The more I read, the more confused I become about this subject...there doesnt seem to be too much info out there that isnt either totally for or totally against it...The only book I've read, so far that even comes close to just presenting both sides is by Aviva J. Romm "Vaccinations: A Thoughtful Parent's Guide: How to Make Safe, Sensible decisions about the Risks, Benefits and Alternatives."
A few sites I've looked at, briefly, are:>http://www.whale.to/a/hoax.html>http://www.thinktwice.com/
So, I guess what I am interested in is your thoughts, opinions, whatever, any unbiased literature, site reccomendations and/or experiences you might have had...

I haven't really done any research, and we are getting the usual vaccs, but I will offer that the AAP recinded it's warning about a possible connection between the preservative in some vaccs and autism.

they scare me, but for both reasons...1, they could cause serious health issues if given 2, they could cause serious health issues if not given! It is like playing russian roullette with your child.

However, my girls have had their vaccinations (sounds like I am trying to sell you puppies)

im in the same boat..but my final decision was that i dont know enough about the subject (even after some researching) to withhold vaccinations from my baby. if the info against them was stronger id be more apt to avoid vaccinations but at this point im afraid to "experiment" with my children. i did however say no to the chicken pox vaccine because it is unnecessary and may only last until you are 18 years old and getting chicken pox (shingles) as an adult is MUCH more serious..didn't make sense to me. the pdiatrician says she'll need it to get into kindergarten but i'll cross that bridge when i come to it and maybe there will be more information at that point. or i'll just homeschool!

The thing that I find so confusing is that alot of these things that we routinely vaccinate against were in decline (due to whatever variables) way before the vaccines were put into use, and were generally harmless childhood illness....yes, I know diptheria and pertussis can be extremely harmful...but the thing was that when kids would catch these other illnesses they would (generally) recieve lifelong immunity...okay, I am not saying that I want my kids to get sick, just because...., but just because you get vaccinated you arent neccessarily going to be immune, just like just because there is a specific illness going around doesnt mean you catch it...so, is it all hype? Am I being too blase about this? I know that immunizations need to be kept up, but how many adults do you know that are still current with their vaccinations? I know I'm not, but then again I am not at much risk for being exposed... being the hermit that I am. What about delaying immunizations? what do you all think about that? I am sooo frigging confused on this one...

eva, an easy way to avoid the chicken pox vaccine is to have your child catch chicken pox! I think that is the dumbest "mandatory" vaccination ever! It is the least harmful childhood disease, they just don't want the kids to get that extra vacation when they catch it!

i thought this link was interesting
>http://www.ofspirit.com/tw-whatyourdoctormaynottellyouaboutchildrensvaccinations.htm

Chicken pox might be seen as a less serious disease, but it can cause encephalitis (swelling of the brain) which I know I don't want. I remember having chicken pox as a child and it was the most horrendous 10 days of my young life. I hardly scratched yet I am covered in pox scars to this day. My daughter is definitely getting all vaccinations offered.
My opinion is that because vaccinations have been around for at least a generation now that there is less of a community awareness of how serious these diseases can be. In having a conversation about it with my mother, she pointed out that for her generation it was seen as irresponsible not to vaccinate your kids - for the good of the community.

YOu sound just like me a few months ago!

I didn't read up much on it before my baby was born, so we just did the standard vaxes for the first 8 months or so.

When we moved, I found a pediatrician that I LOVE. They host a LLL meeting in their office, are very pro-breastfeeding, don't use antibiotics unless absolutely necessary, are into homeopathy, etc. etc. I was really confused after reading some anti-vax websites, so I asked my dr. what she would recommend. She said that they research both sided of the issue pretty thoroughly, and that she thinks that the plusses outweigh the minuses. She vaxed her kids for that reason and also because she is a doctor and is exposed to all kinds of horrible germies. She also promised me that she would not give him any vaxes containing thimerosol, they don't use them in the office.

I told her I wanted to delay them, and only give him one or two at a time, because he has had reactions before, fevers and stuff, and because they don't test them in combination, just seperately. She was totally cool with that.

As for the various vaccines themselves, there are some I will skip altogether, like chicken pox. And if I had to do it over, hep B. I also will wait till he is alot older for the MMR, which has a high incidence of reaction and is only harmful to women in their childbearing years.

Basically my recommendation is to find a cool pediatrician and talk it over with him/her :)

Have done all the vaccinations but chickenpox. Luckily, babyT caught them a month ago so we're all set for kindergarten. We chose not to vaccinate for chickenpox based on ethical reasons since the vaccine was made using aborted fetal tissue. I'm pro-choice but something about that just seems wrong. (you can google for the info, I don't have time to provide the links)

The other vaccines seemed too scary to miss. I'm glad that there's something to protect my kids against things like polio. There are nasty diseases out there that can have a far more devastating effect than an immunization. Research the diseases as well as the risks of the shots and make an informed decision.