Now I know that this topic gets heated. Everyone has a right to what they believe. I have had both girls vaccinated. I have not asked for an alternate schedule. I have followed what ever the Doctor recommended. I believe you NEED to vaccinate your children. However I do think it seems a bit excessive to MANDATE the timing. If parents are concerned and want to have an alternate schedule that to me seems fine.
Now before some folks go all crazy on me, NO, I have not done research on what is in the vaccines etc. If I had any concerns about my daughters and any problems I would talk to the doctor about it. I can not even imagine what it must be like to see your child change over night. I do hope that parents who have dealt with that are fighting tooth and nail to help figure it all out, so that we can do what is right for every child.
The one thing that surprised me about Miss. Peet was this quote "Frankly, I feel that parents who don't vaccinate their children are parasites." That my friends is a pretty strong quote in HOLLYWOOD land. I am wondering how long it takes for a throw down or a take back ??? I think it is refreshing that someone in HOLLYWOOD is speaking out in such a manor.
Although I get my kids vaccinated, I will not let them drink out of bpa filled cups, and I make sure they know how to recycle. One step I am taking is always having a reusable bag with me for groceries and such. I was using my Whole Foods bag most of the time, but I would forget it in the car a lot. Well I have the solution to that, I found these great bags and this great site. These RuMe bags fold up and fit in your purse. How aweseome is that, so you will never leave it behind. It folds up nice and small, but it is very roomy when open and carries up to 50 pounds. You can carry over your shoulder as well. This bag rocks, and so does this wonderful, earth friendly site. I was lucky enough to get 2 bags, one I kept to try out and the other one I will give away. Just leave a comment on how you are trying to be green. Random winner chosen on Friday the 18th !!!! Thanks
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34 comments:
I am SHOCKED that they printed that comment. I use to like her. I think that vaccinations are a personal choice and that NO ONE should be aloud to tell what should give your child. But I do think that you should make and informed decision. It is good to take the advice of a doctor but not abdicate totally to his or her ideas. Remember they are just people too.
Opps I think I just took a step on to my soap box maybe I should step down now. Sorry to go off so long. I just think celebs should keep there ideas to themselves as they are no better then you or I.
I had heard about that comment, but did not read the article. I agree that vaccinations and schedules are a personal choice. I vaccinated my son on the pediatricians schedule and they were very understanding about my concerns and questions.
As for going green..I too switched out all my BPA products and replaced with non BPA stuff. I use all reusable containers and such for snacks. Little man is learning about recycling because I have put a big bin in my kitchen that we empty together in the outside bins. I had recently switched out my more enviro-friendly cleaning products. Those bags sound awesome. I have not done the bag thing as of yet. Thanks for the tip.
One of the moms in my first moms group did a delayed vaccine schedule, where she just basically took her son once a month to the doctor for his shots. The ped had mentioned that the grouping of 4 or so shots at once was largely a convenience thing for parents (in terms of copay and time), so her scheduled seemed like a good compromise where her son got the vax relatively quickly in terms of timing.
On the forget-the-bags-in-the-car situation...my friend mentioned that if she forgets her bags in the car, she just has the bagger load her groceries back in her cart unbagged...and she bags them at her car. Though a spare bag would be infinitely handy for those quick trips around town.
Those eco-artware bags kick ass. I would use them as a purse. But then again, I would also use a Ziploc bag, so there you go :)
We vaccinated on the regular schedule, too.
I switched out all of our BPA stuff. We use environmentally friendly cleaners. I stopped buying bottled water and got a Brita Filter. And I also use reusable bags. I have the Baggu bags, and I love them! The ones you linked to are really cute.
I read about her(PEET) comment on another blog and already there were like 500 commemts on that post.
Weve switched to enviro. friendly cleaners and got rid of paper plates and napkins. We will also be using cloth diapers with our little man in a few weeks.
I do feel that vaccinating your child is up to you. I have 4 boys and they are older and like you said I kinda when with what the doctor told me. I don't know what I would do now if I have a baby. A lot of what I have read really does make since about delaying the shots.
Now on the bags. I use green bags and love them. I keep them in my car and use them all the time. Why didn't we start sooner using them?
Wow! That is quite the comment- I am surprised it was printed also! I do vaccinate my children and wouldn't even consider not doing it but I would never say something like that!
We recycle everything we can, use CFL bulbs and environmentally friendly cleaners.
Thank you for the giveaway!
I read Cookie as well. It is kinda too frou-frou for me though. I certainly don't have enough money to whisk my family on vacations in Italy, that's fer sure!
Anyway, like you, I am trying to be more eco-friendly by using the recyclable grocery bags. These ones sound awesome--hope I win!
Since I started carrying around one of those fold up nylon bags in my purse, i have not accepted one plastic bag and that feels great.
It's scary to vaccinate. I don't fault anyone for their choice of when to do it. Luckily we're just about finished and we did stick to the scheduled times. Have you noticed that chicken pox is making a comeback? I think this is due to so many parents waiting on vaccinations nowadays. ?? We recycle and I've switched to paper bags. My kids have known to recycle all of their lives. We also use a Brita filter to cut down on water bottles.
My New Years resolution was to be greener and I'm doing well. We use cloth napkins and dish rags instead of paper. And, we have been using reusable grocery bags also.
Great post! I too use the cloth grocery bags, and we eat organic as much as we can afford to.
I actually saw these same purse bags I believe at Vons. My mom picked it up and said what's this and we figured it out Von's is now making this purse bags. Cool! Using them!
cpullum@yahoo.com
I vaccinate. I don't have a problem with what Peet said. If you don't vaccinate, you are basically counting on the rest of us to keep you from getting a deadly or disfiguring disease. If no one vaccinated, it wouldn't be a very fun world. I think what she said is pretty accurate.
That said, to each his own. I fully support people who stagger vaccines, and if you don't vaccinate, that is your perfectly viable choice in today's world.
I can see Peet's point, but I think that I would have expressed it a little differently.
I actually just started carrying a nylon bag in my purse. That definitely makes me more likely to turn down a plastic bag!
As for the vacinations, we staggered... For example, I just couldn't give my child 5 shots in one day- which was what we were scheduled to do most recently... Given all the research out there on both sides, I really feel like this is a good compromise...
We have been working really hard to be green in our house- cleaning products, packing lunch and snacks in containers not bags, eating organic and bringing bags to the store. These bags would be great to keep in your purse even for places like the pharmacy where I don't think to bring in my grocery bags...
As the daughter of a Biochemist (PHD) we vaccinated according to the doctor schedule.
Don't mean to scare anyone but when you grow up with a biochemist for a father you learn how strong germs are and how much the medical and drug fields have grown to shield us from disease.
That's my personal experience - done.
on the green front- I've been taking the advice I got from another blog and I'm using all those ingredients that have been sitting in my pantry- it's awesome! less consumption.
We recycle as much as we can. We've changed our light bulbs to the newer greener bulbs as the older ones burn out.
How we are "green:" I use various fabric grocery bags and believe you can never have too many, so I'll cross my fingers that I win! We also drive a Prius, use Sigg bottles for our water, and take advantage of our city's composting program.
As for vaccines, I try to avoid the big-time "discussions" on them because the most vocal folks tend to also be the least likely to accept what may seem wishy-washy in that while vaccines are an important medical/social tool, there are definitely some kids for whom they are too risky.
I am definitely in favor of alternative (spaced-out) schedules and testing for successful immunity prior to re-immunization. My son definitely regresses after vaccines, yet I still give him them. Still, each shot gives me a heart attack for about a week while I pray that he will become himself again instead of further regressing.
Interesting comment from a Hollywood person... but her opinion holds no more weight for me than anyone else. It's the maelstrom that will be coming that provides the entertainment.
As for my green attempts: I use the bannisters in my house to hang my laundry and VERY rarely use my dryer anymore. I'm searching for a good outdoor clothes hanger upper (I don't want a line and want something that doesn't attach to my house and can be put away when I'm not using it) to make it even easier. My wee ones love helping me hang things up!
I agree with you. I vaccinate based on what my pediatrician recommends, he has done the current research, he has the medical degree, not me. I trust him. Vaccinations have a higher percentage of benefit vs risk.
My eyes are green. Otherwise, I would say we recycle more stuff than we throw out in regular trash. I'll check out those cool bags you mentioned~ thanks!
This IS a heated topic but I think you did so well articulating your position.
I'm not sure how I feel about it. I know with the little imp, we felt it best not to give her SIX shots all at once and we staggered them. It wasn't so much out of a concern for all the alleged potential side effects, I just thought so many vacs at one go was a tad excessive. Thankfully I had a great ped who didn't push the issue with me.
The other side of this coin for me, is the fact that we travel a lot being that the Hubby is British and we see family in Europe as often as possible. Imp is a dual citizen and will most likely travel back and forth when she's older as much as we do now...AND she'll be able to live anywhere in EU that she chooses when she gets older. So it just seemed like the responsible thing for us to do.
As for the going green...living in Maine as we do, it's pretty much a way of life. I slack but I try and compensate in other areas. I just recently switched out all of our BPA laden stuff and we used cloth dipes for the first eighteen months. And of course, I'm one of THOSE moms who's kid is still nursing occasionally even at two and a half - but when she's not drinking from the trough she either gets organic or non homegenized milk products.
One of the things I found that was not only fun, but helped make the imp aware of using less and reusing available items was that we could make our own reusable grocery bags. Just some canvas bags from the craft store (the hemp ones are way too expensive for my taste and feel stiff and not so nice to hold for long periods of time) and we put handprints all over them using jello mix and water. The bags are washable and the jello fades sometimes and when it does, we just do it over and make new designs.
Woah...sorry for the novel of a first-timer comment on your blog.
Been reading a lot but only came out of lurkdom (finally) when I saw this post.
Be back for more as I really enjoy your site.
I always bring reusable bags and I compost all of my fruit/veggie scraps and soiled cardboard in my yard waste.
Both my kids have been vaccinated according to the pediatrician's schedule, but looking back at my son's medical records, I see instances when he was on antibiotics, had "a cough that wasn't going away," or was "warm to the touch" and they still gave him shots -- sometimes 4 at a time. I don't know WHAT I was thinking to let this happen but I guess I just figured they knew what they were doing. Well, first it was eczema then breathing issues (inhaled steroids twice a day) then a diagnosis of Sensory Processing Disorder (which many autistic kids have too). I've had him on a gluten-free casein-free (soy-free too) diet since last October, and the change has been dramatic. We're also doing some suppliments, treating for yeast in the gut, yadda yadda yadda. The whole thing that Jenny McCarthy talks about. I spend *So* much of my time researching this stuff and hanging out on yahoo groups that talk about this stuff, and I hear from tons of moms all over the country whose kids completely changed overnight after vaccines. One minute they're developing fine and are speaking, the next day they have stopped speaking, are not looking in the eye, have lost their "sparkle" so to speak. And there are moms whose kids are 7 years old and in diapers who haven't spoken a word for years. They go on the diet, they remove heavy metals from the body, they suppliment with all sorts of natural stuff, and the words come back. Kids who had an autism diagnosis are re-evaluated and are no longer considered autistic. It's really amazing, powerful stuff. And it's enough to make me stop vaccinating my kids until I feel better doing so because right now it's pretty frightening. You can actually look online and see the ingredients in your child's shot (if you have the brand name and lot number, which my medical records had). Things like aluminum and aborted human fetus. It's really wacky. Anyway....I'm a first time poster so sorry to make this so long!!! I've got 3 blogs going at http://gfcfblog.blogspot.com for diet stuff, http://gfcfpoop.blogspot.com to see how messed up autistic kids' poop is (their guts are totally in ruin), and then my newest one is http://lend4health.blogspot.com to help parents afford treatments for their kids (which is not covered by insurance, mind you).
Oh, and to win the bag....as part of the whole save-our-son thing, we have switched over to all natural cleaning supplies, we only buy natural foods (Whole Foods), and we are trying to afford a chemical-free mattress for him (antimony is in mattresses and flame-resistant pajamas...nasty stuff).
Tori :)
That is one heck of a statement. I have vaccinated pretty much on schedule, but have friends whose children have not seen a shot since the day they were born. But because I vaccinate and they don't does not in any way make me think of them as parasites@!
On the green front, we have switched to green cleaners (though I am not in love with them...any recommendations??), use wash clothes instead of paper towels, use cloth napkins, no paper plates/cups/etc.. We also are growing a garden (just picked the first summer squash! yay!), use reusable grocery bags (though all mine say "Stop and Shop" across them...a little embarrasing when at other stores), recycle.... There's a lot more we could do, but we just recently started (about a year ago) so its a work in progress!!
Vaccinations are such a heated topic, but I think that we are benefiting from centuries of scientific advances. When people choose not to vaccinate, they are taking advantage of everyone else's immunity to safeguard their kids from life threatening illnesses. I read that there are pockets of the country where diseases that had disappeared like polio are reappearing because people are not vaccinating. That seems like a needless danger.
About going green, I too have those shopping bags in my car that I always forget to bring in. We also stopped using plastic cups in December
I am sure that comment will come back to bite her. Celebs are wayyyyyy too vocal sometimes. I vaccinate DD on schedule too. As with everything, there will always be controversy with this I am afraid.
Parasites? Wow. She has some pretty strong feelings about that...you'd think she'd understand that maybe other parents have strong feelings as well that don't quite match up with hers.
And I'd love to win the bag! I just bought a couple of the Wal-Mart (puke) reusable bags, but I forget them in the car all the time!
she will likely come back and say she was misquoted! Isn't that usally what happens?
Agree - vacs - hugely personal - I did vac. with my two older kids.
I FIRMLY believe that MOST of the problems my son had were due to way too many vacs too soon all at the same time. I spread my daughters out. I haven't had very many vacs for my baby yet. I won't do multiple vacs on her. Gut instincts kicking in and I have refused all vacs for her for the past year.
Going green - AARGH - I am so bad, I recycle, I use green products when I find them, but I use the bags at Target! I shouldn't, but after 1 hour in the store with 3 kids, I'm freaking out and ready to LEAVE!!!!
Huh. Interesting. I'm so out of the loop, I have never even heard of Cookie magazine. Or that Amanda Peet made that statement.
I think the heat is frying my brain down here in Texas.
Anyway, I liked your post about it. Regardless of whether I agree with her, I dig that she came out and worded something that strongly...makes me feel less alone in my perpetual stirring the pot tendencies.
I try to be as green as possible. I've been recycling since way before it was trendy (15 years or so), use reusable bags, use enviro-friendly cleaners and buy organic, use SIGG water bottles, and we're saving to buy a hybrid.
Leave a light footprint!
Every time I hear a comment like that, I want to hear the conversation that led up to it. It's a shocking comment, but would it be as shocking if we heard the wording that was used to ask the question? Who knows!
I vax'd my kids. The only one I delayed was the MMR. The older two got it when they turned two. The youngest will probably get her MMR at three. She was sick at the two year appt.
I used to get Cookie--I love their book and music review section!
Green-wise: I have become more adept with recycling, even tying up newspapers and throwing cardboard boxes in the recycle can. I have a few reusable bags. My huge blue IKEA one is among my favorites!
We just keep using the paper Trader Joe's bags over and over...works for us!
Quite a comment from AP:P
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