@ Novemeber.Butterfly - There are a lot of "unnatural" ingredient in toothpaste, but you still want your kids to brush their teeth don't you? One of those ingredients is formaldehyde.

Just because you can't grow something in your garden doesn't mean it is intrinsically bad for you. Recently, our public water stopped adding fluoride to the water, because of the whole "Fluoride is poisonous" talk. Well, yes, in large doses. It's actually good for you (dental health specifically) in the super small doses (as in a few parts per million) you get in public water.

That argument is very similar to the argument I made as a child to not eat broccoli. "It's weird and it smells bad."

yes but we prefer natural toothpaste too!! lol!
they dont add flouride to water here at all... flouride is another one of those should you or shouldnt you things I feel. I didnt think that flouride was useful at all when ingested... only on direct applience to the teeth. too much ingested can damage teeth. anyway, i'm not injecting flouride its a completely different issue.

vaccinations are great for what they do, i don't like the ingredients in them but thats what makes them work i guess so theres nothing i can do about it...i don't even know why i got drawn into this debate, we vaccinate,and on schedule. *shrug*

The fluoride in water does the same thing as in toothpaste - affects teeth in a positive way when it touches them. But the amount you ingest is so minimal that there are no ill effects. The quantities in toothpaste are much greater. But if you drink water from the tap, you get a small fluoride rinse. Very good for your teeth. So it's quite disappointing that ignorance has removed a positive thing from the water I drink.

I was just using fluoride as a parallel. Formaldehyde gets a bad rap because it's used to preserve dead bodies, but it's uses are varied and many and safe. And like someone else said, it does exist naturally in plants and animals.

Yo, to change directions: If you have a concern about an ingredient or a side effect, do you tell your doctor, "I am concerned about the ingredients of a vaccination. What can you tell me about them?" Cause while I'm all for discussion in the forums about this particular subject matter, I admit that my knowledge is minimal.

Oh gosh, not this again. The leaders of the Bloop American Christian Mommy Brigade have recently changed their stance on this - they're pro-vaccinations now - which means most will follow suit. You're behind the times.

lol, i like the name you've given them.

@Bloop's Alpha Bitch: I have NOTHING to do with that group. I'm actually a DAD. lol

And my reasons have NOTHING to do with religious belief or affiliation.

@ Music God: Haha - I know. That's why I'm informing you. This has been huge among the Bloop mommies! Actually, their reasons had nothing to do with their religion either, but the fact they are the Christian Brigade made their followers take their opinions as a direct message from God! Whereas you're just a naughty heathen - no one will bother with your views! ;D

Who might I ask is the leader of the Brigade? ;)

@MadeToShine - I said 'leaders', in the plural. You guys share leadership duties! ;D

haha I had to laught at this.

in australia there was an article about offering monetary incentives for getting your kids immunised. i don't remember it exactly, but it was interesting.

We get a Maternity Immunisation bonus if the child is fully immunised at 18 months, think its about 150.00

I got money when I got Lexi's 18 month vaccination as I'd kept to the schedule. Which I will also get for Zavian. I'll get another payment when they turn 4.
Not why I do it though, as I didn't know until I got it!

I heard about that. Although, stupidly, they're also offering this same grant to parents who are "conscientious objectors" - so they don't vaccinate, submit a letter/form stating why (although presumably it goes through some application process), and still get the money. It doesn't make the slightest bit of sense to me.

It could be to get people who don't know they SHOULD vaccinate, so you get the money because you know about vaccinations, but are questioning, but not if you are just lazy.... I'd say I wish they did that HERE, but well, I have LITTLE to know faith in the US government and the US people to figure out what 'conscientious objectors' even means much less form a coherent objection

the above reply was to Lithium Layouts... they changed the forums since the last time I was here

I think parents who don't vaccinate are wildly irresponsible. There are plenty of people who can't be vaccinated because of allergies and compromised immune systems and by not vaccinating your children, not only are you endangering them but you are also endangering others.

As far as I know, I got every immunization that I was supposed at the exact ages I was supposed to. I didn't wind up with some strange disorder or anything like that. I'm perfectly fine with how I turned out. I personally see nothing wrong with giving your children the vaccines when you're supposed to.

@Ev- I didn't hear about that but we already receive a small payment for vaccinating. So small that I can't recall the exact amount, it was under $200. It is paid to anyone whose child is fully vaccinated by 18 months but has to be claimed by the time the child is two. I forgot about it both times and it was automatically paid anyway.

I tend to agree with Lady Acid Fairy. When Oliver was born it didn't even occur to me that anyone would choose not to immunize. It was only a year or so later when a friend mentioned that she was anti-vax that I started looking into it and became pretty passionate about it all. I tend to keep my mouth shut due to my desire to avoid drama/ confrontation but in all the studies and articles I have read, I have not once found a reason not to vaccinate that has not been proven false or at the very least unsubstantiated and I have certainly never come across anything that to me, shows any risk that would outweigh the benefits.

yeah my memory of it is poor. it was something about increasing it, or withholding it.

I don't have kids yet but when I do, they will be fully vaccinated (as according to the UK schedule, which does not include hep B or chicken pox, both of which are on the American schedule and I believe unnecessary). I don't think vaccines should be taken lightly, I mean they do have risks, although those risks are tiny, and are usually mild, temporary reactions. However, for most vaccines I believe the risk of the vaccine is heavily outweighed by the risk of the disease if the child is not vaccinated (death, permanent brain injury). I could never knowlingly put my child (AND other children who can't take the vaccines, e.g. those who are receiving chemotherapy) at risk of those diseases, and certainly not because of internet and media hype/myths over hypothetical risks (or because the ingredients don't sound nice), which there is no actual evidence for.

This was the BIGGEST argument and concern that women had with me, when I was pregnant. Of all the things I was going through, they felt the need to tell me why I should or shouldn't have Niklas vaccinated.

I had him vaccinated. I didn't understand or believe the reasons not too. Everything can change by tomorrow.
Tomatoes, at once point in time, caused cancer and you shouldn't eat them. Coffee caused cancer back in the day, but now has some aspects that you need. Sunlight as a kid was recommended, and now parents are told that sun causes cancer and you should keep your children out of the sunlight.

A religious neighbor told me that vaccinations will cause my child to have Downs Syndrome. But he turned out fine.
I was vaccinated and turned out fine. My brother was vaccinated and turned out fine.

It all depends on the parent, along with anything else. It doesn't hurt any way you go, as far as I can see.

They told you it could cause Downs Syndrome?!? That's so incredibly ignorant. Downs Syndrome is a genetic disorder due to a chromosomal abnormality. It is present at birth (well it's present right from the start of development) and has nothing AT ALL to do with vaccines.

@RedFraggle - Yeah, she was a bit nutty anyways. I'm not even sure where she got that from or what made her think that.

LOL, what idiot doesn't know DS is genetic???? Talk about uneducated. People should do their research.