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Original poster

Would you have your 5 year old vaccinated?

173 replies

venusmay · 23/12/2021 07:49

We've had the jabs as adults buy wondering how people feel about having their young dcs vaccinated?

My dcs had Covid with very mild symptoms and none of us triple jabbed adults caught it.

OP posts:
Policyschmolicy · 23/12/2021 16:37

DH and I are both double jabbed and boosted, and yet I am uneasy about a new/experimental vaccine on my 5yo (he has just had covid though so will have some natural immunity). My main objection is that the reason we need to vaccinate the kids is to protect a selfish portion of the adult population who are refusing to protect themselves. That group are overwhelmingly represented in the current hospital admissions and we need to protect them to protect the NHS. We are not vaccinating children for their own protection unfortunately.

oftenbaffled · 23/12/2021 16:41

@Barbie222

But the “positive” is for the wider society rather than specific to the child.

oftenbaffled · 23/12/2021 16:53

If I was a teacher of primary… then yes I no doubt would be rooting for it!

But I’m not. And consequently, my children simply will not have it unless I start learning from the government that a new variant is much more serious for serious

But seeing as my two had it… and it passed as sniffles for a day, the. No bloody way

Barbie222 · 23/12/2021 16:58

No, that post was specifically in relation to the cost / benefit to children between 5-11 - that's the job of the MHRA. It's the job of the JVCI to decide whether the benefit to society outweighs the costs to society. That's why they won't put through a program for all 5 - 11 year olds, they've deemed there are better things to use their resources on just now. But the safety data is robust in the way that it's robust for teens, or adults - there are more health risks associated with catching Covid than there are associated with having a vax.

motheroflions · 23/12/2021 16:59

[quote PAFMO]@motheroflions

Yes, it's common knowledge.
What's the relevance to the Covid vaccine?[/quote]
can't be arsed explaining to some one that's pretending not not to see.

oftenbaffled · 23/12/2021 17:00

Given mine have had it, and it comprised 8 hours of sniffles and cuddles

I am willing to run that gauntlet!

oftenbaffled · 23/12/2021 17:02

In fact
Personally I have fond memories of the day when they “suffered” with COVID

My son is never ill.

And it was so lovely to have him a bit weak and willing, and happy for me to baby him for once!

Cherryblossoms85 · 23/12/2021 17:02

I don't want to. I don't see the ethical value of taking a risk (never mind how small) with my children's health merely to theoretically protect adult strangers, even though they can all be jabbed.
And yes, I know vulnerable people who are jabbed are still at risk, but many of them would also be at risk from rhinovirus, so it increasingly seems like a non-argument.
We'll probably be forced to do it at some point if we want to travel though, so I'm trying not to think about it.

Barbie222 · 23/12/2021 17:05

But there are very different memories around the country, aren't there @oftenbaffled? I don't suppose my niece and sister have such fond memories, as it was three months before my niece could manage a full day in school, and she's still clinically underweight now nine months in and not the person she was before. She's year 11 and won't get a second chance at this.

oftenbaffled · 23/12/2021 17:10

@Barbie222

But there are very different memories around the country, aren't there *@oftenbaffled*? I don't suppose my niece and sister have such fond memories, as it was three months before my niece could manage a full day in school, and she's still clinically underweight now nine months in and not the person she was before. She's year 11 and won't get a second chance at this.
What is your point?

I base my decisions re my children on what I think is best for MY children. Not the experiences of others

oftenbaffled · 23/12/2021 17:13

So if I was the mother of your niece
I would say her decision (given 16)
But I would be encouraging her to!

So I really fail to see the relevance to my much younger aged children
Who had it
And really..if it hadn’t have been Covid, they would have undoubtedly been able to go to school for the one day they had the sniffles!

Barbie222 · 23/12/2021 17:23

What is your point?

I base my decisions re my children on what I think is best for MY children. Not the experiences of others

My point in posting here in the first place was to show that the risks of vaccine are less than the risks of infection.

I get why you enjoyed your kids time off with Covid but that comment was massively insensitive in the light of many, many parents experiences with Covid and demonstrated your lack of experience and awareness of what can go wrong.

Squiblet · 23/12/2021 17:27

I'd do it. Not so much for her sake - she's had it asymptomatically - but so there's no risk of her infecting anyone else, including vulnerable parents of friends, grandparents, etc.

Squiblet · 23/12/2021 17:27

@Squiblet

I'd do it. Not so much for her sake - she's had it asymptomatically - but so there's no risk of her infecting anyone else, including vulnerable parents of friends, grandparents, etc.
... at least, not NO risk, but much LESS risk
maddy68 · 23/12/2021 17:28

Yes. 5 yr olds have been vaccinated in Europe already It's safe

oftenbaffled · 23/12/2021 17:28

My children and I went for a wonderful road trip last weekend out in to the country. It was a highlight for me for last couple of years.

Was the “massively insensitive” to all the parents that have lost children in car accidents?

LethargicActress · 23/12/2021 17:53

I get why you enjoyed your kids time off with Covid but that comment was massively insensitive in the light of many, many parents experiences with Covid and demonstrated your lack of experience and awareness of what can go wrong.

So the experiences of the many, many parents that have seen their children be absolutely fine with covid should just be dismissed and forgotten about?

No, in a thread about giving children a new vaccine, it is valid to acknowledge that for the vast majority of children, covid is an extremely mild, if noticeable, illness.

Barbie222 · 23/12/2021 18:04

No one is dismissing the opinions and experiences of parents whose children have a mild case.

But saying we should not listen to those who have experience of a worse outcome into consideration is minimising another set of experiences which are just as valid.

They may well be uncomfortable thoughts, but they can't be airbrushed away by saying 'well my kids were fine'. Good for them. Some weren't, and what's happened to many of these children was entirely preventable. Look how long it took for the mindset to shift about whether children caught and passed on the virus at all, or whether 12-17s should be offered a dose. There was a lot of minimisation and denial at every stage, and it's frustrating.

And it isn't up to @oftenbaffled or @LethargicActress to decide whether or not I get to feel pissed off about a comment, to be frank.

oftenbaffled · 23/12/2021 18:28

@Barbie222

No one is dismissing the opinions and experiences of parents whose children have a mild case.

But saying we should not listen to those who have experience of a worse outcome into consideration is minimising another set of experiences which are just as valid.

They may well be uncomfortable thoughts, but they can't be airbrushed away by saying 'well my kids were fine'. Good for them. Some weren't, and what's happened to many of these children was entirely preventable. Look how long it took for the mindset to shift about whether children caught and passed on the virus at all, or whether 12-17s should be offered a dose. There was a lot of minimisation and denial at every stage, and it's frustrating.

And it isn't up to @oftenbaffled or @LethargicActress to decide whether or not I get to feel pissed off about a comment, to be frank.

Who said we shouldn’t listen?

No one

I simply said that the way other kids experienced Covid is irrelevant to my decision re MY children

PAFMO · 23/12/2021 19:55

@Barbie222

What is your point?

I base my decisions re my children on what I think is best for MY children. Not the experiences of others

My point in posting here in the first place was to show that the risks of vaccine are less than the risks of infection.

I get why you enjoyed your kids time off with Covid but that comment was massively insensitive in the light of many, many parents experiences with Covid and demonstrated your lack of experience and awareness of what can go wrong.

Well said. It's fucking offensive quite frankly. And extremely weird to like it when your child has a contagious disease.
Nap1983 · 23/12/2021 19:57

No. I have been vaccinated so has my husband. Only way I would is if it stopped transmission.

oftenbaffled · 23/12/2021 20:01

But what if MY children’s reality of that “contagious” disease
Was the sniffles
And snuggled up on the sofa for the day with mum watching TV

(Followed by 6 rather dull days of home school!)

Should I force myself not to have fond memories of that day, when I can’t recall last time my almost 12 year old allowed me to snuggle up to him under a blanket under the sofa? Just because for others it was different?

oftenbaffled · 23/12/2021 20:01

Under the sofa?? Bloody hell, that really would be “weird”!

frogswimming · 23/12/2021 20:01

Yes I would for the benefit of those who can't have the vaccine

TheVolturi · 23/12/2021 20:05

No I don't think so. We've all had covid. The kids were not really that unwell. So why vaccinate them? We don't vaccinate against anything else that they've got natural immunity to.