views so they can obtain a waiver. Many of these are legitimate claims, but many also come from parents who do not choose to vaccinate and have nothing to do with religious beliefs).

Anyway, it just is fodder for conversation - are there too many vaccines? Are they all a necessary evil? And how mad would I be if an unvaccinated kid made my baby sick? I honestly would throw all my “Parents should be allowed to raise their children as they see fit,” right out the window and be enraged. On the other hand, if a vaccine aggravated or worsened a condition (such as the little girl in Georgia whose vaccines aggravated a cell condition and giving her severe autism-like symptoms), I would be equally livid at doctors who told me they were safe.

I’ve posted a few times on vaccines, and I can see a progression in my thinking. First, I thought, yeah, giving your kids shots and medications is always risky, but it is something we all must do. Then, I read a Huffington Post blog entry by Jim Carrey and could see the other side as well. Now I’m at the point where I have no idea. I’m going to vaccinate my children. I can’t not. But I’m not as trusting. Sometimes I feel like we are guinea pigs in a pharmaceutical war.

I’d love to hear from any parent would has chosen not to vaccinate. Not to argue but to hear your side of the story. We all have our kids’ best interest at heart - it’d be nice if we could have risk-free vaccinations. Since we can’t, what are your thoughts on this issue?

Updated June 28, 2009

I found this piece on alternative vaccine schedules (ok, it was in my inbox in one of my health newsletters, but I like to take credit when I can). I’m pretty sure I’ve posted on this in the past, but here it is again for parents who would like to look into an alternative vaccine schedule. Now, this is NOT not vaccinating. It is spreading them out so the nurses don’t treat your baby like a pincushion at each visit. The little guy gets three in the leg and one oral vaccine at each visit, and it breaks my heart. Beyond that, if you’re concerned about health issues, you may want to know more about alternative schedules. And if your doctor will accommodate them. As always, it is good to know what your options are and what the medical thinking is. For that article, click here.