Product Details

• Amazon Sales Rank: #179 in Books
• Published on: 2007-10-22
• Original language: English
• Number of items: 1
• Binding: Paperback
• 304 pages

From Publishers Weekly
Sears, coauthor of several books in the Sears Parenting series, addresses one of today's most controversial and worrisome questions. Sears' goal is "to give you a balanced look at pros and cons of vaccination so that you can make an educated decision." Sears does not advocate for or rail against vaccination, stating it doesn't have to be an all or nothing decision-there are choices. The first 12 chapters discuss each vaccination in the childhood series, providing explanation of the relative disease, how the vaccine is made and points to assess a child's at-risk level when considering if the vaccine is necessary. Sears does offer guidance for those who are indecisive, offering his opinion based on clinical experience and 13 years of research taken from product inserts, pediatric reference books, articles and databases. Additional chapters illuminate more controversial aspects of the debate, such as how vaccine safety is researched and what the findings are, side effects and how to minimize them, common myths and questions. As always, Sears' tone puts readers at ease as he clearly explains medical terms and elucidates debates.
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Review
It's the most evenhanded and thorough look at baby immunizations we've yet seen. (Babytalk )

An exhaustively researched guidebook. (Newsday )

About the Author
Robert Sears is a board certified pediatrician in private practice with his father, William Sears. He received his medical degree from Georgetown University and completed his pediatric training at Children's Hospital in Los Angeles. He is the co-author of The Baby Book (revised edition), The Premature Baby Book, and The Baby Sleep Book.

Customer Reviews

Very Informative & Helpful
This is a great book because it is neither for vaccines nor against them-it just presents as much information as possible and leads the reader to his or her own conclusion. Now I feel a bit educated on the issue when my son's pediatrician presents his "convincing" side of the story (pro- all vaccines).

The most helpful parts of the book are Dr. Sear's Selective & Alternative vaccine schedules. This informs parents of their options besides (1) getting all vaccines on the AAP's schedule, or (2) declining all vaccines.

a good start
This book compiles information that is a good beginning when trying to learn about vaccinations and whether or not they're right for you and your child. Not the difinitive guide though.

Objective information
I must preface this review with the disclosure that I am personally in agreement with much of the information and views presented in the Sears' parenting library. I have been reading this book as I prepare to have my second child vaccinated. I will have my children vaccinated because we travel internationally to the developing world where diseases that are not common in the U.S. are still present, however, I am planning on a modified schedule due to information I am now aware of that contraindicates (in my opinion, based on my research) the CDC schedule. My first child, who is now four years old, was vaccinated using the schedule recommended by the CDC, which I have since come to be somewhat skeptical of. I appreciate the objectivity with with Dr. Sears presents information about the vaccination schedule. Perhaps more importantly I appreciate his objective assessment of the risks involved in vaccinating or not vaccinating for the different diseases. If you are also interested in knowing more about the pros and cons of the myriad vaccinations this is a good resource for your library. Based on additional research I have done on the subject Dr. Sear's book is a valuable resource for your library.