KidsDirect

Where Children are our Priority

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      • Breast Milk vs. Formula Chart
      • Common Breastfeeding Problems
      • Breastfeeding Myths
      • Is My Baby Getting Enough Milk?
      • Why Breastfeed?
      • Suggestions for Successful Breastfeeding
      • Breastfeeding Techniques
  • Pregnancy
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    • Month to Month Diary
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      • Month 12 (Second Month after Birth)
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    • Losing Your Temper: Why Parents Blow It and How to Recover
    • How Can I Keep My Child Safe from Things I Don’t Want Them to See?
    • Go To This Assistant’s Fundamental Rules
    • How Can I Keep My Child Safe?
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    • Experts
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        • Dr. Heller’s CV
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        • Dr. Naseef’s CV
        • Healing Broken Dreams
        • You Will Dream New Dreams
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        • Reflections on Fathers’ Day
      • Dr. Daniel Ravel
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Vaccine Additives

Vaccines often contain antibiotics as well as preservatives to prevent bacteria from growing, stabilizers to maintain the vaccine’s effectiveness, and adjuvants to stimulate production of antibodies. Although present only in minute amounts, these additives play an important role in vaccines. Some vaccine additives, such as thimerosal, aluminum, and formaldehyde, are controversial.

Antibiotics

Antibiotics prevent germs from growing in the vaccine cultures.  Neomycin is commonly used, but penicillin and related antibiotics are not used in vaccines because many people are allergic to them.

Preservatives

Vaccine vials that contain several doses need preservatives because each time a needle enters the vial there is a risk of contamination.  Thimerosal is an extremely good preservative, but it is controversial because almost half of its contents is mercury, which is known to cause developmental problems in children when taken in large enough quantities. Formaldehyde, or formalin, is used to inactivate the polio vaccine virus in IPV and to kill germs in the cultures used to produce other vaccines.

Stabilizers

Stabilizers maintain vaccine effectiveness despite heat, light, or other adverse conditions. Sulfites and monosodium glutamate (MSG), also found in many foods and alcoholic beverages, are used to stabilize some vaccines.

Adjuvants

Aluminum, in the form of aluminum gels or salts of aluminum, is added to vaccines to help prompt antibodies to respond. For example, tetanus and diphtheria toxoids and pertussis vaccine are bound to aluminum salts.

This information is excerpted from the book Vaccinating Your Child: Questions and Answers for the Concerned Parent (Peachtree Publishers, Ltd., 2000). The book’s authors are Dr. Sharon G. Humiston, a pediatrician and clinical researcher at the CDC and the University of Rochester, and Cynthia Good, an award-winning journalist and host of the television show “Good for Parents”.

Prenatal Tools

  • Pregnancy and Prenatal Tools
    • Ovulation Calculator
    • Basal Body Temperature
    • Conception Date Calculator
    • Baby Due Date Calculator
    • Pregnancy Weekly Calculator
    • Make a Birth Plan
    • Pregnancy Follower
    • Prenatal Appointment Timeline
    • Chinese Birth Chart
    • Pregnancy Weight Gain Chart
  • Boys Baby Names
  • Car Seat Buying Guide
  • Changing Diapers
  • Menstrual Cycle
  • Breast Milk vs. Formula Chart
  • Ultimate Breastfeeding Guide

Postnatal Tools

  • Breastfeeding Guide
    • Why Breastfeed?
    • Breastfeeding Myths
    • Breastfeeding Techniques
    • Breast Milk vs. Formula Chart
    • Breast Milk Leakage
    • Suggestions for Successful Breastfeeding
  • Boys Baby Names
  • Girls’ Names with Meanings
  • Girl Baby Names
  • Childproofing
  • Age 1
  • Car Seat Buying Guide
  • Circumcision – Decision
  • Day Care Info
  • Diaper Rash Decoder
  • Attachment Parenting Reduces S.I.D.S.
  • Infants and Babies
    • Newborn Babies and Pets
    • Marilyn’s Q & A for Infants
    • Month 11 (First Month after Birth)
    • Month 12 (Second Month after Birth)
    • How Do Vaccines Work?
    • Holding Your Baby Safely
    • Sleeping Habits
    • S.I.D.S.
    • S.I.D.S. and Sleeping with Your Baby
  • Kid Height Predictor
  • Vaccines
  • Safe Eating Tips

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