We See It Every Day

Products are being pulled from the shelves every day due to safety concerns. Starbucks kids cups were recalled after finding them to be choking hazards. At the time the recall was made on Oct. 9, 2007, no children had been reported injured. There were, however, 7 reports of the cups breaking with 2 reports of children who began choking on the pieces.
The Big Big World 6-in-1 Bongo Band toys were pulled from stores because the surface paint was found to contain lead paint. No children had been reported injured as of the recall date, Sept. 4, 2007. The Pottery Barn Kids Mini Zooper Doll Stroller was recalled after it was found that the toy posed an entrapment hazard. By the time the recall was made on Sept. 28, 2007 there had been three reports of injuries and one report of a partially severed finger. Thomas the Tank Engine...Dora and Diego...The list goes on and on. Recently, we have seen all over-the-counter children's cold remedies removed from store shelves. These recalls were all necessary for one reason or another...And even in situations where recalls seem a little "over-protective", the fact that "someone" is watching out for my child's safety (better late than never, right?) should put my mind at ease. My mind won't be at ease, however, until this "someone" turns their "watchful eye" to the vaccinations that are pushed on us, regardless of the number of injuries (and even CASUALTIES!!!) that are recorded following their use. I know no one likes it when "The Pfaffl House" gets all serious, but this is an issue that I find extremely important. When I got pregnant with my son, Landon, I had every intention of vaccinating him. My siblings and I are all vaccinated and, to be honest, I never thought about vaccines being a choice...but after reluctantly heeding the advice of several trusted friends, Andy and I embarked upon a research journey that would change our perspective on the government, our healthcare system, our parenting style, our LIFE. I am so THANKFUL we had the opportunity to learn about this! We spent the months leading up to Landon's birth pouring over books, public records, documents, websites and periodicals about vaccination safety...And after finally making the decision to delay vaccinating our son (which, by the way was in no way, shape, or form a simple or easy decision) we have now officially spent the past 29 months making excuses to family and friends, defending a decision we couldn't possibly have made on a whim (some "suggest" we'd make a choice like this for our precious child without thinking it through), shaking off the repeated terrifying warnings of doctors,and praying hard that we never find our decision to be a bad one.

I am not posting this to convince any of you to turn against vaccinations or to condemn any of you who support vaccinating your children on schedule. I'm still somewhat on the fence, myself, about when and if to vaccinate my own child. We all do the best we can for our little ones. I just want everyone out there to have the same opportunity I did to make an informed decision. (Thanks Kelly and Sharon! I owe you both so much!) I won't write a term paper on all of the things I want to tell the world. ;o) It would be the longest blog post in the history of blogs! Here is a brief sample (as brief as I can be! LOL!) of the things I have learned in my search for vaccination information. I hope you find something new and useful:

*Look here for
a peek into the ingredient lists for several vaccinations.

*Check out this website if you
are interested in some vaccine statistics.

*When you're done there, you may want to take a peek at this one
to find a more "user-friendly" schedule for vaccinations.

*And, finally, here are some
quotes which contain some really interesting information on vaccinations.

If any of you are interested in hearing the personal experiences of a couple of celebrity moms, check out this link to Oprah's website from her recent show with Holly Robinson-Peete and Jenny McCarthy. The women were also speaking on the subject of vaccinations and autism during a joint appearance on Larry King Live.

Thanks for sticking it out through my rant! :o) I hope everyone is informed and no one is offended!