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Are your children’s vaccines up to date?

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Original poster

Anyone given their baby separate vaccines?

183 replies

CerealB0wl · 29/08/2023 13:29

As a baby in the mid 90s I was given 5 vaccines at 8 weeks, 12 weeks and 16 weeks. These were for diphtheria, pertussis, polio, tetanus and HIB. My newborn is due EIGHT at the same time! I'm not keen on this relatively new 6 in 1 vaccine. What happened to the 5 in 1 and why is hep b included for newborns? I'm also not keen on the side effects of the men b vaccine. I had a dangerous allergic reaction to a vaccine as a teen so I'm worried about this for my baby too.

Has anyone successfully asked for vaccines to be separated or decline certain jabs without declining all of them? I still want certain vaccines so I don't want to completely decline.

P. S. Please don't make this a pro vaccine/anti vaccine debate. I just want to hear others' experiences. Thank you.

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Are your children’s vaccines up to date?
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Caspianberg · 29/08/2023 13:33

Ds has had more separate as it’s standard where we live. I think there was one with a few combined, but otherwise they do them every 3-4 weeks the first year separately ( it does feel like you live at doctors though as any other check ups are also done on a separate day)

Wishiwasatailor · 29/08/2023 13:36

hep b wasn’t a standard vaccine for newborns until 2017 and is to reduce the risk of infection in later life

MotherOfCatBoy · 29/08/2023 13:37

Back in the day I was slightly worried about MMR but I still wanted Catboy to have all the vaccinations, just separately. We paid for that to happen.
Now I look back and I think I was overreacting/ had a bit of a case of PFB. Anyways, I don’t think that would be possible now as I believe they’re no longer manufactured and distributed in individual doses. Not sure if that might turn out to be an obstacle for you?
i think if I had the choice again I would just go for the combined, discuss the risks and side effects with the health professional, and keep a close eye afterwards.

MrsFinkelstein · 29/08/2023 13:39

Wishiwasatailor · 29/08/2023 13:36

hep b wasn’t a standard vaccine for newborns until 2017 and is to reduce the risk of infection in later life

Edited

It has been since 2017.

You can ask for more spaces between vaccines but then it's more visits to the Dr's and more injections.

greenacrylicpaint · 29/08/2023 13:42

the 6in1 is not 'relatively new'
it's well established and as safe as it can be.
obviously side effects can still occur.

single vaccines are not available for all diseases.

in the end, it's up to you. but the childhood vaccinations are given for a reason and benefit the children directly and those who cannot be vaccinated for whatever reason indirectly by providing herd immunity.

YouAndMeAndThem · 29/08/2023 13:47

Side effects will not be lessened by separating out the vaccines. Side effects are not because vaccines are unsafe, it's because your body reacts in a certain way, causing side effects. Which part of the side effects of men b are you concerned about?

Why would you subject your child to 8 different vaccination appointments, 8 separate injections, 8 different times a side effect could occur and cause illness??

CurlewKate · 29/08/2023 13:54

No. Because I was not advised to by a medical professional for some reason specific to my child and I am not a loon.

Original poster
CerealB0wl · 29/08/2023 14:57

@Caspianberg interesting. Which ones did he have separately and which were combined?

@greenacrylicpaint the 6 in 1 vaccine is barely 6 years old (August 2017 and it's August now) so yes I'd say that's relatively new. The Vaxelis 6 in 1 only started last year! The 5 in 1 and the previous 4 in 1 are more established. I don't see why a newborn needs to be vaccinated against hep b. I'd understand more if it was aimed at teens. I'd rather her have the 5 in 1 or separate ones.

@MotherOfCatBoy I had the combined MMR but I did read that many parents paid for them to be done separately.

Again, I'm not against vaccines. I just don't want dd to have so many in one go.

OP posts:
Caspianberg · 29/08/2023 15:22

@CerealB0wl - sorry I can’t remember. But I think it was the 5-1 actually, but that they don’t give it all in one dose, but over 3 doses. So it is a multi vaccine, but 1/3 doses at a time.

elm26 · 29/08/2023 15:32

Trust me, seeing them scream having 2 needles at a time is bad enough. I can't imagine going lots of separate times.

DD screamed so loud for each jab, she's had her 8 week and 12 week ones and due her last lot in a couple of weeks and I'm already dreading the screams and the little fever/sadness/grogginess after.

I can't wait to get the 16 week ones over with and not have to worry for a while.

Kerrygarryevaamelia21 · 29/08/2023 15:36

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stclair · 29/08/2023 15:36

Infanrix hexa is the one most likely to be given in the UK and it has been licenced in Europe since 2000. It isn’t a new vaccine.

MiddleParking · 29/08/2023 15:38

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Ah well, if you “done lots of research”…

Kerrygarryevaamelia21 · 29/08/2023 15:44

CerealB0wl · 29/08/2023 14:57

@Caspianberg interesting. Which ones did he have separately and which were combined?

@greenacrylicpaint the 6 in 1 vaccine is barely 6 years old (August 2017 and it's August now) so yes I'd say that's relatively new. The Vaxelis 6 in 1 only started last year! The 5 in 1 and the previous 4 in 1 are more established. I don't see why a newborn needs to be vaccinated against hep b. I'd understand more if it was aimed at teens. I'd rather her have the 5 in 1 or separate ones.

@MotherOfCatBoy I had the combined MMR but I did read that many parents paid for them to be done separately.

Again, I'm not against vaccines. I just don't want dd to have so many in one go.

Yes I did do research no matter how you look at the the unknown variables in later life made us decide to go this way and she has never even as much as had a cold

DiaNaranja · 29/08/2023 15:44

I was advised to with my second, as she was under paediatrics at the time they were due, she was being assessed for allergies, and other suspected medical conditions, and I can't actually remember why (or if I was ever told why), but her consultant wrote a letter to give to the GP stating that her vaccines needed to be spread out. She's actually fine, no medical issues whatsoever, was just an extremely sicky, failure to thrive baby, but now a fearless, yet tiny, 6 year old.

stclair · 29/08/2023 15:47

What did your research uncover?

mycoffeecup · 29/08/2023 15:49

A child comes into contact wth vastly more challenge to their immune system on a normal day! No reason to and some not available singly

mycoffeecup · 29/08/2023 15:50

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Do share your 'research' ......

mycoffeecup · 29/08/2023 15:51

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And I'm fascinated to know what medicine we now have to treat measles, polio etc

Kerrygarryevaamelia21 · 29/08/2023 15:54

mycoffeecup · 29/08/2023 15:49

A child comes into contact wth vastly more challenge to their immune system on a normal day! No reason to and some not available singly

It's an emotive topic. There was something like 30 cases of polio worldwide last year that's hardly likely to have me rushing to inject my baby
And for the research if you look into it you would be surprised

NameChangeEmbarressed · 29/08/2023 15:55

My understanding is the HepB element is done as a baby as you are more likely to become immune to it the earlier you are exposed. I'm having to have a course in my late 30s for work purposes and the chances of them not working and you not being immune increases as you get older

Babdoc · 29/08/2023 15:55

Infanrix hexa has been given 150 million times across 97 countries since being approved for clinical use. If there were serious concerns about it, they would have shown up by now. And yes, I’d love to know what “research” a PP has done!

Twizbe · 29/08/2023 15:57

@CerealB0wl given your reaction in your teens. I’d talk to your doctor about it. Reactions are rare and not usually genetic but they might advise something else given that medical history.

For me, the fewer the needles the better. Get it over and done with.

As for the age. It takes years for vaccinations to be developed. While the 6in1 might only have been out for 6 years, the development would have been going on for ages. The technology behind the covid jabs had been in development for a decade before covid hit.

Whatever you decide please get them done. My uncle can’t use his arm thanks to polio. My aunt has hearing loss from measles, my husband lots a testicle to mumps and my ex’s baby sister died of meningitis aged 2.