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[mrkgoo]

How about step back even further and look at it about what's best big picture? Take the parenting thing out of it.

High immunization rates have tremendous benefits to society not just cause it saves lives but also because less people are sick and thus have less burden on the healthcare system and are more productive at work.

So due to falling immunization rates and rapidly increasing cases reported doctors have to start making new recommendations to just try to do something since they're losing on the other end. Sure, super high immunization rates for all children would probably be a better solution but is it really the worst thing in the world to do your own individual part and get 1 shot ever 10 years? It's not just about protecting babies from visitors, it's about reducing whooping cough in society even if you never see a baby

Yeah, of course there's that too. Can't disagree with you there. I was just saying for the sake of reason that people should spare a thought for the other side of the argument and see where other people can be coming from.

If only there was some sort of organization that helped set guidelines for the prevention of diseases.

Yes, the CDC could be on the "wrong" side of the line. But I feel more inclined to believe experts who devote their lives to the prevention of diseases than anyone's personal feelings or anecdotes.

Most certainly. But i think it does help to show some perspective in seeing how other people reach a view that is different from your own, be it mildly different, to wildly different. Sometimes a different view is actually reached from the same sentiment and starting place.

I prefer to err on the side of caution myself, and yeah, I would follow generally accepted guidelines as scientifically determined as well, but everyone draws a line, often coinciding with convenience.

 

[Keri]

Another one that's making a comeback. Awful to hear about your family's experiences.

I posted this already in this thread, but this makes me so mad, I'll take any opportunity to complain about it. There was a recent measles outbreak where I live and my 7 month old is still too young to get the MMR shot. I hate that I can't protect him yet and there are people out there who are putting his life in danger, by opting not to vaccinate. I'm thankful he's not in daycare or I'd be all the more worried.

 

[Stop It]

Hmm. I shall have to ask my friends what they've done.

We're expecting our first in August but as I said earlier, we've never been asked to do anything and apart from one before I went to Mexico last year its been 15 years since I had any at all.

Already this year I have a nephew born to a nurse, 2 other friends already had babies and another 2 or 3 are on the way that I know of!

I know the wife got a flu jab as a result of the pregnancy and will get the whooping cough one in about 5 weeks, but at no point in any of the 4 meetings with them so far (of which I was at all 4) has anyone suggested I get anything.

I can't even see any info from UK sources about the issue, but plenty from the US.

In the UK we nearly have the TDAP but without whooping cough.

Myself and my partner got the shot in 2015 before traveling to Crete so with the pregnancy shots we were both fine along with getting flu shots.

For your own benefit I would looking to TDAP (you may have had it before your Mexico trip). Definitely get the flu shot too yourself because obviously it spreads all year round (the myth that flu is a winter only disease is a strong one).

A 5 minute appointment can save potential misery, why risk it?

 

[Messofanego]

Measels

That is depressing.

 

[Stop It]

Let me try to dial the aggression down getting advice on something that I'm actually more concerned about than flu shots. Do baby movement monitors matter if your baby is healthy (from doctor's perspective)? Internet consensus seemed to be driven by overprotective parents, but in this case they might be right.

(I'm not joking, this is something I'm trying to research right now)

We have a movement sensor. It has been a bit temperamental but worked ok. That said our daughter has only set it off when:

A: I forget to turn it off when taking her for her night feed, or
B: When it false alarms (happened twice).

Statistically there's not much to suggest it lowers the risk of SIDS and the safest way to have them sleep is in your room. Kinda makes the sensor semi obsolete but hey!

 

[JJH]

TDAP (Adacel) not only for your friends' newborn, but for yourself.

 

[johnny956]

I would not go lol. Never been asked that and have visited several peoples newborns over the years. That is a really odd request.

Lots of you folk seem really paranoid.

Our doc told us anyone who will be around newborn for more then a couple of days should get these vaccinations. My parents and in-laws both got these shots a couple of weeks before our daughter was born.

 

[Dai101]

This thread has shown exactly how your country voted in a fucking cockstain like Trump.

You people are fucking nuts.

Indeed. "I can relate to him because he don't try to edumacate me or whatever. He's so relatable!!"

**sigh......

Measels

5 babies contracted measles just a few blocks from my office at a daycare just two years ago.

That is depressing.

It is. A disease that almost got erradicated is making a comeback because some imbeciles don't want other people to tell them what to do.

And the 2 cases more recent cases of measles in my country were imported. 2 cases in almost 20 fucking years down here.

http://www.epidemiologia.salud.gob.mx/doctos/avisos/2016/sarampion/aviso_epid_sarampion_160601.pdf

Maybe that wall isn't a bad idea after all ......

 

[JB1981]

I am not debating the science but, before I moved to America, I lived healthy and sound without ever needing or getting the flu vaccine. I did get it once after I came to America, that was only because it was a mandatory requirement from the military. I still got the flu afterwards.

Basically what I am trying to say is, it is not uncommon for people to not take flu vaccine seriously.

I have never gotten a flu vaccine

 

[HawksWinStanley]

It's pretty crazy how many risks we deem unacceptable but others are OK. Its also a bit weird to inquire into others personal health histories. Imagine if I demanded all of my gay friends take an HIV test before being able to hold my baby? People would flip the fuck out.

You don't really have a baby do you? Please tell me you don't.

 

[Beer Monkey]

I have never gotten a flu vaccine

Being a child of the 60s, I never wore a seatbelt until I was an adult. Over 18 years without a seatbelt or a child seat!

 

[choodi]

Being a child of the 60s, I never wore a seatbelt until I was an adult. Over 18 years without a seatbelt or a child seat!

And because of all of the horrific injuries and deaths that happened to those children in the 60s who were not as lucky as you, people know that it is fucking stupid to put a child (or adult) in a car without a proper seatbelt or restraint on.

 

[Messofanego]

And because of all of the horrific injuries and deaths that happened to those children in the 60s who were not as lucky as you, people know that it is fucking stupid to put a child (or adult) in a car without a proper seatbelt or restraint on.

Adults don't even know what it looks like when you don't wear a seatbelt in the back.

 

[choodi]

Babies can scratch and break skin, people kiss babies. Maybe a herpes screening too?

Sure its a low risk but why take the chance?

I mean besides the obvious that its super rude to inquire into and make demands on peoples personal health. Except for vaccines apparently.

You are an absolute imbecile. What is wrong with you? Clearly there is some sort of undiagnosed deficiency in your personality or in your mental capacity if you think anything you said here makes any sense.

 

[Grug]

Anyone saying they "feel" it is being overprotective after being presented with the statistics and advice from experts are putting themselves on the same intellectual plane as climate-change deniers and flat-earthers.

Science doesn't give a fuck about your "feels".

 

[mrkgoo]

Adults don't even know what it looks like when you don't wear a seatbelt in the back.

This gif is amazing.

Car accidents, even minor ones are no joke. People don't understand that a car travelling at typical suburban speed has so much momentum behind it that if it were to suddenly stop, a lot of that force is going to be put into anything not belted down.

 

[cartographer]

The car safety whataboutism:

Yeah, we do care about how dangerous cars are. That's one of the main benefits to removing human drivers and all the money being poured into that technology. Cars are incredibly dangerous and every good parent takes a lot of steps to minimize risk when riding in cars.

None of that changes the realities of vaccination, or make it any less important.

 

[FyreWulff]

"babies aren't fragile!"

*can literally die if you let them lay down to sleep the wrong way*

 

[Earthbound64]

"babies aren't fragile!"

Google results:

"babies aren't fragile!" - 115 results

"babies are fragile!" - 31,600 results


Who are you quoting with the "babies aren't fragile" line exactly?

 

[Flo_Evans]

You don't really have a baby do you? Please tell me you don't.

I have 2! Actually they are toddlers now. 100% baby survival rate.

You are an absolute imbecile. What is wrong with you? Clearly there is some sort of undiagnosed deficiency in your personality or in your mental capacity if you think anything you said here makes any sense.

Clearly my mother didn't vaccinate me enough as a child.

 

[Calamari41]

Google results:

"babies aren't fragile!" - 115 results

"babies are fragile!" - 31,600 results


Who are you quoting with the "babies aren't fragile" line exactly?

They really aren't incredibly fragile.

.

 

[Mr-Joker]

To really highlight how weak baby immune systems are as when I was a kid I found out that my dad had a little brother.

Now I had never seen him so I asked him why I never saw him, my dad said that he died when he was a baby.

In response I asked him how did he die to which my answered that despite his plea my grandparents took him to Pakistan but didn't get him inoculated, so he got sick and ended up passing away...he wasn't even one year old at the time.

Not a day goes by where I wonder if only my grandparents got my Uncle inoculated or didn't take him to Pakistan he would be still alive.

Now he wasn't the only one of my Dad sibling that died, as my Dad had 3 older sister that also died before he was born and my mum had a younger that died while as a baby, it's likely that they died because they were born in Pakistan and got sick.

It's pretty crazy how many risks we deem unacceptable but others are OK. Its also a bit weird to inquire into others personal health histories. Imagine if I demanded all of my gay friends take an HIV test before being able to hold my baby? People would flip the fuck out.

They will flip out because you are singling out your gay friend because anyone can get HIV plus the fact you seem to be very ignorant in how HIV is passed.

Clearly my mother didn't vaccinate me enough as a child.

No, you're just being a jerk.

 

[Earthbound64]

.

Well, they're obviously mistaken.

 

[digdug2k]

I think people need to step back and realise that the absolute outcomes aren't binary. That the situation is about risk-assessment and on a spectrum.

If he doesn't get the shot does that mean baby is gonna get whooping cough? Probably not, but the chance does increase. And the outcome can be dire. Isn't that the whole point of vaccinations for anyone? It's minimising risk.

Actually it kind of sums up parenting in general. There's always gradient of risk-assessment and every parent draws a lin somewhere along it. Every parent has a different place to put that line and that is the right of the parent.

Everyone here has a place for that line and would call anyone else beyond that line on one side to be overly protective and on the other to be careless. Who actually has the line in the "right" place?

You can make your house a clean room and require visitors to get a naked scrub down as well. It will lessen risk. There's a huge baby complex designed just around selling shit to parents because it will reduce already insignificant risks. "Wouldn't you feel awful if you didn't buy this and then your baby died? Here's some parents who already do!" But parents gotta make trade-offs. Just having friends or family over at all is a "risk" tradeoff decision you have to make.

 

[Hilbert]

You can make your house a clean room and require visitors to get a naked scrub down as well. It will lessen risk. There's a huge baby complex designed just around selling shit to parents because it will reduce already insignificant risks. "Wouldn't you feel awful if you didn't buy this and then your baby died? Here's some parents who already do!" But parents gotta make trade-offs. Just having friends or family over at all is a "risk" tradeoff decision you have to make.

Are you suggesting that recommending that parents ask people that are visiting the baby to be up to date with DTAP is because companies are trying to sell shit?

 

[mrkgoo]

You can make your house a clean room and require visitors to get a naked scrub down as well. It will lessen risk. There's a huge baby complex designed just around selling shit to parents because it will reduce already insignificant risks. "Wouldn't you feel awful if you didn't buy this and then your baby died? Here's some parents who already do!" But parents gotta make trade-offs. Just having friends or family over at all is a "risk" tradeoff decision you have to make.

Exactly.

That "what if" feeling is horrible, so I can see why some parents tend to be over cautious, but at the same time it's not good for them to be like that about everything. And yeah the baby product industry plays on your fears.

Every parent has to decide where that balance is.

 

[Mammoth Jones]

Exactly.

That "what if" feeling is horrible, so I can see why some parents tend to be over cautious, but at the same time it's not good for them to be like that about everything. And yeah the baby product industry plays on your fears.

Every parent has to decide where that balance is.

The balance is asking close friends that want to see the baby that young to make sure they have their shots up to date.

It's not complicated. My child is the most valuable being in my life so I fully comprehend parents taking an abundance of caution. Doubly so when you realize how susceptible to infections they are.

 

[greepoman]

You can make your house a clean room and require visitors to get a naked scrub down as well. It will lessen risk. There's a huge baby complex designed just around selling shit to parents because it will reduce already insignificant risks. "Wouldn't you feel awful if you didn't buy this and then your baby died? Here's some parents who already do!" But parents gotta make trade-offs. Just having friends or family over at all is a "risk" tradeoff decision you have to make.

The problem with comparing purchased safety items with vaccines is there are no outbreaks or epidemics (not random spikes) regarding what these things protect. And say there was a spike in deaths from babies not having a heart monitor that continued growing year after year then there would be investigations and new recommendations.

Not to mention none of these things have a concept of herd immunity. Imagine if everyone having a baby monitor caused baby deaths to decrease orders of magnitude over just a few people doing it then there would be more pushes for everyone to use it.

 

[Frozenprince]

The balance is asking close friends that want to see the baby that young to make sure they have their shots up to date.

It's not complicated. My child is the most valuable being in my life so I fully comprehend parents taking an abundance of caution. Doubly so when you realize how susceptible to infections they are.

For real. It's asking people to take less than an hour of their lives to help protect the single most important thing in your life.

If that's too much for them then they obviously don't care all that much in the first place.

Babies are immensely fragile and prone to sickness. A minor virus can kill an infant. There is no such thing as being "too overprotective" when it comes to immunizing yourself and asking those that want to be around your child to do so.

 

[hirokazu]

Seems like a totally reasonable request and not unnecessary, OP. It's not that the risks are so low that the request makes it seem like they're coddling and overprotecting their newborn. Those are legitimate concerns.

 

[choodi]

Clearly my mother didn't vaccinate me enough as a child.

...or educate you.

 

[Grug]

I let my toddler walk across a four lane main road by himself and he didn't get hit by a car.

This is the sort of stuff the powerful "hold their hand and look both ways before crossing" industry never tells you.

 

[Jenov]

Adults don't even know what it looks like when you don't wear a seatbelt in the back.

shit, that gif led me to a whole video compilation of people not wearing seatbelts. Wear your seat belts people: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PRH5rYUHoVU

And get vaccinated.

 

[TankRizzo]

 

[Figboy79]

I don't get it. If my friend wants me to get inoculated before I see their newborn, I'm going to get inoculated. It literally isn't more complicated than that.

Babies are incredibly vulnerable especially at that age, and especially to diseases among other things. Just fucking get inoculated and have fun seeing your friend and his family.