The Vaccine Book: Making the Right Decision for Your Child

I have read many books on the dangers of vaccines, but this is the only one that presents the info in an objective, non-judgemental way. The first part of the book goes through each vaccine, in the order that your child will receive them, and gives a brief history on the vaccine, the danger of the actual disease that the vaccination is for, how the vaccine is made (very useful if your child has any allergies) and of course the controversial ingredients. The second part of the book covers vaccine safety research, and sometimes lack thereof. He also goes through all of the diseases for which we are vaccinated, and the statistics of contracting each disease in our general population. The third part of the book covers vaccine side effects, what to do if your child has a reaction, and what to do to minimize the chances that your child will have a negative reaction. The last part of the book goes through all of the questionable and sometimes unnecessary ingredients that are added to vaccines, and has a great chapter on the myths and questions that people have about vaccines. The most useful part of this book, and the reason it is a must have for every parent, regardless of your beliefs in vaccinations, is that Dr. Sears includes a completely non-judgemental chapter on parents who delay or decline vaccinations along with 2 alternate vaccine schedules...one he thinks are 'must have' vaccines if you don't want to do the full vaccine schedule, and the other is the full vaccine schedule, but spaced out in such a way that it will help reduce negative effects. I would recommend buying this book before you have your child, but as long as your child is still receiving vaccinations you can switch to the modified schedule at any time. It sounds like tedious information, but it is presented in a way that made me read this book from cover to cover effortlessly.

I was searching for an alternative vaccination schedule for my child and one that excluded unnecessary vaccines. This book gave me that plus very detailed information about each vaccine and a balanced approach to the subject. I thought the information regarding aluminum and other ingredients was priceless. I searched for a long time to find a book that explained this frightening process in a very reasonable and sound manner. I would recommend this book to every parent.

As soon as I heard Dr. Bob Sears would be releasing a book to help parents make vaccine decisions, I pre-ordered it and waited two months for it to be published and arrive on my doorstep. The Vaccine Book was well worth the wait. Finally, I was able to read detailed information about each vaccine choice available for my children. Dr. Sears thoroughly investigates all the options and lays them on the table for parents to decide. I worried that this approach might be a little wishy washy and leave me with more questions than answers, but he manages to get everything out there. I've read plenty of pro-vax and no-vax literature. Most is either staunchly against any immunizations or suggests that parents should ask no questions and just do what the nice doctor says. There are even a few things written somewhere in between, in which the authors present their recommendations. It's hard to find something that presents all the facts so parents can make educated decisions. This book did it for me. The Vaccine Book is very readable. Dr. Sears writes in language a layperson like me can easily understand. His conversational style makes it feel like he's sitting and talking to me. He's even a little funny at times. I especially enjoy his use of Star Trek wisdom (p. 220). He goes through each of the 12 standard vaccine choices and answers the same questions for each vaccine-preventable disease: Is it common? Is it serious? Is it treatable? When is the vaccine given? How is the vaccine made? What ingredients are in the final solution? (Including "Are any of these ingredients controversial?") What are the side effects? Should you give your baby this vaccine? (Includes reasons to get it, reasons some people choose not to, travel considerations, and options to consider when getting it.) He ends each chapter with "The way I see it" summarizing key factors, yet he does not send a message that parents must do it one way or another. He covers special vaccines for travel and combination vaccines that reduce the number of shots given. There's a chapter for parents who decide to delay or decline vaccinations and one called "What Should I Do Now?" He offers Dr. Bob's Alternative Vaccine Schedule near the end of the book. It ends with 20 pages of additional resources in which he summarizes journal articles. Reading The Vaccine Book left me confident I could make the right vaccination decisions for each of my children. And a big plus for me: He recognizes breastfeeding as a way to reduce disease risk. On his list of eight ways to boost your child's immune system, "breastfeed" is No. 1. The web site www.thevaccinebook.com promises online updates to the book as vaccines and data change. There's also a forum, blog and other resources.

Finally, some trustworthy information about vaccinations. I just got this book in the mail yesterday, but once I started reading, I was so excited to hear a doctor acknowledge that it is reasonable for parents to be wary of vaccinations and to decide against some of them, that I have read most of it already. The information about flu shots was especially valuable to me, because I didn't know most of it. I was delighted to read that Dr. Sears believes it is a good idea to space out vaccinations for infants and as a mother my instincts told me that from the get go. I feel very vindicated after a very long struggle with our Pediatricians. I also really appreciate the recommended vaccine list that Dr. Sears puts in this book and I think it is the best guide a parent can have. I am so thankful that Dr. Sears decided to write this book and I couldn't be happier with it's contents. It's not pro-vaccine and it's not anti-vaccine. It really takes into account all of the information that is out there about vaccines and definitely takes into account the things that scare many parents away from vaccines. Thank you, Dr. Sears. I have been waiting for a book like this for a very long time.