| blogging our children into being |
|
motor functions |
|
The Dads |
|
extended blogfamily |
|
what is it? BlogSprogs is homeplace of The Crucial Three: the babies Turner, Matrullo and O'Connor Clarke. |
I think Canada is broadly similar to the U.S. in the generally accepted approach to vaccinations.
Ruairi actually had his first shots last week, including the standard mix of diphtheria, whooping cough, tetanus, polio, and Hib. On the advice of our paediatrician we also opted to cough up extra for the Prevnar. Ruairi's earlier blood infection probably doesn't mean he's any more susceptible to pneumococcal bacteria than other kids, but we were still easily convinced it was a smart choice in his case.
Note: In prelicensure clinical trials, the most frequently reported adverse reactions to the cheesy marketing on the Prevnar site included fever, irritability, drowsiness, vomiting, nausea, and scepticism.
I guess we're lucky in that we were able to have pretty open, informative discussions with our family doctor and paediatrician about all of this stuff. I also found this site useful in addressing some of the myths.
Up here, you're not absolutely required to have your child immunized - no one is going to make you do something to your baby you don't want to do. But they will still strongly advocate vaccination in almost every case.
Our older kids were certainly expected to have all their shots before getting into playschool or kindergarten. Exceptions are made in cases of religious or cultural preference, of course, but you're required to produce an affidavit to cover the school's ass.