Childhood vaccines have been under speculation by some parenting groups for years. In more recent years, many fingers have been pointed at vaccines as the cause or instigating factor in the high numbers of autism cases identified each year. Parents are becoming concerned about vaccines and the health of their child, but waiting or choosing not to vaccinate may be just as dangerous.

The Vaccination Schedule

The many vaccines required for children today are scheduled to be administered beginning at birth and routinely at almost every doctor’s appointment for the remainder of childhood. The sheer number of vaccines is baffling to many parents who remember only a handful from their own childhood.

Pediatricians will inform you of when your child is due for each vaccine, and will give you information about the shot and common side effects. Parents may elect to skip or delay vaccines, but schools and daycares will require a completed shot record with enrollment or a qualified waiver.

Concerns about Vaccines

In the past, many vaccines were made using live strands of the disease the shot was designed to prevent. In some cases, the vaccinated child actually developed the disease or experienced severe, sometimes life threatening side effects. Over time, live viruses were removed from vaccinations, and today all vaccines are available without live cultures – but be sure to check with your doctor that your child is receiving the safer version.

Many strongly believe that autism is caused or brought forth more prominently by the MMR (Measles, Mumps, and Rubella) vaccine. For many years mercury was used as a component of the shot, and mercury was believed to have harmful effects in children. Today, mercury has been removed from the vaccine, but many parents still delay the vaccine.

Delaying Vaccines

There is a middle path between getting all vaccines on time, even if you’re not sure your child is ready, and skipping them all together. Most of your child’s first doctor’s appointments will include four or five shots. Rather than getting all the vaccines so early, you can delay them over a few years giving your child’s immune system time to develop more properly should he have an adverse reaction to the immunization.

The MMR is often delayed. The correct time frame for the MMR is between twelve and twenty-four months. Most doctors give it at one year, but you may simply be more comfortable waiting until your child is two. Vaccines are important to prevent the spread of highly contagious diseases, but there is no rule that you have to immunize your child on someone else’s schedule.

When your child gets sick, often you can’t ease their discomfort until you know what you are facing. During the colder months of the year, your child can come down with any number of bugs and viruses, but the worst bug of all is the flu. Unfortunately, even cold symptoms in children can be pronounced, so it can be challenging to determine if your child is suffering from a common cold or if she does in fact have the flu.

Cold Symptoms

In children the most common symptoms of a cold are a runny nose, cough, and irritability. Of course, these can also be signs of teething, so the best way to check for a cold is to determine the color of the nasal discharge. Green or yellow mucus is indicative of a cold, but clear discharge is likely allergies or teething related. Other cold symptoms include:

There is no cure for colds, and young children should not be given any cold medicines as they have been shown to be dangerous. Instead treat the symptoms as best you can with a little extra love and attention. Push fluids and food, and elevate the crib mattress and encourage older children to sleep with their head on the pillow to help drain fluids away from the nose and ears.

Flu Symptoms

The flu is a much more intense disease that might be prevented by getting a flu vaccine each year. Children six months and up are encouraged to get a flu vaccine annually. If your child has the flu, the first symptoms might appear similar to a cold, but symptoms will quickly become more severe. Symptoms of the flu include:

• High fever lasting 3-4 days
• Severe headache
• Severe body aches and pains
• Lingering fatigue and weakness
• Extreme exhaustion
• Chest discomfort and cough
• Occasional stuffy nose, sore throat and sneezing

The flu can be shortened considerably by administering antiviral drugs within twenty-four to forty-eight hours of the start of the disease, but you’ll need to discuss this with your pediatrician. The flu must be monitored carefully as it can develop into other more serious conditions such as pneumonia and bronchitis.