Flu 'mist' vs. Flu shot...what to do?

I am wondering how kiddos do with the nose spray vs. the shot. Guessing that my almost 2 years olds will hate both, so trying to pick the lesser of 2 evils

Anyones little ones get the nose spray instead of the shot?

Thanks in advance for any info on the mist/spray!

 

My pediatrician's office told us that our kids were too young for the Flu Mist (they were 20 months when we did it), so we were stuck with the shot. The good news is, my DD barely flinched and DS cried for a couple of seconds.
My BF will request the flu mist for her boys, who are older, and one prefers the flu mist and the other rather have the shot.

 

We have always gotten the shot. Never had a problem with it. The girls tried the mist this year. One got a very runny nose, the other got a mild case of the flu, fever and everything. We'll be going back to the shot next year.

 

I think our kids are too young for it to be a choice? I thought they had to be 2 or 3 minimum.

 

They have to be two years old to get the mist. From my pedi's website:

***VERY IMPORTANT: YOU MUST BE 2 YEARS OF AGE OR OLDER AND CANNOT HAVE ANY HISTORY OF ASTHMA, WHEEZING, OR EGG ALLERGY TO RECEIVE THE MIST*** If you received the seasonal flu mist, you must wait 30 days before receiving the H1N1 flu mist. Please call the office to schedule an appointment.

 

Shot it is! Thanks ladies :good:
That is weird (and bad) that the nurse offered the mist when I made the appointment? Maybe she didn't realized they weren't 2? :umm:

 

We just got the shot. DS has asthma so he can't have the mist.

 

the other thing to know is that the mist uses a live version of the virus while the shot only uses virus proteins. here's some info from Dr. Sears' website (i like it because it's very clearly laid out) although this particular article is about the H1N1 vaccine & not the seasonal flu vaccine.

 

Thanks for the link to the Dr. Sears site, Rachel!

 

A friend of mine found out the hard way, that if you use the FluMist, you can't be around anyone with a compromised immune system for 30 days. For her, it meant they had to stay away from her father--undergoing treatment for cancer for a full month. Needless to say, she will never use the FluMist again.