[pitterpatter3]

Not quite sure were to post this and hope it won't offend anyone.
There is a group of women where I live who practice a style of parenting similiar to mine and I have joined their facebook page. They have a weekly playgroup and often catch up at other times of the week. I am yet to go to any of their playgroups/dates.
The other day I noticed on their facebook page several of the mothers commenting their children weren't vaccinated. My children are vaccinated and they are 18 mths and 3.5 yrs old. I am pretty uneducated in this department and wondered if I would be putting my kids at risk by regularly having my children interact with non-vaccinated children?
I am not looking for a debate about vaccination or to offend anyone. I just would like to be better educated about the risk of regular interaction with non-vaccinated children, given the ages of my children.

[SeaPrincess]

Your children will come into contact with unvaccinated children. They may even contract a disease for which they have been vaccinated (one of my vaccinated children got chicken pox in kindy, the other vaccinated child didn't catch it, the unvaccinated baby did).

Unvaccinated children wouldn't put me off, but with my feelings on vaccination, the mothers probably wouldn't want me there for long - I have a tendency to shut down vaccination conversations when I mention that my brother died from what is now a vaccine-preventable disease.

[ubermum]

Given your children's ages, and my assumption that they have been vaccinated according to the schedule, they should be pretty safe. If they do come into contact with a vaccine preventable illness, so long as they have seroconverted in response to their vaccinations (developed antibodies), at worst they may get a mild version of the illness. Some people do not seroconvert to some immunisations and are always at risk of contracting them. Only a blood test can tell this. However, your children will encounter people who have not been immunised, or whose immunity has waned in everyday life anyway.

My problem would be associating with whack job parents who have "done their research" and are not immunising because of whatever conspiracy theory they believe.

[ekbaby]

If your children have been vaccinated then their risk of contracting those diseases is low (not 0%, but most vaccines are at least 80% effective)

IME most parents who choose not to vaccinate are pretty cautious about spreading transmissible diseases, more so than a lot of vaxxing parents I know - eg excluding themselves from things when their kid has a cough, observing quarantine periods for things like Whooping Cough. Whereas many ppl assume "oh my kids been vaccinated, they couldn't possibly have WC" and then pass it on (most cases are passed on by vaxxed kids)

This is not to start a debate about effectiveness of vaxxing (personally I do vax). IMO it is good for all playgroups /parents groups to have a bit of a discussion about "ground rules" for illness and attendance - ie how long to stay away after gastro

In my limited experience, my non-vaxxing friends have been much more cautious in that respect

[pitterpatter3]

To be honest I am also concerned about having a difference of a opinion. The reason I am uneducated about the riskswith interacting regularly with the same group of unvaccinated kids is because for me it was a no brainer to have my children vaccinated. I would never take that risk.
In many ways I am alternative with my parenting style and I do believe each to their own and do what works for you....but I don't agree with non-vaccination. I have no problem discussing it but as there was several (about five) mothers who chose not to vaccinate their kids I would be very uncomfortable to argue/defend why I vaccinated my children.
I would like to have friends who share my parenting style but the non-vaccination has made me stop and be a little cautious.

[soontobegran]

Your vaccinated children would be at little risk however I would be going nowhere near there with a new born or if I had a child or close family member who had compromised immunity, just like PP I think I would have trouble relating with the anti vaxxing mums and they with me. I am pretty opinionated when it comes to vaccinations just as most anti vaxxers are too, I see it as a recipe for disaster even though I know it is just one facet of these people's parenting choices.
I wouldn't dislike the people, but I dislike the choices and the frustration I felt would probably be obvious which is unfair to the dynamics of the group.

[naturalgoodness]

In the playgroups and similar that I have been to, vaccination is not a topic regularly discussed so I would not have known who was and who wasn't vaccinated. There was never a conversation where anyone had to defend their position.

To be honest, I have had bigger issues than vaccination with some parenting choices made by other parents and it doesn't/hasn't stopped me attending these types of things.

I would suggest you go and see how you feel about it. I have felt the same way (being the non-vaccinator) when potentially entering a situation full of vaccinators and have not had an issue

[purplekitty]

I agree with what STBG has said about the particular circumstances where I would be concerned.

In the playgroups and similar that I have been to, vaccination is not a topic regularly discussed so I would not have known who was and who wasn't vaccinated. There was never a conversation where anyone had to defend their position.

My Bold
Have you told them you don't vaccinate particularly if there are newborns , pregnant women or other health conditions?
I would think that might generate at least some discussion about ground rules and expectations in the group,vaccinated or not.

[Mumma Mash]

I don't get it. Kids who are vaccinated are the ones carrying the disease... Not the other way around.
I think you need to get educated in both vaccinated and non vaccinated to settle you're nerves.

[purplekitty]

I don't get it. Kids who are vaccinated are the ones carrying the disease... Not the other way around.
I think you need to get educated in both vaccinated and non vaccinated to settle you're nerves.

Please explain what you mean.