To give my child additional vaccinations

[MeridianMother]

I have opted to vaccinate my toddler against chicken pox and meningitis b (4 separate jabs) at quite a cost, but one I consider to be worth it. Certain members of my family have told me this is unfair to my child (to put her through trauma of extra injections) and unnecessary. They are implying I am some sort of cotton wool parent to do this and i need to relax a bit more. She is also about to have the flu vaccine (nasal spray), to which they rolled their eyes, even though it is recommended by NHS.

Would other people think this way of me?

I think YABU

No, I think it's fine. In the US all kids get vaccinated for chicken pox, here in Germany they have to have Hep B (which I think is optional in the UK?) I don't think shots are particularly traumatic for kids although if my DC had a specific fear of needles and really freaked out about them, then I might consider not getting anything extra done.

YaNBU

It's your call, I wouldn't think anything of it personally. I'd assume you'd looked into it, weighed pros and cons and decided based on your findings what you felt was best for your family - as parents do.

Think YANBU. If you feel it's worth it, and you can afford it, go ahead. Vaccines are no that traumatising (especially if followed by some chocolate!).
I would give my daughter the chicken pox vaccine if we could afford it. CP can have devastating, even fatal, effects.
There is a possibility the CP vac will be included in the childhood vaccine routine soon (ish). I asked our Nurse Practitioner about it a while ago, and she told me it was on the list, but 'they' wanted to get the Shingles vac out first.

Yanbu. If I had money, I'd do the same.

Having the chicken pox vaccine does not guarantee immunity. My daughter had the vaccine because she has additional needs and chicken pox would be very risky for her, however her immunity has since been tested and found to be lacking. We gave the vaccine for nothing. Justvsomethingbto bear in mind

YANBU. I have done exactly the same. Why wouldn't you, if you can afford it? I believe Men B will be standard from next year or so anyway so I certainly wouldn't want my PFB DS to have less protection than other children

YANBU

Yanbu, sounds wise to me. Plus it's worth bearing in mind that your child avoiding these illnesses also avoids them giving them to others! There's no guarantees but it's the best you can do.

yanbu
my dc had the cp vaccine privately (recommended dud to eczema)

CP I would certainly consider. It can have very nasty side effects, it makes Some DCs very ill and the incubation period means DCs tend to get it one after the other. Very disruptive both for working and the well sibling getting very frustrated stuck in the house.

Also your not allowed to fly, I have a DF who has had to cancel two Easter trips to see her parents. Her DC choose not to get it the same year (very young children sometimes don't)

Agree with above that chicken pox vaccine doesn't guarantee immunity. I looked into it when we moved back to UK as my DC1 had just missed out on chicken pox vaccine at 18 months in Oz. Our GP here said there are several strains of chicken pox and vaccine only covers a couple of them. Hence why it isn't generally given in UK. So DC1 didn't have vaccine and has now had chicken pox. This was 8 years ago so vaccines may have changed.

I do know 3 friends children who had chicken pox vaccine in Oz, came over here on holidays years later and have caught chicken pox. They have had a mild dose but have still had it.

YANBU at all.

Thanks for comments, it is good to hear that others would do the same. I have done as much research as possible and spoken to a doctor friend, but in the end I just did what I felt was right. I lost a daughter very in late pregnancy, and I feel my family think this is somehow clouding my judgement, making me paranoid. That's not the case, I would have done this anyway.

Also interesting to hear that the CP jab might not offer immunity. I do hope we are lucky and it works. I must admit that it is partially out of selfish reasons that we opted for it - toddler is ridiculously active and would drive both of us mad being quarantined indoors for any length of time!

Yanbu. Trauma of injections?! It's 5 seconds of moderate pain. Would they rather a sick, feverish unhappy child for weeks? It's vile and not a harmless rite of passage in childhood people seem to think it is.

DD had the varicella jab in Canada and will be having the flu nasal spray. She did get CP anyway but I got CP twice as a child so I think that's par for the course. Varicella certainly makes CP less likely.

YANBU.

YANBU. I'm looking into the CP one for DS2. DS1 had additional vaccinations including BCG at 8 weeks and for Swine Flu with no problems.

You might want to get a booster though when they are older.

All vaccinations carry a small risk of not working by the way, not just CP. That's why boosters and herd immunity are important. I'm so cross the CP one isn't available on the NHS.

YADNBU

YANBU. I'd get the chicken pox vaccine for my DCs if I could afford it.

Vaccines don't guarantee immunity to anything they just reduce the chances of getting the thing they're vaccinating against. Immunity can also vary by person, one person can have immunity for life while someone else may only be immune for 5 years.

I'd had rubella and four MMR jabs but when pregnant with dc3 found I wasn't immune to it, though I was immune 2 years earlier when pregnant with dc2. Going on when I'd last had an MMR booster my immunity had only lasted 5 years.

YANBU - I thought I read that the NHS wanted to put the Meningitis B vacc (Bexsero) on the vaccination schedule but they didn't have the budget for it. Also, as other posters have said, the chicken pox vaccine is given as a matter of course in numerous other countries. One of its main benefits is that the child will also be protected against shingles in later life.

If you can do it, then why not! Also consider Twinrix which is for Hep A and B

I don't think you're being unreasonable, but I'm in the US, and the chicken pox vaccine is part of the routine vaccination schedule here. My daughter is four and has had her first dose. She should have gotten her 2nd dose at her 4-year check-up, but the doctor was out of the flu vaccine, and we decided to wait until she gets that back in so we can do it all at once. My husband and I don't get the flu vaccine, but my kids get it every year.

Doesn't the cp vaccine wear off though? So they will just get it at an older age? Or do you keep getting the vaccine

trauma of needle versus trauma of limb loss, or life loss through men B?

Truama of needle or brain damage chick pox?

no brainer.