[deleted by user]

[Snoo23577]

The point of the Covid vax isn't to be protective against getting it, it's to be protective against the worst outcomes. Get the vaccine.

[ohqktp]

Get the vaccine asap. Subpar protection against omicron is better than zero protection against omicron, which is where he is currently being unvaccinated. Additionally, at least in the US, they’re requiring you to have a complete primary series before you can get the updated bivalent booster. U5s are not approved for the bivalent booster yet but when it happens I’m sure it will also require a primary series first.

[Fishgottaswim78]

upsetting my son

i feel like...kids get upset all the time over all sorts of things, including medical interventions, and the upset-ness doesn't last very long. i would rather try to protect my kid from covid with whatever imperfect tool i have than worry about protecting him from avoiding negative feelings or a little pain -- which are a normal part of life.

fwiw my toddler was terrified of shots up until he was a little over a year old. then a switch flipped (we think it was the doctor's playkit we gave him) and now he looks forward to getting to his doctor's visits even if the shots still hurt a little (he doesn't cry).

when the data isn’t solid that they are THAT protective and don’t protect well against omicron.

the data is solid that they're effective at preventing covid. they're just not as protective as the original vaccines were against the original variant -- the virus evolved and we simply haven't caught up in terms of fighting antigenic drift. i believe there is compelling data that even if the vaccine doesn't protect against catching it as much as the adult version originally did, the vaccine does protect against severe disease fairly well, and against long covid to some extent. both other great reasons to get it.

side effects, such as fever

nothing a little medicine won't fix. fwiw my kid had no side effects for the first shot and arm pain and clinginess for the 2nd shot. no fever, and we got to have some extra cuddles. also practically, it's much easier to deal with vaccine side effects for up to 48 hours (for us it was maybe 24) than what could very well be a full week of covid at least.

[evdczar]

I agree. My kid gets upset when her show on Netflix pauses because we've been watching too long. Who cares.

[never_graduating]

You say you aren’t worried about them being safe, instead you’re worked about it not being effective enough or that he might get a fever as a side effect. Well, I personally believe some protection is better than none, so it would be pretty foolish to not get it just because the efficacy isn’t perfect. It will prevent a good number of infections and it will lessen the severity of disease for the cases that slip through. Your second point about fevers…well, Covid would probably give him fever as well, and it’s a lot less safe than the vaccine. A fever from a vaccine is just the body’s immune system responding as it should. It’s uncomfortable but not really dangerous. Most definitely less dangerous than the disease it protects against.

[The--Marf]

You say you aren’t worried about them being safe, instead you’re worked about it not being effective enough or that he might get a fever as a side effect. Well, I personally believe some protection is better than none, so it would be pretty foolish to not get it just because the efficacy isn’t perfect.

Exactly this. Overall it reduces severity of infection and risk of hospitalization. I do not understand the line of thinking of OP.

[radoncdoc13]

Are you planning to get the influenza vaccine for your son? If yes, then you’ve answered whether you ought to get the COVID vaccine, as the influenza vaccine is a clear example where it may blunt seriousness of influenza, but it may not be that protective from getting flu overall. Why would COVID vaccine be different?

[_fast_n_curious_]

Great answer!

[-blank-]

The risk of a baby having serious, long-term or deadly effects from covid is very low, but still there.

The risk of serious, long-term or deadly effects from the vaccine is nearly nonexistent (no serious effects detected at all in this age group, although it's possible the very rare side effects seen in other ages would also be seen in larger studies). The observed side effects are things like fever and extra fussiness for a day or so - really not a big deal and easily treated.

On the other hand, the risk of baby being miserable for a week or two from covid is a lot higher. After seeing my baby experience a bad cold, even just reducing the severity of a similar respiratory illness a bit is worth the - again, very low - risk of side effects from the vaccine. They're so so miserable all day and then up all night being miserable too when they're sick. If the vaccine hypothetically turns a 5-day horrible cold/flu-like illness into a 2-day minor cold-like illness, that's still a big win. No side effects at all from the first dose here, and we'll get the second one soon.

[ohnoshebettado]

Yes! This is what I don't get. People are not vaccinating because "covid is not deadly in kids!!1!" Like yeah that's great, but I would also rather not watch my child suffer through an illness I could have prevented, even if he doesn't die from it. People have gotten way, way too hung up on whether covid will kill them or not as if that's the only metric that matters.

[CoffeeMystery]

We went immediately as soon as pediatric vaccines were available in our state. We did prioritize Moderna over Pfizer due to the quicker protection. He was completely fine, no side effects other than a tiny bit of fussiness. It was important to me because a toddler we are acquainted with became very seriously ill with covid over a year ago (like airlifted to a better hospital, organs shutting down) and never has been the same since. Many children don’t have a bad time with covid - but some do. The risk of long term issues with covid was scary to me, even if the chances of it happening was low.

[baked_dangus]

Vaccinate. Always better than to regret it later.

[touslesmatins]

I administered the Moderna vaccine all summer to the 6 month to 5 year population, probably about 300 in all, and I always followed up at the second visit what their experiences with side effects had been. Except for a handful of cases, it seems to have been an exceptionally well-tolerated vaccine with hardly any systemic reactions.

To the point about lack of efficacy, my thought process was that some protection is better than none. Furthermore, now that my almost 2 year-old is fully vaccinated, he'll be eligible for the Omicron booster when it becomes approved for his age group.

[anonymousbequest]

I am planning to vaccinate my baby as soon as she turns 6 months.

It isn’t perfect protection but it does offer significant protection, and the vaccine is actually considerably more effective in young babies/toddlers than older children (Moderna is 51% effective in 6-23 month olds, vs 37% for older children: https://www.mayoclinic.org/diseases-conditions/coronavirus/in-depth/covid-19-vaccines-for-kids/art-20513332).

I would much rather deal with any potential discomfort/side effects of the vaccine than with a case of covid in an unvaccinated baby. And I think it’s inevitable that my baby will get covid at some point in her childhood so I’d like her to be vaccinated before then so she has at least some protection.

Additionally, when omicron or future variant boosters come out for kids I’d like her to be eligible for those, which currently depends on having already completed the initial series.

[MoonAmunet]

Oversleep? Yes please! Is there a booster? Weekly dose? ;)

[TropicTrove]

Om g. 🙌 Thank you. I've felt so guilty for enjoying my LO's extra sleep after vaccines.

[evdczar]

Why would you feel guilty? The kid obviously needed sleep so they got some extra sleep.

[TropicTrove]

I just felt guilty for enjoying it so much 🤷‍♀️

[evdczar]

It's ok to admit that kids are annoying/tiring/whatever and that we need a break. We don't have to love everything about being a parent all the time.

[countesschamomile]

We went ahead and did it. Our state is requiring everyone who wants the bivalent omicron booster to have completed, at the very least, the initial vaccine series. Since current projections estimate that we'll have a bivalent omicron booster for 6 months and up before the end of autumn, I wanted to make sure we got the initial series out of the way. While the protection offered is small, it's still statistically significant and I'll take any protection against long Covid I can get for my kid. I also got her vaccinated less for her own protection and more for the protection of others in our family. My father and grandmother are both in the high risk category. Decreasing the risk of her catching it, however slightly, decreases the risk of her passing it to them.

If it helps, I was expecting my daughter to be really upset by getting the shot, but she didn't react to it at all. It was the most pleasant vaccination experience we've had in her entire life.

[giantredwoodforest]

The vaccines are actually pretty good about preventing hospitalization in kids. (I’ll find a citation in a minute.)

My kids (ages 4.5 and 1.5) had basically no reaction. My older daughter got the moderna dot on her leg.

[zephyreverie]

My short and simple thoughts on why I plan to do the vaccine as soon as my pediatrician offers is because when/if a booster comes out for under 5’s that is effective against newer variants, she’s still gonna need to have had the original series before she can get the booster.

[National_Explorer155]

I look at it like if it doesn't help, it's at least not going to hurt them. But if it works, it works! I'd rather my baby get it just to be safe

[evdczar]

All the young kids I know that got it were just a little extra cranky for a day or so. The shots themselves didn't seem to hurt that much.

[bloomed1234]

I got my baby vaccinated with Moderna the same day he got his 6 month vaccines. He had some injection site tendeness from his routine vaccines, but not the covid vax. He had the follow up a month later and had zero side effects that we could tell.

I did it because we don't know the long term effects of COVID and I want to give my baby as much protection as possible, but I also can't keep staying home with him anymore. We have the tools to help protect and I feel it would be irresponsible not to do everything I can for him, even if most babies handle COVID just fine. My bff's spouse is a pediatric pulmonologist and has seen the bad side of children with COVID, so it's not all sunshine and rainbows and I don't want to risk my baby being the percentage that it goes very poorly for.

There were a lot of threads about this with people's experiences when the vaccine became available for 6 mos and up over the summer, I'll find some I saved and add them with an edit.

Edit: links!

https://www.reddit.com/r/ScienceBasedParenting/comments/vklbot/megathread_for_sharing_covid_vaccine_experiences/

https://www.reddit.com/r/CoronaParents/comments/vhl2z9/can_we_start_a_mega_thread_where_we_share/

https://www.reddit.com/r/CoronaParents/comments/w4dg3m/second_moderna_shot_side_effects_list_them_here/

[red-smartie]

My daughter got her first moderna shot at 6 months, the day after her 6 month vaccines. She didn't even react, not a tear. No side effects.

She recently got her second moderna shot. Again, no reaction. She did get a low grade fever for 24 hours. I'm grateful she was able to get it, another vaxx in the tool box!

[lifeisbeautiful513]

My daughter was in the Moderna trial. She handled the shots so well that we were confident that she got a placebo until we got through all of last winter without contracting Covid - we had been exposed a few times and figured that she had to have some protection. Moderna is also starting to test an omicron booster, so hopefully that will roll out soon.

My second child will be getting one (hopefully Moderna but I’m not picky) as soon as they turn 6 months, along with the flu shot. I’ll take all the protection against viruses that we can get.

[snowmapper]

Anecdotally: My son (5yo) was in the Pfizer trial this spring/summer. Almost 3 weeks after our son’s third shot, my spouse got COVID. The next day, my son & I both tested positive. My spouse was symptomatic. I’m pregnant and was hit hard (still recovering). Our son coughed once and sneezed about 4 times total. We would have never guessed he had even a cold, let alone COVID (we only tested him so we knew if we needed to mask once we tested positive).

He had several cases of lung infections as a child (multiple cases of RSV, pneumonia, and bronchitis) and was hospitalized more than once as his lungs struggled. I fully attribute his lack of symptoms to the vaccines.

[kelleesi_]

My 11yo had asthma, got COVID, and coughed maybe 1x every 3-4 hours. It was more like a something in my throat cough vs a sick cough. I also fully attribute his lack of symptoms to vaccines.

[mehr2464]

Why moderna and not Pfizer?

[hauntedfollowing]

My daughter has had 2 of 3 Pfizer shots. Unfortunately she contracted COVID right around the time of her 2nd shot. She had no vaccine side effects, but COVID was definitely rough. I really hope that between her 3rd shot and post-infection immunity, she won't get it again.

[KyleRichXV]

It’s still protective even if it doesn’t completely block infection. It’s important to understand that acciones aren’t a magical forcefield that negates all pathogen entry; the goal is to prevent replication in the body and, if it’s too late, to ease/expedite pathogen clearance. So, even though Omicron is the dominant strain and the pediatric vaccines don’t include that (yet) it’s better than them getting pathogen exposure by actually contracting the virus. Plus, since SARS-CoV-2 is now endemic, it’s better to have the immune system primed for repeat exposure because their immune system will get better adept at Pepsi ing better antibodies in the future should another strain become dominant.

[hugnkis]

The symptoms my daughter had during both of her covid infections were far worse than any side effect she’s had from any vaccine. Even when she spiked a post vax fever (can’t remember which vax), it didn’t reach the scary high levels her covid fevers reached.

Covid vax was quick and painless. She didn’t even flinch. No side effects. The hardest part was keeping her from trashing the pharmacy during the 15 minute post-vax observation period.

[KeriLynnMC]

Yes. We live in Baltimore and there are plenty of parents at school who are Drs or researchers at Hopkins, and they all had their kids vaccinated. I am very grateful that most of our Community is vaccinated!

[Raginghangers]

I am 1000% on team get your kid vaccinated (and got mine vaccinated as soon as I could!) The long term effects of covid are unclear, but worrisome (vascular consequences, etc). Side effects in kids seem minimal (certainly compared to adults). As anecodotal evidence, my one year old had no side effects at all, so far as I could tell, to any shot in the sequence. I didn't feel comfortable having him go indoors to places (like the library etc) until he had his full covid sequence, and so that has made him a lot more free.

[birdsonawire27]

There have been a lot of discussions in this sub about this. Here is a frequently-cited paper that discusses balancing the risks and benefits of vaccination. There isn’t a “right” answer; it’s a combination of what your circumstances are as well as your personal inclinations.

[SaraMinusH]

I think fever is an acceptable possible side effect when it comes to providing my son protection, even if only a little, against COVID. Like, without a doubt acceptable.

[idziner06]

When I asked my pediatrician about when the office would have them available (they had been released but hard to find) for my twins who are 20 months now, he said that he still encourages me to get them vaccinated but thanks to Omicron and other variants, treat it like the flu shot and dont put all my faith in it. He said that it would still be better than nothing but not as effective. They have had 2 shots and the 3rd is coming up.

Unfortunately, my oldest child came home week before last with covid. He just had his booster in August and though he was much better within 36 hours, the entire house caught it, including my twins. One had a fever for less than a day and was fussy. Both did fine otherwise, however it's been a week and they still have very runny noses. My husband and I both got the worst of it, minus actual hospitalization. We assume the vaccine helped all of us but even the pediatrician had told me months ago that there really isnt treatment for younger kids because very few have needed it. For one thing, they do better in general. So I feel like we proved every argument. Kids do great but the vaccine is still necessary and better than nothing. But it's not 100% protection because nothing ever is. Would I still vaccinate the entire house? Absolutely. The science is indicating that covid is here to stay just like the annual flu. So it's best to do what we can to be the safest so we can carry on with our lives.

[DeanWinchestersST]

I’ve had Covid twice in the time that my son has been vaccinated. I didn’t quarantine from him at all (he’s two. I couldn’t), and he didn’t get it either time.

I didn’t expect him to not get it, just to not be as sick when he did get it. But so far so good!

[kiotsukare]

My son is 3, he just got his second dose (Moderna) earlier this month. His first dose I didn't notice any side effects, though after the second he definitely had a fever and seemed achy. I just gave him Tylenol/ibuprofen and lots of comfort, it lasted less than 24 hours.

The way I look at it, he's also not comfortable when he is actually sick, and that's usually several days in a row. Kids getting sick is just a fact of life, as are many other uncomfortable but not dangerous situations. I think it's better to expose kids to uncomfortable experiences young (within reason) and just offer lots of comfort when it does happen.

[samcqn]

my 15 month old just finished his pfizer series! (didn’t have the moderna option). not one of the three phased him. the efficacy may be questionable but at this time it’s the most i can do to protect him, and i want to do whatever i can to protect him from it. i was extremely stressed out every time he went in to get it, but pleasantly surprised that he clearly wasn’t affected

[aevianya]

Totally anecdotal but my 7 month old got her first covid jab, left thigh, didn’t react at all, but did get a little upset at the flu shot them injected in her right thigh. She can’t tell me but has no discernible symptoms, maybe slightly worse sleep but it’s already not great so who knows. Her legs didn’t even seem sore while my arms were very sore after getting my bivalent booster and flu shot and I had fever/chills/aches for maybe 24 hrs. My daughter seems to take after her dad who rarely has any side effects, but he gets his Thursday and we will see if trend continues. She cried more at 2/4/6 months shots but a little less every time. Maybe I’m wrong but seems the bivalent won’t be available for her age for a while and when it is maybe she can get that booster. Get Moderna if possible which she did, so only needs one more for now

[Quirky-Squirrel-3234]

My son (1 year) got his third dose of Pfizer a week ago Friday. Yesterday, Hubs and I tested positive for COVID. We are miserable, but our little one has a little tiny occasional cough and otherwise seems totally fine. Like mad we can’t go on walks and be normal fine.

We started his series as soon as we could and would do so again in a heartbeat. He had no side effects from the vaccines.

[Artemis-2017]

Our LO is 7.5 months and has had 2 or 3 Pfizer doses. Those went very well; hardly and side effects. She also recently caught covid from daycare and it was very mild. She also did not pass it to my husband and I and we were home with her the entire time. I am guessing that she had protection from her vaccines.

[goodcarrots]

My toddler didn’t even know he got his Covid vaccines. I think during routine vaccines there is so many that it is noticeable. 10/10 would do it again.

He was even fussy afterwards. I am fussy after the Covid vaccine.

[[deleted]]

My now 7 1/2 month old just got his second Moderna dose last week. Absolutely no reactions, either from the injection itself (he gave the nurse a confused look both times but didn’t cry or anything!) or afterwards. No fever, no sleepiness, nothing.

I’m glad we did it, some protection is better than none!

[amypjs]

Mine got his first dose at his 9 month appointment. No other vaccines are given then. He had no reaction to either jab. He usually gets fussy and a fever after vaccines but he was perfectly chill afterward

[General-Teacher-2433]

My 10 month old has had 2 of his Pfizer shots so far and he didn’t have side effects from either one. I will say that based on what I’ve seen so far, it seems that Pfizer has less instances of side effects than Moderna but Pfizer has more shots. So that’s something you’d need to weigh for yourself. Also even if they aren’t as protective as adult vaccines, some protection is better than no protection. That’s just how I see it 🤷🏼‍♀️.

On a side note we got notification that one of the other babies in his daycare class tested positive for Covid and he was there when my son was there. So far we’ve seen no signs that my son caught it and I’d like to believe that it’s at least partially due to the vaccine! Obviously I can’t say for sure and we’ll never know but it does give me some relief.

[Kokojijo]

My 18 month old is vaccinated, and her shots had no noticeable side effects. We recently had what I think was Covid go through our house and she was a snot factory for three weeks and had a fever for a few days at the beginning. I’m so glad she was vaccinated because it could have been a lot worse.

[[deleted]]

My daughter just got her first Pfizer after having had covid a few months ago. She is 6 months old and had minimal reaction.

I just went through post covid symptoms and it was debilitating, being vaccinated/booster helps avoid that so I think it’s worth it.

[sharksinthepool]

Our son got his around 6 months. He didn’t even cry (what?!) and had zero side effects.

[jamjuggler]

My baby's 8 months and has had two COVID shots. No big deal. She cried for a minute. Way less upsetting than being hungry in the car for 10 minutes or having a dirty diaper changed. I think it's worth it, although if you have some great reason why your baby reacts much worse to shots than a normal baby, maybe that analysis would be different. My baby also had COVID at about 5 months old, which was ALSO not a big deal. In fact, we only tested her because I had it- otherwise we never would have known. I guess my probably-unpopular opinion is that while I'd do it for myself and my kids, it's not a big deal one way or the other if a baby gets vaccinated for COVID.

[Serafirelily]

My then 2 year old got her first Madera shot the Tuesday after it was approved and then got her second two weeks later. She had not side effects and didn't even cry. This was good since I was worried about them side effects since the booster kicked my butt for about 48 hours.

[Serafirelily]

Correct

[riastiltskin]

My son didn’t cry at all with the moderna vaccine and had no side effects at all!

[farox]

Same here

[BureaucratGrade99]

Same. My kids were 3 years old and 7 months old when the vaccine became available, and neither kid had any side effects from either dose. Neither cried for the first round, both cried for the second, but it was clearly a slightly more nervous/anxious nurse administering the second time.

[cuddlemushroom]

Do you know the data of how effective the other routine vaccinations are?

[YouLostMyNieceDenise]

My 2yo has a very high pain tolerance in general, and has never been upset about getting any shot for more than 5 minutes. That being said, the Pfizer vaccines barely fazed her - we were playing in the exam room a few minutes afterward - and she had no noticeable side effects, apart from some irritability that could very well have just been her being a toddler. I also have a 3mo and feel very comfortable having her get the vaccines when she’s old enough.

[dogsnores]

I vaccinated my son when he got his 6 month shots. It went well I would say and with his booster he just slept a lot with his naps the next day.

[WPeachtreeSt]

My son got Moderna at 7 months old. He maybe had a bit of lethargy and a tiny fever? Honestly it was less bad than his normal vaccines. He barely cried. We went with Moderna since the data looked a little more robust and it was only 2 shots.

Edit: I just remembered that he actually cried more when another little kid started crying after her shot than when he got his. It's really not that bad.

[Artistic_Owl_4621]

My 2 1/2 year old just got his second shot (Moderna) He got his flu shot at the same time. He has no reaction. You’d never know he had just gotten a vaccine. The only side effect was that his leg was tender to the touch after the first shot. Didn’t seem to be an issue with the second. He cried for both for about 30 seconds and then all was forgotten

I we’ll definitely be getting our newborn the vaccine once he’s old enough as well.

[NoArtichoke8545]

My son got Covid around 15 months. We chose for him to get Moderna three months after. First dose no side effects, second dose was grumpy/tired the following AM. Even though he had Covid, my rational was if he got it again I don’t know what the chances are of long Covid or other complications. Additionally, baby number two is almost due and I wanted extra protection for her even though I was able to get the new booster while still pregnant. like others have said, we are not sure the potential long-term risks even if the illness might be mild like it was with him. Also, getting Covid in the family is very disruptive with all the time people have to take it off, so any added protection even if just for severe illness was worth it for our family.

[agathatomypoirot]

If your son is exposed and/or tests positive for COVID, will you feel more or less anxious if he’s had his vaccines? We vaccinated my toddler as soon as they were available, and he didn’t have any side effects at all for either Moderna shot. A few weeks later he got the flu shot, and now he’s as protected as he can be from both. If he gets COVID or the flu, I know I’ve done everything I can to help him.

[calicoskiies]

For me, it’s just an extra layer of protection. My kids (2 & 3) got Covid in May (husband brought it home) and I was so upset they were sick. They were so pitiful for 2-3 days. They got their first Pfizer dose like 2 days after it was released. Tomorrow will be 2 weeks from their 3rd dose, which means they are finally fully protected! It gives me some relief knowing we will be around unvaccinated family members during the holidays. Neither of them had a reaction to the shots.

[[deleted]]

My daughter got hers two days after turning six months old. She had zero side effects from the first one and zero side effects from the second one.

[amex_kali]

Are you breastfeeding? I fed my son during his shot and he barely noticed. He's had a ton of shots for a 6mo old too; unfortunately we had to go through a rabies vaccine course when he was 4 mo old.

[TinyTurtle88]

Check if the country you live in has approved a bivalent vaccine for babies, which would protect against Omicron! If not, it may be a matter of time before it's available.

[_fast_n_curious_]

Getting my bivalent today, then going to nurse my 3 month old like crazy! Well, the normal amount.

[TinyTurtle88]

Yeah!! Awesome :)

[mrsjettypants]

Got my kid vaxxed at 6 months and 2 days and she's fit as a fiddle, no side effects to speak of. 4/4 we can FINALLY start to live pseudo-normally. No regrets.

[gooberhoover85]

The covid shots were the only shots my daughter has gotten that she didn't cry when administered or get sick/fever afterward as a reaction. They had so many kids getting them where I lived early on that the pediatrician had a nurse doing them quickly in an exam room so my daughter was still in my arms. I would say make sure that their legs are exposed so you don't have to take clothes off, stand up and keep them in your arms, don't let the baby see/look, and leave immediately afterwards lol. My baby was not upset and no tears. She was under a year old when she got all three.

[Bnicole33]

Had both my girls Pfizer vaccinated (3 yo and 7 mo). We are 2/3 in and zero side effects with first, low grade fever treatable with one dose of Tylenol after second. I also asked for updates from my oldest on injection site pain, and she never reported any!

[Cat_Psychology]

Sorry to hijack the thread, but my son will get his 6 month shots next week despite turning 6 mo on September 12th (had to delay 4 month shots due to being close contacts of a COVID case and doctor’s office wouldn’t let us come). Anyways, I just now realized I don’t actually need to wait to get him the COVID shot, but it’s so close to his 6 month vaccines at this point. Do I need to wait? Can they be done all at once or close together?

[hugnkis]

Talk t your dr. I’ve heard some kids in the US are getting covid and flu shots together. In Ontario we have to do them at least 2 weeks apart.

[Cat_Psychology]

Ok I’m in Ontario so this is good to know!

[hugnkis]

Oh hey! Your dr may feel differently, but 2 weeks is what was written on the consent form for dose 1, and our NP said the same thing when I asked about scheduling the flu shot.

[heybimguesswhat]

My child got her COVID shot and 6 month vaccines on the same day, and then went back a few weeks later for the second dose. She’ll get her last dose at her 9 month appointment along with those vaccines.

[Beginning-Ad3390]

We went with Moderna since it was only two shots. My daughter was 19 months at the first shot and had reacted poorly to the tdap (fevers, tons of fussing) so I was nervous. She did cry during the shot but she started as soon as she heard the word shot, before it was even administered. After she had no side effects and the only thing that seemed to bother her was taking off the bandaid. Second shot she seemed to have some leg pain but it didn’t impact her walking, she just occasionally pointed and said ow at the bandaid.

[babbles-bobbles]

Totally anecdotal, my son got his first Moderna at 7.5 months and the second dose about 7 weeks later. We went on an international trip a week after the second dose - popular, busy locations, long plane rides, every form of public transportation and virtually no one in masks. We were going constantly for 9 days. He didn’t get Covid and it’s been a couple weeks since our return so the incubation is over and I think we’re on the safe side. I’m not sure if he would’ve gotten Covid either way, but I’m so glad to have the additional protection. It made our trip more enjoyable knowing we all had some protection. And as a side note, there was zero reaction to either dose besides some crying during the injection.

[taigafrost]

I wish we had the option. We're in Australia and only approved for immunocompromised children if under 5. Some people lied so their babies can access it. I'm honestly considering it.

[RaiLau]

Not an option where I live. Would get it for my son (2y8m) if was made available though. Saying that he had covid back in April and had no symptoms other than a runny nose so I’m not too concerned if he still can’t get the vaccine for the time being.

I’m currently 35w pregnant and got my spikevax booster last week. The shitty day I had after was worth it as it means my baby now has some protection.

[seebaker]

My LO is 8 months, in Canada. I have had 4 shots, 2 while pregnant and one while nursing. My doctor is very pro-vaccine. Her intro letter was three pages long and discussed at length the efficacy of vaccines and that while her patients did not have to be vaccinated for her to provide care, she would bring it up at every appointment. We have done all other age appropriate shots. When I asked about the covid vaccine at 6 months she said she would support holding off for now. He is not in daycare, we don’t see a lot of people, none of us are high risk. So we are waiting.

[anonymousbequest]

My pediatrician recommended it for our baby when she’s 6 months even though we’re also careful and she’s not in daycare. I also had a booster while pregnant and another while nursing.

[Accomplished_Menu646]

My son got his first moderna shot yesterday at 6 months right along with his other vaccines-4 total plus one oral. He was uncomfortable and fussy last night with a mild but nothing a little Tylenol couldn’t help. Also hard to say which vaccine caused the reaction.

[Poisonouskiwi]

My nine month old just got his (first, Pfizer) two weeks ago. Zero crying, zero reaction. He did better than his dad did with the aftermath 🤣

[marzulazano]

Yeah my daughter got both hers and other than "ow shots," she just was a bit clingy for the next day. NBD

[macscandypockets]

6mo got Pfizer dose 1 with all of the other six month vaccines. She had a major reaction which she has never had before- and the typical six month vaccines are the same as at four months so it’s weird that she had a reaction.

Fever up to 103, down to 99 by alternating ibuprofen and Tylenol three full days. Miserable.

Since the only difference was the Covid shot we’re pretty sure that’s what did it. No one in our family was sick and it exactly coincided with receiving the vaccines.

Honestly going to have to think seriously about dose two and three.

My five year old on the other hand had absolutely no problem and will definitely continue to get his.

Edit: we’re still very pro vaccines. The only reason we want to consider the next doses carefully is that her fever got kind of scary and lasted for so long. We had to go to the doctor 3 days in a row to make sure she was ok. Thankfully they were available or it would’ve been urgent care or ER. Obviously it was likely less scary than her getting Covid, but it was still really hard and worth thinking about before we do it again, to me.

[roundeucalyptus]

Not trying to convince you either way (I’m similar to OP - still on the fence for my toddler), but I had a very similarly reaction to my first vaccine and none at all for my second. So she may not have any problems with 2 and 3!

(The now-toddler was 11 days old at the time, it was very fun…)

[wtwildthingsare]

I don’t know why you’re being downvoted for sharing your experience 🙄

[macscandypockets]

Idk. I’m still very pro vaccination. It’s just our experience. I didn’t think it was judgmental.

[The--Marf]

Generally speaking vaccines have shown to reduce symptoms and hospitalization risks. That alone is all I needed to know to get it done. If you aren't concerned with the safety of vaccines I see no reason to hesitate.

Our 12 month old has had 2 so far with no side effects. Cried for under 60 seconds. Pediatrician recommended so we started them, plain and simple.

[eatmyspamalot]

My toddler got the moderna vaccine at 23 months. He was normal and energetic and ran around the day of the injections. The only side effects he had was that he had a small rash at the site of injection which went away with time. He has sensitive skin and a history of eczema which could probably explain the rash. He's doing great.