Recommended Vaccines for Kids From Birth to 18 Years

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Norton Children’s Medical Group

Schedule an appointment with your child’s pediatrician to ensure they are up to date on recommended vaccines.
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Recommended Pediatric Vaccine Schedule From Birth to 18 Years

Vaccines are an important part of preventing a wide range of serious, preventable and deadly illnesses. For your child to have optimal protection, pediatricians should follow the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention recommended vaccination schedule. The timing of these vaccines is important to help ensure your child is protected before being exposed to an illness. The schedule also meets most school and day care requirements.

These vaccines help strengthen your child’s immune system, teach your child’s body how to react to illness and prevent the spread of illnesses. Vaccines are scientifically proven to be safe and prevent illness, but they are not always 100% able to stop an illness.

  A Norton Children’s Medical Group pediatrician can help you keep your child “on schedule” through yearly well-child checkups.

2 months

Hepatitis B (1 of 3): Protects against hepatitis B, a viral liver infection. Babies who are infected with hepatitis B have a higher risk of developing cancer and deadly infections later in life.

DTaP/Hib/IPV (1 of 4): Five-in-one vaccine or separate vaccines that protect against diphtheria (causes severe difficulty with breathing and swallowing); tetanus (“lockjaw”); pertussis (whooping cough); polio (can cause difficulty walking or breathing); and Haemophilus influenzae type B (can cause serious or life-threatening infections in infants).

Pneumococcal (1 of 4): Protects against 13 types of bacteria that cause pneumonia.

Rotavirus (1 of 3): Vaccine given by mouth that protects against rotavirus, an infection that can cause diarrhea so severe it can require hospitalization.

4 months

DTaP/Hib/IPV (2 of 4)
Hepatitis B (2 of 3)
Pneumococcal (2 of 4)
Rotavirus (2 of 3)

6 months

DTaP/Hib/IPV (3 of 4)
Hepatitis B (3 of 3)
Pneumococcal (3 of 4)
Rotavirus (3 of 3)

12 months

MMR: Protects against measles, mumps and rubella (German measles).

Varicella: Can protect against chickenpox or make infection less severe.

Hepatitis A (1 of 2): Protects against a liver infection caused by the hepatitis A virus.

15 months

DTaP/Hib/IPV (4 of 4)
Pneumococcal (4 of 4)

18 months

Hepatitis A (2 of 2)

4 years

MMRV: Four-in-one vaccine that can protect against measles, mumps, rubella (German measles) and varicella (chickenpox).

DTaP/IPV: Protects against four deadly illnesses: diphtheria, tetanus, pertussis and polio.
9 yearsHPV: Can help prevent various cancers that are caused by human papillomavirus.

11 years

Tdap: Protects against tetanus (lockjaw), diphtheria and pertussis (whooping cough).
 
Meningococcal (1 of 2): Can prevent meningococcaldisease, a group of deadlybacterial illnesses thatincludes meningitis.

HPV (if not administered at age 9): Can help prevent various cancers that are causedby human papillomavirus.

16 years

Meningococcal (2 of 2)

Meningococcal B: Offers additional protection from another group of meningococcal disease (group B).

Annual vaccines and boosters

Influenza (flu): Recommended every year forchildren ages 6 months andolder; given by injection or nasal spray. Kids younger thanfirst time or if they receivedonly one dose in the past. Kidsyounger than age 9 who havehad at least two doses in thepast, and kids older than age 9get one dose.
 
COVID-19: Available to children ages 6 months and older. First dose is given at 6 months, followed by several boosters based on how many doses child has received in the past and the brand of COVID-19 vaccine given.

Benefits of Norton Children’s Medical Group

  • Convenient locations with more than 25 pediatrician offices in Louisville and surrounding areas in Kentucky and Southern Indiana
  • New patients can be seen within 24 hours
  • Same-day sick appointments are available
  • Schedule appointments online, get appointment reminders, communicate with your child’s medical provider, view and request immunization records, refill prescriptions and more through your free Norton MyChart account
  • Night and weekend hours are available
  • Access to Norton Children’s After Hours Care and the after-hours nurse care line
  • Medicaid and most major commercial insurance plans accepted

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