Granted I come from a family with three doctors, two of whom are pediatricians, but I always get it, and my kids always do. To me, especially for the little ones who are more likely to end up hospitalized (or worse) than healthy adults due to the flu, the benefits far outweigh the risks. Yes, it won't necessarily protect you against all strains of the flu, nor does it protect against the stomach bug (aka the "stomach flu" which is not really the flu). A lot of people I know will say, I only got the flu shot once, and I got sick afterwards. It's important to note that it starts being effective two or three weeks past the shot, so it's still possible to get the flu strain you just got vaccinated for. It's highly unlikely that the shot itself will make you sick. The shot is also not an excuse to stop taking other precautions against getting sick.

Like I said, I've gotten the shot for years but haven't had the flu since, well, I can't remember. My husband neglected to get it last year and got the flu. He was knocked out for a solid week! Both our son and I thankfully did not get it, and I'm not sure whether or not to attribute that to the shot. Once my husband got better he got the shot. It could all be pure luck, though.

Frankly I know my father, brother, and BIL (the doctors) would not intentionally put us in harm's way and want us to be as healthy as possible, and they have always recommended getting it.

That's just my two cents, and I don't judge those who choose not to get it.

We aren't getting flu shots.

I did get it when I was pregnant, Max was born in October and my doctor said it would be a good idea for him to have immunity via me when he was teeny tiny.

This year we are going au naturale, we tend to be a healthy bunch, so we'll see how it goes.

We never used to get the flu shot prior kids. I think a healthy adult should able to fight off the flu in case you get it. Albeit I never had the flu in my life.
However small kids especially babies immune systems are much weaker. My kids born in november and december, and I got the flu shot when I was pg with them, so they have the immunity for the first 6 months of their life.
My personal family rule is , if there is a kid under 2 yrs old in the family, everybody has to have the shot.

The flu mist is the best type of immunization, safest and most effective for kids between 2 and 7 yr old, so after age 2, the kids get the flue mist, and adult do not have to have the shot anymore.

I probably will stop with the flu mist once they turn 6 or 7.

Nobody ever had the flu in our family before we started to get immunize , and nobody got it after either. I got strep throat 2 yrs ago, but that is irrelevant as that is a bacterial infection. Plus it was pre flu season and I didn't get the shot yet that year.

We get them now. I never thought about it until pregnancy and since I had other health issues, the docs wanted to do everything they could to maintain the pregnancy. Sounded like serious business so I relented. I'm usually good for the flu about once a season so I figured "why not?" it'll be a good test. I didn't get the flu that year. That following spring I gave birth to my daughter, 7 weeks early, and even though she was solidly out of the NICU and very healthy that fall, the docs at the hospital called to make sure we were all going to get the shots again. I figured they worked their tails off to keep momma and baby healthy, I wasn't going to question this one thing when we had already been through so much. It's been three years and no one in our family has gotten the flu. Like I said, flu was just a part of winter for me so this has actually been really nice.

Our son (9 months) got his last Friday. To be honest, he's been sick ever since (runny nose/coughing), which could be a coincidence. However, I'll take a snotty nose any day over my baby having the flu...

I know there are a lot of people out there who are against vaccines. This is just my personal opinion. I work in a school as a teacher and the assistant director. I teach Pre-K II's (kids who are about to graduate to kindergarten). Every year when the flu hits I see the younger ones get it and they are SO sick. I've seen kids hospitalized from it, and miss a couple weeks to recuperate. So IMO the flu shot is worth it. I get one every year and never get the flu, and my husband got one this year too to help protect our newborn daughter from getting it as she is too little to vaccinate just yet.

IMO if she hasn't got a temperature or a hacking cough I would go get the shot or if she's only got a runny nose and an occasional cough I'd go get the shot. Flu is soooo much worse than a cold.

At this time of year, I'd want my child to get the shot even if he had a cold or sinus infection. I think it's a big deal if they have something worse, but sometimes if you keep waiting, you'll never get a chance!