Will you be vaxxing your 5 year old kids?

[WoolyMammoth55]

I'm pro vaccine, have had 3 myself, DH has had 2 and has booked his booster. Our kids are vaccinated according to the normal schedule.

However we have a 4yo and something about the thought of vaccinating him for Covid once he turns 5 feels really wrong to me.

I haven't really got much to go on, although this article about teens and vaccine side-effects is part of it:
www.theguardian.com/world/2021/sep/10/boys-more-at-risk-from-pfizer-jab-side-effect-than-covid-suggests-study

Basically I just feel like we know some people react badly to the jab, it's not a perfect medicine because it was developed and rolled out under huge pressure. We know kids are at minimal risk of Covid and so it's not for their benefit they'd get jabbed, it'd be to stop them infecting grandparents... To me it feels like the wrong risk-to-benefit ratio for our children.

And I'm fully aware that if we don't get them jabbed, we'll be vax-passport-ed into a second-class existence! This is already happening to my DSis who lives abroad in a vaccine passport country and despite her and her DH being jabbed, they are under house arrest because their 2 kids - who can't be jabbed yet - aren't allowed to go anywhere!

Talk me out of this feeling of dread, anyone...?

No I won't. I've had both vaccines myself and so has my DH, and we will both get boosters as soon as we're eligible. But we've both agreed we won't give permission for our 5 year old DD to have the vaccine.

I actually very nearly added the same ones who get it,I'm pretty sure would have also paid for chicken pox vaccine!

Interesting - we paid for the chicken pox vaccine for DD2 (didn't know about it for DD1) but would refuse the covid vaccine for our 5 year old.

Yes, I will vax my 10, 7 and 5 year olds as soon as I can.

Absolutely not.

For those who are happy to do it for public health and to protect others, I'm happy for your kids to go first.

Absolutely not

Yes. Never forgive myself if he ended up with health issues due to Covid/long covid. And I don't want him to miss out on travel/holidays

@Rocaille - sadly it isn't currently available for clinically vulnerable children - I would have my 8 year old vaccinated in a heartbeat if it was.

Yes, in a heartbeat. Although DD has only just turned 4 so I suppose it's a way off even if it gets approved for over 5s. I have American friends and there have been no issues with vaccinating children, just as we saw when the US were ahead of the game vaccinating pregnant women. I'm fed up with all these people who think they know better than medical professionals

yes

Why is the covid vaccine being compared to other childhood vaccines. This is an mrna vaccine which scientists say they have been studying for decades but this is still the first time this type of vaccine has been used on humans.

With some reluctance, but yes.

Not because my child has anything to fear from covid, but because it's clear that our government (ROI) are perfectly willing to make life tough for the unvaxxed and that definitely includes children.

The 'guidance' on limiting children's interaction right now, while the adults that they're supposed to be protecting can go to pubs and mingle in their thousands at sports fixtures, is somewhat sickening. Vaccines for the under 12s will make this unjustifiable.

So yes, but for reasons that make me a bit uncomfortable.

I am surprised that people reply "in a heartbeat" to accepting a vaccine for a virus that doesn't actually make children in this age category ill. The stats are so small for healthy children with no underlying conditions, what exactly do you think you are protecting your children from? If there was any risk to children this vaccine would have already been rolled out to them. The benefits aren't in any way related to the health of the individual child you'd be vaccinating, like others have said it's effectively vaccinating children to protect adults. Vaccines should instead be sent to other countries where they don't have enough to vaccinate their adult population or more restrictions put into place for adults here who refuse the vaccine, to increase uptake.

Interesting paper here: pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/34849657/
Healthy children are at effectively zero risk of serious illness or death from this virus.
Vaccinating them is utter lunacy (in my personal opinion).

I look forward to the day I can get my 9 year old DS vaccinated.

We are vaxxing 5 -11 yr Olds now. My youngest 2 got their shots on Monday.

I'm in US and my DCs 11 and 8 have been double vaxxed. Anecdotal, but no side effects reported that I've heard of within my community. But what had been palpable though, is the collective sense of relief that we're moving towards normal. Parents are happier! I'm not especially worried about my kids getting Covid, but the disruption of their lives needs to stop ASAP. The fastest road to normal is via vaccination

@marthawashington

I'm in US and my DCs 11 and 8 have been double vaxxed. Anecdotal, but no side effects reported that I've heard of within my community. But what had been palpable though, is the collective sense of relief that we're moving towards normal. Parents are happier! I'm not especially worried about my kids getting Covid, but the disruption of their lives needs to stop ASAP. The fastest road to normal is via vaccination

A million times this!

Healthy children are at effectively zero risk of serious illness or death from this virus. Vaccinating them is utter lunacy (in my personal opinion).

Agree. In particular, anyone who puts their healthy teenage son forward for a vaccination at this stage needs their head examined.

That paper you linked is scary stuff.

Yes, I'd vaccinate, because the disruption caused by it all is disproportionately affecting children. I think having most of the population vaccinated would mean less replication of the virus, therefore less chance of variants which disrupt life for children. So I'd agree with vaccinating the majority of children. That would make life more normal for all children, including those who couldn't be vaccinated.

The stats are so small for healthy children with no underlying conditions, what exactly do you think you are protecting your children from?

The new normal. Making this kind of life go away for them.

Making this kind of life go away for them.

I agree the 'new normal' has been a disaster for kids. However, vaccination will not make it go away. While the vaccines have some utility in protecting the elderly & vulnerable from severe disease, they won't prevent the virus circulating in schools. Teacher unions are currently calling for a return to mask-wearing and other restrictions in secondary schools, notwithstanding the recent roll-out of the vaccine to teens.

I'm sorry to sound so negative, but it won't make a difference: our kids lives will continue to be disrupted. Look at the broader national picture: to date, 89% of the UK population has been vaccinated, and yet cases are surging and restrictions are being reintroduced.

Not at all. I won't pump my kids with that nonsense.

I want my 11 year old to have it. I would much rather that he have the child dosage at 11 than the full adult dose at 12.

I think it's worth noting that we don't k ow if these vaccines will have any long term affect on fertility. I would rather not take the risk until long term safety data is in. 0 children die from covid.