Active discussions

Meet the Other Phone. Flexible and made to last.

Meet the Other Phone.
Flexible and made to last.

Buy now

Please or to access all these features

Talk
AIBU?

Share your dilemmas and get honest opinions from other Mumsnetters.

Original poster

Covid jab 6 year old

52 replies

Dunnoburt · 04/04/2022 18:29

Argh! I'm so torn with this!..... Ever since day 1 I've taken Covid EXTREMELY seriously..... I'm fully jabbed etc..... But I've now had a text to say my 6 year old (year 1) daughter is eligible for the jab.....I'm all go for myself, I know the risks etc..... She however doesn't have (or understand) a say .... Am i right in thinking that the jab does not prevent the carriage or spread but reduces the severity of the virus?..... What would you do? I'm seriously torn (it doesnt help I have connections to one of the first people who died because of the vaccine (vulnerable but not old)..... IABU get the jab YANBU dont get the jab

OP posts:
Original poster
Dunnoburt · 04/04/2022 18:44

I'm erring towards no.... Does that make me super selfish? Ive no idea on the long term effects of the vaccine.... Eg. Fertility

OP posts:
chelle0 · 04/04/2022 18:47

I absolutely wouldn't get my daughter vaccinated. I was so poorly when I had the booster, I wouldn't want her to go through that, I'd rather risk her having covid.

CatsArePeople · 04/04/2022 18:47

Just no

Lancrelady80 · 04/04/2022 18:50

We've not had the invitation yet, but pondering the same decision. Happy to have it ourselves, but not sure about the DC. As you say, it's the unknown of long term side effects. One has had it v mildly (brought it home from school and floored me with it!) but dd managed to avoid it. Like you, leaning towards not. But equally, haven't actually looked too far into evidence surrounding the effects on children so could be easily swayed.

Original poster
Dunnoburt · 04/04/2022 18:50

We've both had covid and i can honestly say that i dont think i would have survived without the jab, small person however was ill for a couple of days but bounded back like they do (that's also influenced me)! Quite glad I'm not alone in thinking not to!

OP posts:
antipodeansun · 04/04/2022 18:53

Here in NZ nearly all the children that I know between 5 and 12 are double vaccinated (including my 2), as we were able to do it from mid January. Not one had any significant side effect - mild arm pain and slightly fatigue maybe.

Yes it doesn't help with spread, but it does reduce severity and long term symptoms.
I see absolutely no issues and no difference from other vaccines.

Star81 · 04/04/2022 18:53

I’ve just had my 7 and 11 year old vaccinated. My 12 year old has previously had both so I was fine to get my younger 2 done.

Original poster
Dunnoburt · 04/04/2022 18:54

I could be swayed too! It's just getting the text has been a bit of a head fuck! I certainly won't be doing it lightly! Confused

OP posts:
Chely · 04/04/2022 18:54

Unnecessary imo

All 6 of ours have had covid and coped well with it.

PinkiOcelot · 04/04/2022 18:55

I would not be getting my child vaccinated at that age.

Foody8410 · 04/04/2022 18:55

We won't be getting ours vaccinated based on the following :
They have both had covid already and dealt with it very well. I hope they will now have antibodies.
When myself and their dad had the first 2 astra zeneca vaccines I have never felt so ill in all my life. Then had the Moderna booster and again felt awful and had terrible lymph node pain under my arm.
I do not want my children to go through that

Original poster
Dunnoburt · 04/04/2022 18:56

Thanks for all your replies so far, all adding towards "for and against" for me ! Xx

OP posts:
antipodeansun · 04/04/2022 18:57

And btw, I don't understand the worry about the long term effects of the vaccine, which are not known, but not about the long term effects of the covid in terms of increase of cardiovascular and other disease risk. These are known for adults (nature study using us veterans database) even where covid was mild. Why assume that the children are excluded?

TheSnowyOwl · 04/04/2022 18:59

Be aware that many countries are likely to expect children to be vaccinated before they are allowed to enter in the future, so that may influence your decision.

AppleKatie · 04/04/2022 19:00

My 7 year old will be vaccinated this week. He wants to be.

He had asymptomatic covid in October.

I don’t think the long term effects are likely to be …anything,

And it doesn’t STOP the spread but it certainly REDUCES it and that is something better than nothing.

I wouldn’t force him if he didn’t want it but he really does so I’m happy with that.

MrsPaperclip · 04/04/2022 19:03

My children have had every vaccination recommended since birth and certainly didn't consent to anything - that was my job. I don't see the covid vaccination as being any different tbh.

Original poster
Dunnoburt · 04/04/2022 19:12

Mine has had every vaccination too.... But they were all relatively "tried and tested"......that's what's making me torn! This one is a newbie in the grand scheme of things...

OP posts:
MajorCarolDanvers · 04/04/2022 19:13

My 9 year old had it a few weeks ago.

No issues. No side affects.

ZuluWarrior · 04/04/2022 19:15

My 8 and 10 year olds had theirs this weekend. Their older sibling is double vaccinated already. We get our kids vaccinated for many other diseases without a second though. How else are we going to get out of the current mess?

Puzzledandpissedoff · 04/04/2022 19:18

Well balanced article from the New York Times which might help with your decision, OP:

www.nytimes.com/2022/02/28/health/pfizer-vaccine-kids.html

elliejjtiny · 04/04/2022 19:18

My vulnerable 7 and 8 year olds and my not vulnerable but asthmatic 11 year old will be having it as soon as we get the call.

Mojoj · 04/04/2022 19:20

Kids don't need vaccinated

Bigtom · 04/04/2022 19:23

@TheSnowyOwl

Be aware that many countries are likely to expect children to be vaccinated before they are allowed to enter in the future, so that may influence your decision.
More and more countries are dropping these requirements. I personally wouldn’t base a medical decision on whether it allows me to go on holiday.
Tohaveandtohold · 04/04/2022 19:26

My 8 year old has had covid twice and for the first one, she was coughing for two days, just similar to a cough and the second one was recent and she had no symptoms, we only knew as we were told to test daily before coming to school as her partner had it.
I’ve had my 3 jabs but I definitely won’t be giving it to my child as I’ve known first hand she wasn’t negatively affected by Covid.
If she hasn’t had the virus, I might have considered it.

FortniteBoysMum · 04/04/2022 19:33

It really comes down to personal choice. My mother has a bad reaction to the Pfizer booster. She went blind for 10 minutes and they think she suffered a mini stroke. This was just days before my eldest(15) was due his first. He chose to have the jab which I was reluctant to allow. Having seen him have no reaction at all other than a sore arm I decided to allow ds2 his vaccine. He is 11 but has ASD heart defect, eating disorder the works. We were one of the first to get it in this age range which was concerning however he had no reaction. I told myself if he was going to have the jab it was better before he turns 12 this month. Under 12 is a third of the adult dose 12 is the full dose. He gets his second the day after his 12th birthday next week. Luckily they confirmed it would still be the lower dose as he started that course. He did not feel the jab and he was absolutely fine after it. May have slept a little longer that night but that could be his anemia anyway as makes him tired easily.