As a parent, ensuring the best for your child is your top priority. From feeding them nutritious meals to providing a loving and safe environment, you do everything in your power to help them grow into happy and healthy individuals.
One crucial aspect of this is following the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention’s (CDC) recommended immunization schedule. With so much conflicting information out there about vaccinations, it can be overwhelming for parents to navigate through what is best for their child.
In this blog, we will help you understand the importance of a child’s immunization schedule, the vaccines your child will need, and how to keep track of their vaccines.
Why Immunization is Important
Immunizations are very important for keeping your child safe from serious illnesses. Vaccines help the body learn to fight off certain diseases. By following the recommended vaccine schedule, you can make sure your child stays protected from diseases that can be prevented.
Getting your child vaccinated not only keeps them safe but also helps protect other children who might be too young or unable to get some vaccines. This community protection helps keep everyone healthy.
Diseases like measles, mumps, and whooping cough can be very serious and even life-threatening for kids. By sticking to the recommended immunization schedule for your child, can help stop these diseases from spreading.
Understanding Your Child’s Immunization Schedule
The CDC’s recommended vaccine schedule might seem confusing at first, but it’s made to protect your child when they are most vulnerable. It makes sure vaccines for kids are given at the best time for them to work well.
The vaccine schedule is broken into stages, starting from birth and going through the teenage years. Each stage focuses on diseases your child is at risk for at that time.
Birth to 6 Months
In the first six months, your child will get several important vaccines. These shots protect against diseases that can be especially dangerous for young babies.
One of the first vaccines your child will get is for hepatitis B, which is given soon after birth. It helps protect against a virus that can harm the liver.
The DTaP vaccine protects against three diseases: diphtheria, tetanus, and whooping cough. Your child will get several doses of this vaccine in their first six months of life.
Other important vaccines for kids during this time include the rotavirus vaccine, which stops a virus causing severe diarrhea, and the Hib vaccine, which protects against bacteria that can lead to meningitis.
6 to 12 Months
Between six and twelve months of age, your baby will get important vaccines to keep them safe. One is the pneumococcal vaccine, which helps protect against bacteria that can cause pneumonia and other infections. This vaccine is given in several doses over a few months.
Another vaccine is the annual influenza shot, recommended from six months of age, to protect against the flu, which can be harmful to young kids. Your baby will also receive the MMR vaccine, which guards against measles, mumps, and rubella—serious diseases that need to be prevented.
12 to 24 Months
In the second year of their life, your child will get booster shots to stay protected. The varicella vaccine, given between 12 and 15 months, protects against chickenpox, which can cause a rash and sometimes lead to complications like pneumonia.
Boosters for the DTaP, Hib, and pneumococcal vaccines help maintain their immunity. The hepatitis A vaccine starts at 12 months in two doses and protects against a virus that can affect the liver.
2 to 6 Years
As your child grows, they’ll continue to get vaccines according to the immunization schedule recommended by CDC to stay protected.
The MMR and varicella vaccines are given again as boosters between four and six years of age to ensure long-term immunity against measles, mumps, rubella, and chickenpox. A booster for the DTaP vaccine will also be administered to maintain protection against diphtheria, tetanus, and pertussis.
Other vaccines during this time include the polio vaccine and a yearly flu shot to keep your child healthy.
7 to 12 Years
During elementary school, your child will get vaccines to protect them as they grow into teenagers. Starting at 11 or 12 years of age, the HPV vaccine is recommended for kids.
This vaccine helps protect against the human papillomavirus, which can cause some cancers. Your child will also receive a booster shot of the meningococcal vaccine, which guards against bacteria that can lead to meningitis, an important protection as they enter adolescence.
An annual flu shot is still important to prevent seasonal flu.
13 to 18 Years
As teenagers, your child will continue receiving vaccines to stay protected from different diseases.
At 11 or 12, children receive a Tdap booster to maintain protection against tetanus, diphtheria, and pertussis. At 16, they get another meningococcal vaccine booster to safeguard against meningitis during their teenage years.
Completing the HPV vaccine series during this time is necessary for full protection against the human papillomavirus.
Keeping Track of Vaccinations
Managing your child’s vaccination schedule can be tricky, but there are helpful tools and resources. Your child’s healthcare provider will keep records of your child’s vaccines and give you a personal immunization record.
It’s important to keep this record updated and bring it to each medical visit. There are also apps and online tools to help you track your child’s vaccines, providing reminders for the next vaccine and helping you stay organized.
Child Immunizations in Purchase, NY
At Westchester Park Pediatrics, we provide your child with top-quality pediatric care, ensuring they stay up-to-date with their immunizations. We understand that managing your child’s vaccinations can seem overwhelming, but we’re here to support you every step of the way.
Our experienced team of healthcare providers is dedicated to ensuring your child receives all necessary vaccines on time, keeping them safe and healthy.
For more information on immunizations, book an appointment by calling us at (914) 761-1717 or make an appointment using our online form. We look forward to serving you!
