Learn how your pediatrician will follow a vaccination schedule that can help protect your child against potentially deadly infections.

Published: September 10, 2024

Following a childhood immunization schedule can stop many serious, preventable and deadly illnesses. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) recommends following an immunization schedule for your child’s vaccinations. This schedule lays out which shots your child should receive and when they should be administered.

“Childhood vaccines are given at intervals that allow the doses to provide the best immunity early in life, before a child is exposed to potentially life-threatening germs and illnesses,” said Amber L. Pendleton, M.D., pediatrician with Norton Children’s Medical Group.

Vaccines can save your child’s life by protecting them against preventable diseases. They help strengthen your child’s immune system, teach your child’s body how to react to illness and prevent the spread of illnesses. 

Your pediatrician will follow a recommended immunization schedule that can help protect against potentially deadly infections. The vaccination schedule also meets most day care and school immunization requirements. Childhood immunizations include a variety of vaccines, including annual immunizations and boosters.
 

“It’s important for parents to keep their child on a vaccine schedule by attending recommended well-child checkups,” Dr. Pendleton said. 

Vaccines are a key part of public health and keeping your community safe, including schools, neighborhoods and families. Although vaccines are scientifically proven to be safe and prevent illness, they are not always able to stop an illness 100% of the time. For example, while the influenza vaccine does not guarantee your child will not get the flu, the vaccine does minimize the risk of infection and developing severe illness, including hospitalization and death. 

Recommended pediatric vaccine schedule at Norton Children’s Medical Group

Birth

• Hepatitis B: Protects against hepatitis B, a viral liver infection

• Respiratory syncytial virus (RSV): To prevent severe RSV, Beyfortus, a monoclonal antibody, is administered either at birth or at the beginning of RSV season (typically in the fall) for all infants under 8 months, and for some infants 8 to 19 months with risk factors.

2 months 

• DTaP/Hib/IPV/Hep B: Combination vaccine that protects against diphtheria (causes severe difficulty with breathing and swallowing); tetanus (“lockjaw”); pertussis (whooping cough); polio (can cause difficulty walking or breathing); Haemophilus influenzae type B (can cause serious or life-threatening infections in infants); and hepatitis B
• Pneumococcal vaccine: Protects against 20 types of bacteria that cause pneumonia 
• Rotavirus (oral): 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/Hep B
• Pneumococcal
• Rotavirus (oral)

6 months

• DTaP/Hib/IPV/Hep B
• Pneumococcal
• Rotavirus

12 months

• MMR vaccine: Protects against measles, mumps and rubella (German measles) 
• Varicella: Can protect against chickenpox or make infection less severe 
• Hepatitis A: Protects against a liver infection caused by the hepatitis A virus 

15 months

• DTaP/Hib/IPV
• Pneumococcal

18 months

• Hepatitis A

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 years

• HPV vaccine: Can help prevent various cancers that are caused by HPV. A second dose is recommended six months later.
  
  

11 years 

• Tdap: Protects against tetanus (lockjaw), diphtheria and pertussis (whooping cough)
• Meningococcal ACWY: Can prevent meningococcal disease, a group of deadly bacterial illnesses that includes meningitis 
• HPV (if not administered at age 9): Can help prevent various cancers that are caused by HPV 

16 years

• Meningococcal ACWY
• Meningococcal B: Offers additional protection from another group of meningococcal disease (group B). A second dose is recommended six months later.

Annual vaccines and boosters

• Influenza (flu): Recommended every year for children ages 6 months and older; given by injection or nasal spray. Kids younger than age 9 get two doses for the first time or if they received only one dose in the past. Kids younger than age 9 who have had at least two doses in the past, and kids older than age 9 get 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.

If you have questions or concerns about a recommended vaccine, be sure to discuss them with your child’s pediatrician. Your child’s provider can share additional vaccine information with you, including the benefits of vaccination and vaccine safety.