Babies & relatives that won’t get vaccinated

[Onthegrapevine]

DP and I have a 1 year old, both of us are fully vaccinated.

Each of us have adult siblings refusing the vaccine. Some more stubborn than others. We don’t talk about it with them, but it is really worrying me.

Since my 1 year old can’t have a vaccine, I feel it’s on the adults to keep him safe. I want to ban visits but that seems unreasonable and it would mean family members who cohabit with those refusing the vaccine also missing out on quality time.

Just looking to hear from others in similar situations.

I think that you are being OTT.

is this what we've become? another way to control people....they are doing nothing wrong by not having a vaccine

completely OTT

I also think you’re being OTT.

I have a 1 year old.
I’ve had one vaccine dose, DH has had both doses.

Our DC goes to nursery. We don’t know if the nursery staff are vaccinated, but even if they were, they can still catch and transmit Covid to our child.

Unless you’re planning on keeping your child away from everyone then you’re going to have to accept that he may come into contact with unvaccinated people!!

You are going to be shot down OP by some here....oh children don’t get that ill, people have the right to refuse the vaccine.,, bla bla
But if you want my brutal opinion, I would make it clear to them that I’m not happy but unvaccinated people around me.

Like I said, we don’t discuss it with them! It’s not a topic of conversation and I’d never guilt trip them into it. These are just my personal feelings, I can’t be alone in this either...

@Anamaz I think I’d feel more comfortable if he was older. I’ve read under 2 are still at risk of severe covid as they’ve not been exposed to much at all yet in terms of illness.

@Anamaz

I also think you’re being OTT.

I have a 1 year old.
I’ve had one vaccine dose, DH has had both doses.

Our DC goes to nursery. We don’t know if the nursery staff are vaccinated, but even if they were, they can still catch and transmit Covid to our child.

Unless you’re planning on keeping your child away from everyone then you’re going to have to accept that he may come into contact with unvaccinated people!!

This

@VaccineSticker

But if you want my brutal opinion, I would make it clear to them that I’m not happy but unvaccinated people around me.

You do realise that you’re more of a risk to an unvaccinated person than they are to you?
You can still transmit Covid if you’re vaccinated.

You could pass to someone unvaccinated and make them really ill. They could pass to you and you have your vaccine protection!

I hate that our society is becoming, people refusing to be around unvaccinated people.

Seriously. Ffs 🙄

Madness. By you.

People will start to lie soon just to get a break. If people ask me I’m honest - there isn’t enough safety data for any of them yet.

I couldn’t care less if people around me are vaccinated or not. This horrible, pervasive culture of fear has to stop.

But your child will socialise soon presumably with lots and lots of unvaccinated children? Either at a nursery or a childminder or just in the playground, at playgroups or rhyme times or whatever..?

Toddlers are messy and lick everything. Tbh I was always more concerned about the idea of my DC passing on anything to their GPS than the other way around.

Your child is incredibly low risk. Are you planning to keep them away from all other children - they’re unvaccinated too.

its ridiculous

do you know the vaccination status of a childminder/nursery staff/hospital staff or whoever else interacts with your child?

@woodfort sure, but he’ll be older by the time we put him in nursery.

I also know I can’t eliminate the risk completely but it’s about our family mitigating it, which I don’t feel they’re doing. Not to mention one of my siblings refusing the vaccine lives with my elderly father who is high risk (vaccinated, but still)

Bloody hell. I have a 1 year old too. I am just happy she can mix with family now. Couldn't give a hoot about vaccination status. Also me and DP had covid in march. She didn't catch it.

DH said this but I think it's ridiculous - unvaccinated people aren't suddenly more of a risk than they were 6 months ago? It's just that people who are vaccinated are less risky. In fact even the unvaccinated ones are probably less risky due to less covid around in general to be spread around between people.

We do not ask people to show proof of a recent whooping cough, measles, or flu vaccine, even though these things are also dangerous to a 1 year old (and they won't have had their own measles vaccine yet) and there is (or at least was) a measles epidemic in Europe.

We came to a compromise that we will meet people outside, but this isn't really a good solution because we're supposed to be going home at Christmas. I think I can probably get him to agree to tests before meeting, even though I'm not totally happy with this either, I think it is slightly more reasonable than "no vaccine no visit".

I have a 1yo and I just can’t imagine taking the stance that you are taking.

@RocheLobe are you genuinely not concerned about what effect covid could have on your child?

You keep taking about safety and risks and mitigation. What exactly do you think your 1 year old is at risk of? The virus doesn’t badly affect kids

@BertieBotts those things aren’t causing a pandemic at the moment though, which is the point. Much less likely to come in to contact with those than covid. As for flu, kids get the nasal spray from 2 onwards I believe?

I'm not sure what the answer is OP, but personally I don't think your concern is crazy.

@HermioneWeasley I know that’s what is being said but there’s also a lot of talk of covid triggering all sorts of problems in kids (diabetes etc) and kids are also suffering long covid.

As a FTM having seen how bad my child dealt with a common cold and how high his temp spiked with that, I can’t help but feel worried about what covid could do to him.

[quote Onthegrapevine]@RocheLobe are you genuinely not concerned about what effect covid could have on your child?[/quote]
What about the effect of your anxiety about unvaccinated people?

Whether I think this is rational or not depends on the case rate and trend in your area, and if they’re generally careful with the places they go and social distancing etc.

But regardless of rationality, if you feel you want to ban them then do it. If they come visit and it worries you and makes you tense while they’re there and for a week after then why put yourself through that when you don’t have to.

Either they feel bad because they don’t come, or you feel bad because they do. Someone will, no avoiding that, but why should it be you? Particularly when you presumably have enough to deal with in life at the moment with a 1 year old?

YABU and OTT. Unvaccinated people are not deadly biohazards, and like a PP said... unvaccinated people are at more risk from vaccinated than the other way around. As for your sibling declining the vaccine yet living with your high risk (and vaccinated) father.... what danger are they to him now all of a sudden? I assume they have been living together throughout the pandemic, both unvaccinated.
Just because vaccines are available does not mean people who have not had them are suddenly dangerous.