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The childhood vaccine schedule is a list of all the vaccines your child needs as they grow and develop, and the exact ages for when they should happen. Experts choose the times based on when each vaccine will best protect your child. Your pediatrician will tell you if your child needs any additional vaccines or doses to meet their health needs.
The childhood vaccine schedule (also called an immunization schedule) is a list of vaccines your child should have at specific ages. Infectious disease experts recommend your child gets these vaccines to protect them from serious — potentially life-threatening — diseases and their complications.
You might be wondering how important it is for your child to follow the schedule of immunizations. It’s very important because the timing of each vaccine affects how well it can protect your child. Experts develop and update this schedule based on the latest science. They choose vaccination ages according to:
Your child will get their vaccines at routine well-check visits. Following the well-check schedule means your child will stay on track with vaccines. But it’s still helpful to know which vaccines your child needs and at what ages. So, let’s dive a little deeper.
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Your child will get most of their immunizations by their second birthday — and a good chunk of these occur during their first year of life. Infants are vulnerable to many different diseases that could cause serious illness or even death. So, following the infant vaccine schedule (birth through 12 months) is crucial for protecting your baby.
Most childhood vaccines happen at a certain age or series of ages and then they’re done. But there are a couple of exceptions. Experts recommend an influenza (flu) vaccine and a COVID-19 vaccine at regular intervals starting at 6 months of age — and continuing throughout childhood and adolescence.
The flu vaccine is yearly. Your pediatrician will tell you how often your child needs the COVID-19 vaccine based on their age and the latest science.
Below is a list of childhood vaccines by age. Experts recommend most children follow this schedule. Your pediatrician will tell you if your child needs any additional vaccines or doses based on their health status or other risk factors.
RSV antibody technically isn’t a vaccine, as it provides ready-made protection. This makes it different from a vaccine, which trains your baby’s immune system to create antibodies. So, providers call it an immunization. But most people use the words interchangeably.
Your child can have these vaccines starting at age 4 but a little later is OK, too — up until their 6th birthday. Your pediatrician can advise you on appropriate timing and help make sure your child gets all the vaccines they need before turning 6.
The childhood vaccine schedule includes 15 different immunizations (shots or drops). Some vaccines protect against more than one disease. Some require more than one dose.
It may help to know that pediatricians can use combination vaccines to decrease the number of shots your child gets at a single appointment. For example, your pediatrician can give your child Vaxelis® at the two-, four- and six-month visits. Vaxelis combines DTaP, HepB, Hib and IPV into one injection.
This might feel like a lot to you, especially during your baby’s first year when they’re getting multiple vaccines at a single appointment. But most vaccines happen early in life so kids can get the protection when they’re most vulnerable.
Thanks to advances in medical science, your child can avoid disease complications that caused serious illness or death for many people in the past. Each time your child receives a vaccine, it’s like giving them another layer of armor that’ll protect them as they grow up.
The chart below lists childhood immunizations, the disease complications they protect against and typical dosing and ages.
| Immunization | Disease complications it protects your child from | Typical dosing and ages |
|---|---|---|
| Hepatitis B (HepB) | Chronic liver infection, liver failure, liver cancer, death. | Three-dose series at birth, 1 to 2 months and 6 to 18 months. |
| RSV antibody (Nirsevimab) | Pneumonia, bronchiolitis. | One dose between birth and 8 months (if no maternal antibodies). |
| Rotavirus (RV5, RV1) | Severe diarrhea, dehydration, death. | Three-dose series at 2 months, 4 months and 6 months OR two-dose series at 2 months and 4 months. |
| Diphtheria, tetanus, and acellular pertussis (DTaP) | Heart muscle swelling, heart failure, coma, paralysis, seizures, broken bones, trouble breathing, pneumonia, death. | Five-dose series at 2 months, 4 months, 6 months, 15 to 18 months and 4 to 6 years. |
| Haemophilus influenzae type B (Hib) | Brain damage, hearing loss, limb loss, death. | Four-dose series at 2 months, 4 months, 6 months and 12 to 15 months OR three-dose series at 2 months, 4 months and 12 to 15 months. |
| Pneumococcal conjugate (PCV15, PCV20) | Pneumonia, blood poisoning, meningitis, death. | Four-dose series at 2 months, 4 months, 6 months and 12 to 15 months. |
| Inactivated poliovirus (IPV) | Paralysis, death. | Four-dose series at 2 months, 4 months, 6 to 18 months and 4 to 6 years. |
| COVID-19 | Pneumonia, blood clots, liver damage, heart damage, kidney damage, long COVID, death. | One or more doses starting at 6 months (follow pediatrician’s guidance). |
| Influenza (IIV) | Pneumonia, sinus infection, ear infection, worsened underlying conditions (heart or lung), death. | One dose yearly starting at 6 months. |
| Measles, mumps, rubella (MMR) | Brain swelling, pneumonia, swollen testicles or ovaries, deafness, death. | Two-dose series at 12 to 15 months and 4 to 6 years. |
| Varicella (VAR) | Infected sores, brain swelling, pneumonia, death. | Two-dose series at 12 to 15 months and 4 to 6 years. |
| Hepatitis A (HepA) | Liver failure, death. | Two-dose series between 12 and 23 months (gap of at least six months). |
| Tetanus, diphtheria, and acellular pertussis (Tdap) | Heart muscle swelling, heart failure, coma, paralysis, seizures, broken bones, trouble breathing, pneumonia, death. | One dose at 11 to 12 years. |
| Human papillomavirus (HPV) | Genital warts, cancer (including cancer of the cervix, mouth and throat). | Two-dose series at 11 to 12 years (gap of at least five months). |
| Meningococcal (MenACWY) | Limb loss, deafness, seizures, death. | Two-dose series at 11 to 12 years and 16 years. |
| Immunization | ||
| Hepatitis B (HepB) | ||
| Disease complications it protects your child from | ||
| Chronic liver infection, liver failure, liver cancer, death. | ||
| Typical dosing and ages | ||
| Three-dose series at birth, 1 to 2 months and 6 to 18 months. | ||
| RSV antibody (Nirsevimab) | ||
| Disease complications it protects your child from | ||
| Pneumonia, bronchiolitis. | ||
| Typical dosing and ages | ||
| One dose between birth and 8 months (if no maternal antibodies). | ||
| Rotavirus (RV5, RV1) | ||
| Disease complications it protects your child from | ||
| Severe diarrhea, dehydration, death. | ||
| Typical dosing and ages | ||
| Three-dose series at 2 months, 4 months and 6 months OR two-dose series at 2 months and 4 months. | ||
| Diphtheria, tetanus, and acellular pertussis (DTaP) | ||
| Disease complications it protects your child from | ||
| Heart muscle swelling, heart failure, coma, paralysis, seizures, broken bones, trouble breathing, pneumonia, death. | ||
| Typical dosing and ages | ||
| Five-dose series at 2 months, 4 months, 6 months, 15 to 18 months and 4 to 6 years. | ||
| Haemophilus influenzae type B (Hib) | ||
| Disease complications it protects your child from | ||
| Brain damage, hearing loss, limb loss, death. | ||
| Typical dosing and ages | ||
| Four-dose series at 2 months, 4 months, 6 months and 12 to 15 months OR three-dose series at 2 months, 4 months and 12 to 15 months. | ||
| Pneumococcal conjugate (PCV15, PCV20) | ||
| Disease complications it protects your child from | ||
| Pneumonia, blood poisoning, meningitis, death. | ||
| Typical dosing and ages | ||
| Four-dose series at 2 months, 4 months, 6 months and 12 to 15 months. | ||
| Inactivated poliovirus (IPV) | ||
| Disease complications it protects your child from | ||
| Paralysis, death. | ||
| Typical dosing and ages | ||
| Four-dose series at 2 months, 4 months, 6 to 18 months and 4 to 6 years. | ||
| COVID-19 | ||
| Disease complications it protects your child from | ||
| Pneumonia, blood clots, liver damage, heart damage, kidney damage, long COVID, death. | ||
| Typical dosing and ages | ||
| One or more doses starting at 6 months (follow pediatrician’s guidance). | ||
| Influenza (IIV) | ||
| Disease complications it protects your child from | ||
| Pneumonia, sinus infection, ear infection, worsened underlying conditions (heart or lung), death. | ||
| Typical dosing and ages | ||
| One dose yearly starting at 6 months. | ||
| Measles, mumps, rubella (MMR) | ||
| Disease complications it protects your child from | ||
| Brain swelling, pneumonia, swollen testicles or ovaries, deafness, death. | ||
| Typical dosing and ages | ||
| Two-dose series at 12 to 15 months and 4 to 6 years. | ||
| Varicella (VAR) | ||
| Disease complications it protects your child from | ||
| Infected sores, brain swelling, pneumonia, death. | ||
| Typical dosing and ages | ||
| Two-dose series at 12 to 15 months and 4 to 6 years. | ||
| Hepatitis A (HepA) | ||
| Disease complications it protects your child from | ||
| Liver failure, death. | ||
| Typical dosing and ages | ||
| Two-dose series between 12 and 23 months (gap of at least six months). | ||
| Tetanus, diphtheria, and acellular pertussis (Tdap) | ||
| Disease complications it protects your child from | ||
| Heart muscle swelling, heart failure, coma, paralysis, seizures, broken bones, trouble breathing, pneumonia, death. | ||
| Typical dosing and ages | ||
| One dose at 11 to 12 years. | ||
| Human papillomavirus (HPV) | ||
| Disease complications it protects your child from | ||
| Genital warts, cancer (including cancer of the cervix, mouth and throat). | ||
| Typical dosing and ages | ||
| Two-dose series at 11 to 12 years (gap of at least five months). | ||
| Meningococcal (MenACWY) | ||
| Disease complications it protects your child from | ||
| Limb loss, deafness, seizures, death. | ||
| Typical dosing and ages | ||
| Two-dose series at 11 to 12 years and 16 years. |
To learn more about the diseases that childhood vaccination protects against, visit the links below (listed in alphabetical order):
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It’s not safe to delay vaccines or to follow another schedule you might find online or through friends. The vaccine schedule that pediatricians across the U.S. use (which we describe here) has the backing of careful medical science. And it’s kept millions of kids safe. Scientists develop vaccines through a long process of research and approval.
But life has many moving parts, and you might miss an appointment for any number of reasons. If this happens, it’s OK. Simply talk to your pediatrician about the best way to catch up on any vaccines. They’ll make sure your child still gets the vaccines they need within the recommended age ranges or as close as possible.
One day soon, your child will be able to follow their own schedule and do a lot for themselves. But for now, they rely on you to create routines for them. From mealtimes and nap times to pediatrician visits, you’re the one who coordinates the flow of daily life.
It can be a lot to manage. But keeping up with well-checks and following the childhood vaccine schedule gives your child the best chance at a healthy start to life. And you don’t have to map it all out on your own. Your pediatrician will help you stay on schedule with visits and vaccines so you can focus on everything else that has to get done.
Last reviewed on 09/03/2024.
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Cleveland Clinic is a non-profit academic medical center. Advertising on our site helps support our mission. We do not endorse non-Cleveland Clinic products or services. Policy
