Have you gotten your children required vaccinations?

I did the chickenpox party thing too. Now my kids are immune for life and don't have to worry about getting chickenpox as adults, which can be serious. I will continue to seek out chickenpox parties every 5 years or so, to get the natural immunity booster, for myself and my children (and bring a lollipop home to my husband). That way, we'll be protected from shingles.

To TNEmily: The number of shingles cases has increased A LOT in the United States since 1995, when the vaccine was licensed here. There needs to be naturally circulating chickenpox in the community for people to get their immunity boosters. If that doesn't happen, people get shingles. (The shingles vaccine is just a very high dose chickenpox vaccine). Also, shingles used to be an old person's disease. Now, young adults and even children are getting it. It's very sad. The chickenpox vaccine introduces the virus into the body, so vaccinated people can and do get shingles. Chickenpox vaccination is NOT protection against shingles.

No, many of the immunizations have ingredients which my kids are allergic. Many of the serious complications due to the childhood illnesses are created and compounded through the need for daycare, because I am a stay-at-home mom...I don't have this risk. These complications are also far less serious as we now have antibiotics to fight secondary infections.

I believe it is necessary to make an informed decision. While others disagree, I find it alarming that children with Celiac that have received immunizations in the combined form are found to develop several different forms/degrees disabilities.

My pediatrician at the time would NOT administer the chicken pox vaccine because there was no proof that it would give life-long immunity as the actual virus does. he only recommended if the children did not contract the disease prior to puberty.

Do your own research. "What Your Doctor May Not Tell You About Children's Vaccinations" I read this book and decided not to give my child any live virus vaccines, however I recently learned that my child is neutrapenic which means he can be deathly ill of a simple chicken pox. Good luck. It's a tough decision so make sure you make an educated decision.

I had chicken pox as a child - both my kids have the chicken pox vax, and I vax on schedule. Now my kids have the immunity without going through the disease - I have no issue with that. My MIL just came over for Thanksgiving with shingles - which my aunt has also had several times - a painful complication from childhood chicken pox.

If my kids were not vaxed, she could not have come over for Thanksgiving. AND, if she hadn't had chicken pox as a child - she wouldn't have shingles.

I'm a "Mature" mom, I am 47 and have 6 kids ranging in ages from 31 to 6. I believe in the value of immunizations.

My grown kids vaccinate their children too, because it's the right thing to do. It helps prevent the USA from becoming another weakened country, especially with so many immigrants from countries that don't vaccinate.

The only shots my 4 children got were for meningitis. The rest don't make any sense to me, and some are downright scary! Have you ever researched what is in those?!! I exposed my kids to chicken pox, but they haven't gotten it, so we'll try again.

An example of a big mistake- I found out my son was very allergic to eggs when he was 5 months old. He went into shock! Can you imagine what would have happened to him if he had a flu shot at 8 weeks like the Doctor suggested? Eggs is an ingredient! He could have gone to sleep and never woke up, and it would have been blamed on "crib death" or something.

I have many friends who choose to delay vaccinations, and space them out. When my children reach 12, they will receive tetanus.

I was not vaccinated, but got a titer and was clear for college.

I made sure my children both got all their required immunizations on schedule. We didn't have any close friends whose children came down with the chicken pox before my kids got their shots, but if we had, I probably would have exposed them to it.

Deliberately exposing your children to chicken pox is stupid. Lots of kids have complications with chicken pox...That is why there is a VACCINE...To prevent unnecessary suffering. The immunity does not "wear off" if you have a vaccine & receive the recommended boosters. I think immunizations are very important. No reason to get a disease that could be prevented.

I get all my children vaccines on time. I feel that they are important even if we do not see some of the diseases today. Some parents feel that their child does not need vaccines because you dont see much of the dieseases anymore. However, once people start it will start to spread again. It is important to vaccinate a child until a disease/virus is elimanated. I actually did a 10 min speech on this in one of my classes. I feel very strongly about it.

My children are vaccinated. I love when people do not vaccinate because they "heard" of someone's cousin's friend's next door neighbor's child getting sick. Millions of children are vaccinated EVERY day in America, yet that isn't reported in the media the way it is when a child gets sick. Of the few, (very few) that actually do get sick, millions and millions of others received the same shot and are fine. Vaccines save lives.