Do all babies NEED the Flu shot?

So DD had her 9mth check up this morning and the doctor wanted to give her the flu shot but I dont want her to get it as I dont think she needs it.

The doc tried to persuade me and let me go to think about it but advised strongly that I take her back in to get it tomorrow where they are having a clinic. She also advised that I get it.

Some background....I havent had the flu in years, havent had a sick day in years, DD has been EBF since birth and touch wood hasnt had any illnesses, she doesnt go to day care, she is an only child so her contact with other kids is only on a once a week basis if that.

Is the flu that bad if an infant gets it? I know they would get a fever etc but if it was monitored would it life threatening?

I am really skittish about shots etc as I dont even take a pain killer unless I am in a lot of pain and I know this isnt about me etc but wouldnt it be better if her immune system was to build up a little bit?

Any advice?

Thanks

Re: Do all babies NEED the Flu shot?

We are in the same position. I am interested to hear what all the other mommies think.

Re: Do all babies NEED the Flu shot?

Here's some info

Flu and Your Baby - from the March of Dimes

The flu (influenza) is a contagious illness caused by one of the three influenza viruses (types A, B, C). The viruses typically circulate during winter months (November–March). These viruses spread through the air in droplets from an infected person’s cough or sneeze, as well as by contact with infected surfaces or hands (for example, poor hand washing).

If your child suddenly develops a high fever (above 101° F) accompanied by chills, muscle aches, fatigue, headache, dry cough and runny nose, he or she may have the flu. The fever and most other symptoms last about five days, though the cough may linger for several weeks. Antibiotics are not effective in treating the flu.

Some children with chronic health problems are at increased risk of serious complications from the flu. These children include those with asthma, heart disease, sickle cell disease, diabetes, HIV and those undergoing cancer treatment, as well as children living in households with someone with these conditions. After these children reach six months of age, they should receive the flu shot each fall.

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention also encourage vaccination of healthy children between the ages of 6 and 23 months. This age group is at increased risk of complications and hospitalization due to the flu. The flu shot is also recommended for older children and other family members to help the disease from spreading within the household.

Call your child's doctor right away if your child:
Develops any fever (more than 100.4° F) in the first three months of life, a temperature of 101° F or greater between three and six months, or 103° F after six months of age
Has trouble breathing, appears to have ear or face pain, or looks very ill (some children develop complications from the flu such as pneumonia, ear or sinus infection)
Has a cough that lingers more than a week or is getting worse
When your child has the flu, make sure he or she gets lots of rest and drinks plenty of fluids. She may not have much appetite. Offer her small meals that can be easily digested.

If your child seems uncomfortable from the fever, ask the doctor if you can give him or her infant’s or children’s acetaminophen (Tylenol) or ibuprofen (Motrin or Advil) to help reduce it. Never give aspirin to a child or teenager for any reason. Aspirin can cause a rare, but life-threatening liver disorder called Reye syndrome.

Your child most likely is contagious for about 7 days after symptoms begin, so have your child wash the hands frequently. Also wash your hands after caring for your child. Dispose of contaminated tissues promptly to help avoid spreading the illness to other family members. You may be able to reduce your baby’s risk of coming down with the flu by keeping him or her away from crowds when there are a lot of flu cases in your community.

The March of Dimes article on influenza and pregnancy and the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention have more information about flu.

CDC - Flu Shot Facts

Kevin recently got his first dose and goes back in December for the 2nd shot. I plan on getting a flu shot as I have asthma and my pulmonologist recommended it.

Message edited 11/10/2006 1:02:37 PM.

Re: Do all babies NEED the Flu shot?

when my ds and dd were 9 months old, i didnt think twice about getting them the flu shot. imo. only good can come from giving them the flushot. they use a "dead vaccine", which will cause no side effects and i didnt have to worry about them getting the flu. all it takes is for one person to sneeze in the gorcery store, peds office etc. and you can get the flu. i just wanted to be safe then sorry. i rather them get one quick shot then god forbid getting the flu and possibly ending up in the hospital. not to mention,my dd was in the hospital for a week at 2 months old. so the flu shot was something i didnt consider turning down. jmo.

Re: Do all babies NEED the Flu shot?

Posted by twobabies

when my ds and dd were 9 months old, i didnt think twice about getting them the flu shot. imo. only good can come from giving them the flushot. they use a "dead vaccine", which will cause no side effects and i didnt have to worry about them getting the flu. all it takes is for one person to sneeze in the gorcery store, peds office etc. and you can get the flu. i just wanted to be safe then sorry. i rather them get one quick shot then god forbid getting the flu and possibly ending up in the hospital. not to mention,my dd was in the hospital for a week at 2 months old. so the flu shot was something i didnt consider turning down. jmo.

Re: Do all babies NEED the Flu shot?

What are the possible side effects or risks of an adverse reaction?
The most common side effect in children and adults is soreness at the vaccination site. Children, particularly those who have not been exposed to the flu virus, may develop a fever and feel achy and tired. These symptoms may last up to two days.

Symptoms such as fever, chills, and muscular aches occur in less than 1 percent of people receiving the vaccine (usually those receiving it for the first time) — a rate that's no more common than in people receiving a placebo injection.

Re: Do all babies NEED the Flu shot?

I got my 8 month old DS the first part of the flu shot a couple weeks ago. We go back after Thanksgiving for the second part.

His side effects were minimal-- about 24 hours after the shot he became cranky. I gave him Tylenol and put him to bed early and the next morning he was fine.

For babies, there is the option of the thimerosal-free flu shot, although I don't think it is universally available. The pediatrician I go to did have it though, and I made them show me the package, just to make sure there were no mixups (I am the pediatrician's worst nightmare, lol)

Honestly, when you remove the thimerosal related controversy, I don't think there are many downsides of the shot. We saw our nephew on oxygen in the hospital when he was about 5 or 6 months old-- flu that progressed to pneumonia. I didn't want to take that chance with DS.

Re: Do all babies NEED the Flu shot?

I would let her get the shot, even though you haven't been sick in years and your daughter isn't around many kids, if your at a store with her and someone has the flu, chances of you getting it are good since is so contagious!

Julia got the flu shot at 6 months, and at her last check-up(16 months), my DH and myself just got it to last week, and we will continue to get the shot it every year.

Message edited 11/10/2006 1:28:56 PM.

Re: Do all babies NEED the Flu shot?

Katherine is getting hers next week.

I would not take the risk of not getting it. I had the flu about 10 years ago and was incapacitated for a week...could not IMAGINE that for a baby!

Over the summer, I was home everyday, Katherine did not go to babysitters, saw children 1x a week at Music Together--no physical contact, DH and I are never sick. The last week of the summer she developed coxsackie from basically the one time she actually played with other children on vacation...so things like that DO happen!!

I generally trust the doctor's advice with most things too.

Re: Do all babies NEED the Flu shot?

Thanks for the replies....so did all your DH's get it too?

I just called the peds office to see if they are using thimeresol in the vaccine and they are going to call me back.

Re: Do all babies NEED the Flu shot?

I decided against it. I have gotten DD vaccinated for everything else, but not the flu. I definitely would not have her vaccinated w/ the Thermailne vaccine.

I asked my doctor what she thought I should do. She is the mother of a 3 year old. She said her advice depends on her mood- meaning, there is so significant benefit and no significant harm. She never had her son vaccinated for the flu because it wasn't recommended then. She also never had the flu, and never got a flu shot herself until she started working with kids. So since she didn't recommend whole heartedly, I decided against it. I can always get it at a later date.

DH and I never got the flu shot and never had the flu.

Re: Do all babies NEED the Flu shot?

My DD is going to be eight in January and I have never gotten the flu shot for her. And. . . she has never gotten the flu. She has been in Daycare since she was 2 1/2 and a public elementary school and never once (knock on wood) has she gotten the flu.

I decided against it because I am one of the "strange ones" that think that an immune system should be built up naturally. I got the flu shot when I was younger and I remember being sick for a few days after that. We're talking, can't get out of bed, aches, pains, fever, throwing up.

The flu can be bad for an infant, if you don't do anything about it. But if you know your child and know when things are bad, and bring them to a Dr. when they are, then I would say, don't get the shot for her.

I don't even give my daughter Tylonol unless her fever is above 100.6. Her Dr. said that you shouldn't give it to kids for every little thing otherwise the body won't have a chance to fight what ever it is.

BTW - even if she gets the flu shot, she can still get the flu. The shot is a combination of the most common strains from the past few years. IF there is a new strain that isn't in the shot, then your child CAN still get the flu. That's another reason why I never put my daughter through getting a shot to try to keep her from getting sick, when she might get sick anyway.

Sorry for rambling!! Have a good weekend.

Message edited 11/10/2006 3:50:43 PM.

Re: Do all babies NEED the Flu shot?

Im on the fence with it, there are so many strains of flu out there, Ive rec'd them off and on for the kids. Last year I didnt do them and we all had the flu - I ended up with it and also had pneumonia and ended up in the hospital at 27 weeks pregnant. This year, my 2 older kids rec'd it already and I'll probably get the baby done at his next visit when he will be 6 months. My son is in PreK and Im afraid of what he can bring home. Plus the baby was very sick with bronchiolitis when he was 6 weeks so he is very susceptible to catching stuff this flu season and my pediatrician highly recommends it for all my kids as a result. That's my reasoning why we're getting them this year.

Message edited 11/10/2006 6:31:53 PM.

Re: Do all babies NEED the Flu shot?

My DD id 10 months old & we didn't get it.
Our Dr. said he would recommend it if she had older siblings (who would be bringing home germs, viruses, etc...) or was in daycare, but since that's not our case we decided not to do it.