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AIBU?

Share your dilemmas and get honest opinions from other Mumsnetters.

Original poster

COVID vaccine 7 yo

43 replies

MeAndHimAndHer · 09/02/2022 22:42

DD7 has been invited to have the vac. I think it’s because she has a minor heart condition. She was never identified as at risk or advised to shield, but the letter now describes her as in the at risk category.
I was all for booking her in for this weekend bud DP is not keen. She has not, to our knowledge, had it. We do do regular lfts. Most of her class have been off recently testing positive and dd has not.
DP’s argument is that she probably either has had it at some point unnoticed or has been exposed a lot and not got it, either way why vac her and put her through a rough couple of days (potentially) at this stage when all her classmates who have had it have been asymptomatic.
I’m a nurse, double vac-ed and boosted with no ill effects after any of them. DP felt pretty rough after all of his.
My thinking is that this is an opportunity to protect her from something which could cause serious illness and she should absolutely have it.
But it’s not just my decision to make.
He’s not set against it, just a bit worried as we know no other children who’ve had it.
Wibu to push hard against him and insist that she has it? He is such a procrastinator that he will never make a decision he is happy with.
Anyone else’s young child had it and how was it?

OP posts:
Awakened7 · 09/02/2022 23:01

This reply has been deleted

Message deleted by MNHQ. Here's a link to our Talk guidelines.

Madhairday · 09/02/2022 23:03

Ignore that post, OP. Have reported for sheer misinformation.

summertimerolls · 09/02/2022 23:05

OP I don't have advice except to ignore the first reply.

Original poster
MeAndHimAndHer · 09/02/2022 23:07

Thank you I am fully ignoring that nonsense.

OP posts:
CharacterForming · 09/02/2022 23:08

I think if you're a nurse and she's had a heart condition you can reasonably pull rank on your DH.

I assume she's no longer under the care of a consultant you can ask for advice, but do you have colleagues (or colleagues of colleagues) you can ask for specific advice on how much of a concern DD's specific condition would be?

Original poster
MeAndHimAndHer · 09/02/2022 23:12

#characterforming not really no. I am a mental health nurse. She is under paed cardio but only gets seen every two years to check the little hole in her heart. Not due to be seen again for over a year and at last appt in may last year they did not mention any covid related concerns.

OP posts:
WorriedGiraffe · 09/02/2022 23:16

I’ve reported that first post as it’s clearly a load of rubbish. But personally I wouldn’t vaccinate my 7 year old if they weren’t CEV, I Havnt been able to find any stats about how long it lasts in children but we no it doesn’t last forever on adults and I just don’t think the benefits outweigh the risks. If they did they’d be offering it to all children.

I’d advise doing your own in depth research and getting your DP to do the same.

Theballoonsinthesky · 09/02/2022 23:18

My personal feeling on it would be that covid is far less of a threat to anyone than it was even without the vaccine. She's been exposed to it for 2 years when it was at its worst and now it is mild what is the benefit of getting it? We are going into spring and how long does the vaccine last before the next booster is due? I'm not being funny i just can't see the benefit of getting it now when we are on the way out.

Bakewelltart987 · 09/02/2022 23:20

I personally wouldn't just because covid has not been a huge risk for children. If people want to believe the vacancie is the best thing since buttered bread that's fine but the truth is we simply do not know of any life long conditions it may cause. Am not an anti vac had 2 jabs.

Theballoonsinthesky · 09/02/2022 23:21

@Awakened7 may be coming across as a nutter but there are many things we thought were crazy last year that we now widely accept as fact. The truth is we don't know anything long term about this vaccine so I'd be reluctant to start giving it to kids.

MrsSkylerWhite · 09/02/2022 23:24

This reply has been deleted

Message withdrawn as it quotes a deleted post.

Original poster
MeAndHimAndHer · 09/02/2022 23:29

Thank you all. I’m surprised that the general opinion seems to be not to have it. I will definitely do more reading around the benefits or not of young children having it.
I was very much of the mindset that she should. She’s had all her vaccinations and the chicken pox one on top. I’m very pro-vaccine. But I will research and listen to dp.
Food for thought, thank you.

OP posts:
NiteWotcha · 10/02/2022 00:01

@MrsSkylerWhite sorry, going to zap your post as it repeats the deleted message in full!

montysma1 · 10/02/2022 00:06

Statistically speaking as a child she should not get ill with covid.
Staistically, some chdren do get ill with covid.
I wouldn't want my child to be that statistic if I can reduce the chance by vaccination.

BewareTheLibrarians · 10/02/2022 00:18

@MeAndHimAndHer We had a little bit of a similar situation as Ds was left with heart problems after covid, so I checked with his consultant before he got vaccinated just to be sure. The consultant said we should go ahead and get him vaccinated for the protection it offers, and the fact that another covid infection might be more damaging to his heart. He’s now had two vaccines and was ok after both apart from a sore arm!

Sympathy though as I know it’s a really hard decision to make and everybody’s situation is different. It would definitely be worth talking to your gp or calling your consultant’s secretary on the off chance they can give you a call, to see what they say. Failing that, I think the British Heart Foundation had some good info on their website.

BewareTheLibrarians · 10/02/2022 00:21

British Heart Foundation link just in case it’s useful Smile

www.bhf.org.uk/informationsupport/heart-matters-magazine/news/coronavirus-and-your-health/coronavirus-vaccine-your-questions-answered

Dr3kidsmorewine · 10/02/2022 00:27

When my 9 year olds are invited for vaccination I’ll be taking them, and they have had covid twice.

The risks associated with covid infection are orders of magnitude greater than risks with the vaccine, and millions of kids aged 5-11 across many countries have had it with no problem. You don’t get long term effects with vaccines that aren’t evident early on because of the way the immune system works. Infection with covid on the other hand has left 2% of the UK population with long covid, and the potential for a number of autoimmune diseases later in life. I’m actually really annoyed that they haven’t offered the vaccine to 5-11s already.

StrawberrySquash · 10/02/2022 00:27

She may well have had it and suffered no harm; most kids wouldn't. Let's say her condition takes her from the very low risk of the average child to just a low risk. She'll still probably be fine each time she catches Covid. But just because she fine first time, doesn't mean she'll be fine second time. So I don't really buy your DP's argument. And other countries are vaccinating all kids her age.

Puddletown · 10/02/2022 00:44

Two weeks ago I would probably have been of your mindset. Most of the DC I knew had it very mildly if they had symptoms at all.
DS8 then caught it and ended up in hospital because he was so unwell. No underlying health conditions, perfectly fit and healthy, avoided it when the rest of the family had it last year so I assumed he had some level of immunity and had had it without us realising.
I will be getting him vaccinated as soon as it is offered to him because I never want to see him that sick again from something I could have vaccinated against.

Notmyfirstusername · 10/02/2022 00:59

My child has just had her first vaccine at 10. I’m CEV which made her eligible thank goodness. She has not had Covid as far as we are aware but has an underlying condition which means simple viruses tend to leave her very unwell and have since she was a baby.
There were no side effects, not even the sore arm experienced by her older sibling, just happiness that as Covid is currently running rampant throughout her school, that if she were to contract Covid she will have a reduced chance of passing it onto me or making herself sicker.

I do think that parents should be given the choice whether to vaccinate under 12’s in this country regardless of medical history, the same as with 12-18 year olds, even if the parents would be charged a fee as already occurs with the chicken pox jab,especially as children in other countries are being given it.

danishkids · 10/02/2022 01:35

I live in a country Where the vaccine has been availible for kids for months. All the way down to 5 year olds, last time i checked less than 50% of the parents choose to vaccination their children. (So less than 50% got the vaccine.) from what I have read, the vaccine would help the wider population (the vulnerable) the kids being vaccinated would help sick people, old people etc.

We chose not to vax our kids due to the chances of them getting sick
With corona are small- the same as the chances of them
Getting sick from the vaccine are small. However I have no idea of the long term affects and didn’t want to take the for my kids. I am btw vaccinated.

We all got corona not that long ago, the kids sailed through it. Although it can be very different from person to person.

Do your research and find a solution you are comfortable with. It’s a hard decision. I don’t know what I would do in your situation, none of mine have a heart problem.

wordler · 10/02/2022 01:41

I’m in the USA where they approved the vaccine for 5-11 year olds a while ago. We got DD done in a massive county vaccine Centre with hundred and hundreds of children all getting vaccinated on the same day. Lots of very little 5 year olds etc. here in our area about 60 percent of all over 5s are vaccinated - most of the kids I know had hardly any reactions at all compared with the adults.

I’d get her vaccinated if I were you.

Canuckduck · 10/02/2022 01:43

Many many children her age have had it in other countries with very few reports of harm. My children are 9 and 12 and have had 2 doses each. I did it protect them as much as possible. I know they are unlikely to become seriously ill but there is still a chance. I also worry about long covid and how awful that would be. In addition it’s important for me as we have regular contact with their grandparents and will be travelling this summer. In addition there are different rules we isolation length depending on vaccine status and I don’t want them to miss anymore school.

AdriannaP · 10/02/2022 01:45

I am desperate for my Dc to get vaccinated but we live in England.

In my home country children over 5 are being vaccinated. I know this is anecdotal evidence only but none of my friend’s and cousins children had any side effects apart from a sore arm. If I were you I’d go for the vaccine to protect your daughter and others.

CharlotteRose90 · 10/02/2022 02:02

It’s a hard one. I’ve fully vaccinated but my 7 year old niece has just been vaxxed in Europe and I don’t agree with it. She had nothing wrong with her but they’ve done it anyway. Obviously not my decision but kids wouldn’t be having it.