I'm very worried about my husband and I getting the flu and passing it on to our 5 1/2 month old son.  He's too young to get the flu shot yet.  I've read that if i'm sick I can still breastfeed but i'm so worried about being anywhere near him if i'm sick. Besides washing my hands frequently and using clorox wipes on everything in our house, anyone have any other tips...thanks!

You and your husband need to get the flu shot (Seasonal and H1N1) to protect your baby. Do not let anyone who does not have the shot touch your baby either.

It's actually great if you breastfeed if you have the flu because you will be passing the antibodies on to your child through your breast milk, but not the germs (breast milk is sterile).  This will effectively immunize him. 

I would recommend that rather than not permitting anyone who doesn't have the shot near your baby (this is pretty uncontrollable) that you insist on frequent handwashing and avoid places where you can't keep your baby pretty clean.  This would include places like indoor playgrounds at the mall, etc.  If you are participating in any classes like music or Gymboree, or even a church nursery, you might check with the organization providing the class on what their policy is on cleaning toys and instruments and keeping sick children at home.  I know at our church we had a rotating schedule for cleaning the toys in the nursery, policies for diaper changing, etc., and a special receptacle for toys that had been in children's mouths that would stay out of circulation till they had been thoroughly cleaned.

People who have been immunized can still pass flu on to your son if they haven't washed their hands by passing on whatever germs they've gotten from being out and about (using a store pen to sign a credit card slip, handling money, or being in contact with other children, etc.), so making sure people wash or use hand sanitizer will always be your most effective means of protecting your family.  Because the vaccines have been in such short supply most of the people you come in contact with will not be immunized till December, so it will not be in the least bit helpful to find out if people have been immunized.  They probably haven't. 

You probably have a lot less to worry about than you think.  My oldest daughter never got sick with anything till she was about 18 mos and interacting more with other children.  My two younger sons were both sick in their first months because of what their older siblings brought home to them.  If you are sick while breastfeeding, be extra careful about drinking plenty of fluids (especially if you are taking any kind of medications for congestion) to protect your own health and your milk supply.  Otherwise, you are probably doing everything you need to do and can relax and enjoy your sweet baby.  :)