Lately, I've had several people ask me what we are doing about Harper's childhood vaccinations. With all of the headlines warning about potential links between vaccines and diseases like autism and arthritis, it's no wonder that people have questions. And really, I don't have any good answers. But, I can suggest a good resource.
The Vaccine Book is a fantastic source of information regarding all of the recommended childhood vaccinations. It's written in plain English, not scientific jargon and it covers everything from basic information about each specific disease to the individual ingredients in each vaccine. The book also includes an alternate schedule of when your child can receive each vaccine. We have chosen to follow this alternate schedule instead of the one the American Academy of Pediatrics (AAP) recommends. Basically, Harper will get every shot that the AAP recommends, but they will be spaced out over more visits so less shots are given at a time. The main reason that we have decided to follow this alternate schedule is that it makes sense to me that giving less shots at a time will allow a baby's developing immune system to more efficiently recognize and process each vaccine. I don't have any data for that assumption. It just seems to me that it is not a good idea to overwhelm a little baby's developing immune system with too many shots at once. That being said, I am a firm believer that parents have to do what they think is best for their child and their family. And as a scientist, I don't know that there is enough evidence either way to say that one schedule is better than another. The bottom line is that you have to do what you think is best. And wether you decide to stick with the regular schedule or go with the alternate schedule,
The Vaccine Book is worth getting.
