Vaccinations: What I did...wrong

So as a parent I'm sure you have heard about all the controversy that surrounds immunizations/vaccinations. If you haven't, google it because you should! Read this after you are a little less dense on such an important issue for your child/ren.

Having worked with an autistic girl for several years in college, I became terrified of the slough of vaccinations the CDC (Center for Disease Control and Prevention) recommends children get in the first few years of their lives. In the first two years of life, the CDC recommends three hepatitis B shots, three rotavirus shots, four DTaP shots (each one contains diphtheria, pertussis whooping cough and tetanus), four Hib shots, four pneumococcal/pneumonia shots, three polio shots, a flu shot, one MMR shot  (contains measles, mumps and rubella), one varicella/chickenpox shot and two hepatitis A shots. That is TWENTY SIX SHOTS with a total of 36 viral/bacterial exposures (or whatever you would call it) to 14 different diseases.

Now let's look at the same CDC suggested schedule from the time many of us parents were getting immunized. In 1980, infants were vaccinated against four diseases -- diphtheria, tetanus, pertussis, and polio (http://www8.nationalacademies.org/onpinews/newsitem.aspx?RecordID=10306). FOUR. That's it...four different immunizations in comparison to the 14 they recommend today.

Yes, science has advanced to allow these. Yes, tons of lives have been saved.

The rate of autism appears to have gone up significantly since the 1980s (this is a very debated topic in itself as there has also been large changes in diagnostic practices). There is also the fact that the United States has what appears to be the largest prevalence of autism in the world. Who knows why...I'm serious. The catch to this whole post is I don't know...no one really knows what causes it or I wouldn't even need to write this damn book!.

Insert ten pages of conspiracy theory stating all the studies that have found no correlation between the shots and autism are funded by the people who make the vaccines...plus the fact that if the CDC said there was a correlation no one would get their kids immunized and we would see mass explosions of all these diseases throughout the United States and the rest of the world.

Though there was little evidence at the time my kids were born that supported the belief that autism is caused by the mass amounts of vaccinations young children get, I opted to skip all vaccinations for the first two years of life and then slowly catch up with the vaccines required by the school system. The one study that did provide strong statistical evidence of a link between vaccines and autism was just recently discovered to be a fraud.

So, I waited until Boo was two to begin immunizations. Why wait until the magic age of two? It is widely accepted that a large majority (estimated 80%) of a humans brain is developed by two years of age (no quote here....google it and you'll find it everywhere). Makes sense not to beat the crap out of a little brain until it has some good development under its belt.

I waited to get any immunizations until my kids were two, AND I WAS WRONG! I am very lucky neither of my precious angels died of some preventable disease. What would I have done differently? I think I would have followed the 1980s schedule for the first two years and then catch up one several of the vaccines on the current one.

I have several friends who went with the current CDC recommendations. I commend those who did their research first and still decided to go with the slough of shots. I commend those who did their research and followed a different schedule (a popular one is Dr. Sears alternative schedule). I still commend those who do their research and decide to wait like I did, for they did some research.

My point: Do your research on the subject and make the best decision for your family and child. Don't expect to get all the answers from your pediatrician (many have to follow company policies and state CDC standard schedule). If you don't go with the current recommendations, don't expect a lot of support from the pediatrician. And keep updated on current info!

Too lazy to research for yourself? Well, probably best to go with the current CDC recommendations. This is NOT medical advice, just my thoughts on an issue that is near and dear to my heart. Love you Molly!

You're wasting your money

We all do it...we waste our money even when we think we're being shopper savvy overall. Here are some of the top ways mommies burn the bank!

~ You buy name brand baby meds. We have always bought the Target brand (up and up) of infant ibprofen (think infant advil), infant tylenol and infant gas drops (think mylicon). Not only are they usually more than 50% cheaper, they don't seem to be recalled nearly as often! Since Boo was born in 2008, Mylicon has been recalled once and Infant's Tylenol twice...and you guessed it, Target's brand has not been even once!

~ You buy the larger size always assuming you're saving by buying in bulk. This is not always the case! I have found several times that the smaller size (especially if the smaller size is on sale and the larger size isn't) can be almost half the price! Most grocery stores state how much you are paying per piece or ounce right on the shelf price tag. Take a minute to read the fine print!

~ Buying in bulk and stocking up when the price is right. Check the expiration dates! I recently threw away two bottles of ketchup I had bought in a three pack because the price was great...ketchup doesn't last nearly as long as I thought and I actually lit a few bucks on fire and crowed my pantry with that "deal". If there is a to-die-for-deal, go in with a friend or family member if you don't have a chance of using the goods before they rot.

~ Think you're being savvy by consigning, garage selling or even handing down those clothes your kids don't fit anymore? Well wait just a minute!!! I made two stupid, jumping the gun mistakes on this topic. Boo was a chub of a baby and since I knew I was having a girl next well before most even think about baby number two, I was eager to clear the clutter and get rid of clothes he outgrew. Well, like any child he started walking...and when he started walking he thinned out and went down a size! Wouldn't have been such a big deal except for those smaller waisted clothes were long gone. Soooo back to the store to replace what I had and waste some hard earned cash. Same concept with potty training. Underwear are a lot smaller than diapers and Boo lost a full pant size when we made the switch...you guessed it, back to the store to burn some money on new pants we just got rid of!

~ Buying full sized sheet paper towels. Sure, select-a-size rolls may cost more per roll or square foot or whatever, but they last almost twice as long in my house than a regular large sheet roll. Try it...I swear it is a universal fact!

~ Paying full price plus shipping online. There is always a coupon code online for free shipping or a hefty percent off somewhere out there on the web. I LOVE retailmenot.com...or just google  "<store name> coupon code". There isn't? Wait a week and it will magically show up in your email. True story...wanted a $5 thing from disneystore.com, but I couldn't find a way to save on the price or get free shipping anywhere. Less than a week later I got an email from them with a code for free shipping! The trick? Sign in to the online store and put some items in your online cart, but don't buy them. Quite often you'll get an offer in your email (thus why you must sign in) to lure you back and finish your purchase!

~ Buying name brand vegetable/corn oil and cooking spray...instead of Mazola and Pam, but the Walmart brand! Again, you'll save nearly 50% on virtually the same product.

~ Don't buy new toys. Have toy swaps with friends or hit up garage sales, consignment stores and/or your local Goodwill. Ebay and craislist.org are great options as well. Not only are new toys a waste of money, they usually require a skilled professional to remove it from the packaging and an hour or more of skilled labor to assemble...or just figure out where the batteries go!

~ Buying children's vitamins isn't always neccessary. I buy the adult calcium chewable and cut them in half (the ones I buy are two in a serving). If you do the math (so for mine I divided the nutrition facts by four), it is almost exactly the same as one kids vitamin...and WAY cheaper.

~ Last but not least....don't buy a dishwasher safe cutting board that is too big for your dishwasher!!!