Splitting vaccinations

[notSureaboutT]

I am going to only do 1 vaccination at a time for my dd but I was confused can they be booked a week apart ?
I wanted to do for example dTap then a week later men b - these would ordinarily be given together on the same day so a week should be ok ?
Has anyone else done this ? Just wondering what gaps you had in between each one and was there a particular schedule (I’ve been looking at dr sears alternative schedule too)
Tia

[Gancanny]

As far as I'm aware, there should be four weeks between vaccines which is partly why multiple vaccines are given at the same time, to avoid stretching the schedule over months.

[notSureaboutT]

Even ones which would have been given on the same day ? This is why I was a bit confused. I don’t want to do more than 1 each time but am also conscious of having her protected

[Isadora2007]

I split ours as I would not have two injections on one leg as how would you know which one caused a reaction? I refused rotavirus as well as it was a new one that can cause diarrhoea and isn’t really necessary for breastfed babies.
I started the schedule later too- and then left a month between any injections. It meant the full coverage took longer and was more hassle, yes. But I felt happier I wasn’t overloading a tiny baby with too much at a time.

[sunnysidegold]

I didn't realise this was possible. Can I ask why you opt for this rather than the vaccination including more than one?

If you spread them out are you not just putting the child through the pain and potential fever more times?

[Gancanny]

I think you need to speak to your HV or practice nurse about it as they'll be able to answer your questions and address any concerns you have. It's very safe to have the injections at the same time, means your baby is protected faster than they would be if it was drawn out, and fewer appointments means less distress/discomfort and less visits to the GP surgery which is a particular plus in the current climate.

[notSureaboutT]

My ds now 2 had a terrible reaction after his 1 year vaccinations it was absolutely awful and terrified me.
So, for dd we have decided to split them up, I’m very pro vaccination but feel worried and this feels like the best way to protect her and others but do something that will (hopefully) minimise any reactions as I think with ds it was just a lot at once and he was so unwell.

With rotavirus (I’m unsure about this one) why is it not necessary for breastfed babies I haven’t heard of that ?

[notSureaboutT]

@Isadora2007 when did you start the schedule ?

[Gancanny]

If it's any reassurance, my daughter had an allergic reaction to a vaccine so now has any vaccines at paediatrics and the consultant there is happy for her to have multiple vaccines at the same time. I really would recommend speaking to the practice nurse about it all and to get a proper answer to your question.

[Gancanny]

Breastfeeding only protects against rotavirus for

[Isadora2007]

@Gancanny I was about to retract my statement as I realised it was too strong. Sorry.
The length of protection from the rotavirus vaccine is currently unknown- stated to be “Several years”. There are many reasons why a toddler may get sickness or diarrhoea so not just rotavirus. Breastfeeding has been shown to reduce the likelihood of getting rotavirus as well as lessening the effects so I chose to not have that for my child as I was confident he would be breastfed for a significant period of time.
Unfortunately speaking to the practice nurse wasn’t much help as they cannot give their opinion- only their advice as based on current nhs guidelines. So we spaced them out starting from 4/5 months.

[Utini]

@Gancanny pretty sure the four week spacing is only for live vaccines, this is what we were told when we got the chickenpox vaccine done privately - it needed to be four weeks away from MMR, unless administered at the same time.

[cptartapp]

Yes in theory you can split them a week apart.
There's no real benefit to this, just upsets the baby twice and leaves a short period without protection.
If two vaccines are given in one leg they are separated and we document which has gone where. Local reactions are quite common. They're not a contraindication to vaccinating. (This is only an issue from 12 months onwards anyway now due to a change in the schedule).
Practice nurse.

[cptartapp]

There is a minimum four week gap between the six in one and rotavirus. Eight weeks between Men B. Only one pneumo now given under the age of one.