Alternative Vaccine Schedule

Let me first say, I am not against vaccinations, I just feel there is a better way of administering them to our children. I started looking into an alternative schedule when Claire was a little over 4 months old. I know how important vaccines are, the risk of  side effects the shot may give, out weighs the risk of what can happen if she didn't get the vaccine and got one of the diseases the vaccine protects against! Plus, I plan on sending Claire to school starting at 3 years old. To do that, she must be up to date on all childhood vaccinations.

I found Dr. Sear's Alternative Vaccine Schedule to be the best for what I was looking for. (There are other alternative vaccine schedules out there) Dr. Sear is NOT against vaccinating but he feels there is a safer way of doing it. He gives examples of shots that are not necessary at "this" age but can be given at "this" age for the same result. One example is for the MMR. The MMR is the main vaccine that is thought to be linked to Autism. Dr. Sear recommends (if you can) to get the MMR split up. Mumps at 12 months, Rubella at 2 years, and Measles at 3 years. I have looked up the "splitting up" of the MMR vaccine and it seems to me, that today it is almost impossible to get the vaccine split up (new information says in 2011, there will be a possibility of splitting up the MMR). So Dr. Sear says, if "splitting up" is not any option, what until the child is 3 years old - when the child is more mature.

For Claire's 6 month shots, I wasn't following this schedule to a "T" yet but what I did do, was split up her vaccines. She was going to get 2 shots and the flu shot all on one day. So instead of pumping her full of vaccines all in a day, I split them up over a couple weeks. That way, each vaccine had time to work and get the side effects out of her system before moving on to another shot. Previously when we got Claire vaccinated, she would be SUPER fussy for a couple days, with the new way I did it, she wasn't fussy at all. Here is the Dr. Sear's schedule I will continue to follow for Claire:

Dr. Sear's Alternative Vaccine Schedule

* 2 months: DTaP, Rotavirus

* 3 months*: Pc, HIB

* 4 months: DTaP, Rotavirus

* 5 months*: Pc, HIB

* 6 months: DTaP, Rotavirus

* 7 months*: Pc, HIB

* 9 months: Polio (IPV)

* 12 months: Mumps, Polio (IPV) (See 3rd UPDATE)

* 15 months: Pc, HIB

* 18 months: DTaP, Chickenpox

* 2 years: Rubella, Polio (IPV) (See 3rd UPDATE)

* 2 1/2 years*: Hep B, Hep A (start Hep B at birth if any close relatives or caregivers have Hep B)

* 3 years: Hep B, Measles (See 3rd UPDATE)

* 3 1/2 years*: Hep B, Hep A

* 4 years: DTaP, Polio (IPV)

* 5 years: MMR

* 6 years: Chickenpox

* 12 years: Tdap, HPV

* 12 years, 2 months*: HPV

* 13 years: HPV, Meningococcal (once Meningococcal vaccine is approved for age 2, Dr. Sears will move it there and delay Hep B by 6 months)

3rd update: If the MMR vaccine is found not to be able to be split up into three different shots, what until the child is at least 3 years old to administer the full MMR vaccine at one time. New information I've found says the MMR might be available for splitting up in 2011.

Another website I found to give great advice about how to take precaution before getting your child vaccinated along with another more alternative vaccine schedule is Jenny McCarthy's Autism Organization - Generation Rescue.  Here are some precautions:

	•	Consider delaying vaccines until your child is 18-24 months old. (This is another alternative vaccine schedule found on Generation Resuce website)
	•	Do not vaccinate if your child is taking antibiotics.
	•	Consider no more than one vaccine per doctor’s visit.
	•	If you plan to get the MMR vaccine, ask your doctor to give it in three separate vaccines for measles, mumps and rubella. - if not yet until child is older.
	•	Consider giving high doses of Vitamin C (3,000-5,000 mg per day) on the day before, of, and after vaccination.
	•	With the measles vaccine (MMR), consider high doses of Vitamin A (5,000 IU or more) on the day before, of, and after vaccination.
	•	If your child experiences any developmental delays, stop vaccinating until you learn more.
	•	If your child has an adverse reaction to a vaccine, stop vaccinating until you learn more.
	•	Always ask to see the vaccine insert, and never accept a vaccine that uses the preservative Thimerosal (mercury). For a complete list of vaccines with Thimerosal, see the FDA’s website here. Note: most flu shots today still contain Thimerosal

Everyone is entitled to their own opinion but for being a new time, overly worried mommy. I feel anything I can do to limit risks to my children, I will do. Again, I am for vaccinating. I think it's very important to keep disease way but I just feel (for me and my kids) there is a safer way of doing it.