Is My Child Up to Date on Vaccinations? A Parent's Guide

Vaccinations are an important part of your child’s medical care, protecting them from many diseases. It’s critical to ensure that your child is up to date on vaccinations, but the vaccine schedule is a bit complicated and can be confusing. Working with your pediatrician can help to ensure that your child’s vaccinations are on track.

Where to Get Your Child’s Vaccination Records

Each time your child gets a vaccination, ask your pediatrician for a document to verify that they received the shot. You should keep all of these documents in a safe location. You can also purchase a vaccine ledger to keep track.

If you don’t have records of your child’s vaccinations, you should be able to get them from their pediatrician, although some doctors only keep records for a few years. If your child does not have a regular pediatrician who has all of their vaccination records, your state may have a registry of vaccination records that you can check.

What to Do if You Think Your Child Is Not Up to Date on Vaccinations

If you don’t know or don’t think your child is up to date on vaccinations, gather all the records that you can find. You can check your records compared your child’s school’s required vaccinations, or to the CDC vaccination recommendations. Your other option is to go to your pediatrician and review the records together. If you don’t have a regular pediatrician, you should find one that your child can see going forward.

If you find that your child is not up to date, your pediatrician can recommend a schedule to get your child’s vaccinations back on track.

Vaccinations Recommended by Age

The CDC makes vaccine recommendations by age. Each state, however, has their own requirements for vaccines to attend school. The CDC recommendations are broader and designed to protect all people from a wider range of communicable diseases. The following vaccination recommendations have been in place for quite some time, although, under new leadership these recommendations have changed, which is discussed below.

Birth

Within 24 hours of birth, your baby should get the 1^st dose of 3 of the hepatitis B vaccine. Hepatitis B can be passed from the mother to the baby without the mother’s knowledge, and can cause serious liver problems.

The Respiratory syncytial virus (RSV) vaccine should be given during the RSV season, which is fall through spring, before your baby is 8 months old.

1 to 2 months

At 1 to 2 months your baby should receive the following vaccines:

• DTaP vaccine, 1^st dose of 5, which protects against diphtheria, tetanus, and whooping cough (pertussis)
• Hib vaccine, 1^st dose of 4, protects against Hib disease which can cause lifelong disability or death
• Hepatitis B vaccine, 2^nd dose
• IPV, 1^st dose of 4, protects against polio
• PCV, 1^st dose of 4, protects against pneumococcal disease
• Rotavirus vaccine, 1^st dose of 3

4 months

• DtaP, 2^nd dose of 5
• Hib, 2^nd dose of 4
• IPV, 2^nd dose of 4
• PCV, 2^nd dose of 4
• Rotavirus, 2^nd dose of 3

6 months

• COVID-19
• DTaP, 3^rd dose of 5
• Hib, 3^rd dose of 4
• Hepatitis B, 3^rd dose of 3
• IPV, 3^rd dose of 4
• PCV, 3^rd dose of 4
• Rotavirus, 3^rd dose of 3

7 through 11 months

At 7 through 11 months, the only recommended vaccine is the flu vaccine, which should be given during flu season each year.

12 through 23 months

• Chickenpox, 1^st dose of 2
• DTaP, 4th dose of 5
• Hepatitis A, 1st dose of 2
• Hib, 4^th dose of 4
• MMR vaccine, 1^st dose of 2, protects against measles, mumps, and rubella
• PCV, 4^th dose of 4

2 to 3 years

The only recommended vaccine is the flu vaccine.

4 to 6 years

• Chickenpox, 2^nd dose of 2
• DTaP, 5^th dose of 5
• IPV, 4^th dose of 4
• MMR, 2^nd dose of 2

7 to 10 years

The only recommended vaccine is the flu vaccine.

11 to 12 years

• HPV vaccine, 2 doses 6 to 12 months apart, protects against human papillomavirus, which can lead to cancers later in life
• MenACWY vaccine, 1^st dose of 2, protects against four types of the bacteria that cause meningococcal disease, which can be deadly.
• Tdap booster, protects against diphtheria, tetanus, and whooping cough

13 to 18 years

• MenACWY vaccine, 2^nd dose of 2
• MenB vaccine, protects against one type of the bacteria that cause meningococcal disease

Recent Changes to CDC Vaccination Recommendations

As mentioned, the CDC vaccine recommendations have changed in 2026. The new recommendations have sparked significant debate among public health experts. Some medical organizations, including the American Academy of Pediatrics, have continued recommending broader vaccination schedules, arguing that strong scientific evidence supports them.

The updated vaccine schedule now organizes recommendations into three categories:

1. Routine vaccination (recommended for everyone in an age group)
2. High-risk groups only
3. Shared clinical decision-making between patient and doctor

The vaccines that have been moved to “shared clinical decision making” include:

• influenza (flu)
• COVID-19
• rotavirus
• hepatitis A
• hepatitis B
• meningococcal disease

Those that have been moved to “high risk groups only” include:

• respiratory syncytial virus (RSV)
• hepatitis A or B in specific risk groups
• meningococcal disease in high-risk adolescents

The schedule also reduced the number of recommended HPV doses:

• Previously: 2–3 doses depending on age
• 2026 recommendation: 1 dose for most people

In Closing

Vaccinations are critical to your child’s health, so review your records to ensure that your child is up to date. If you don’t have a regular pediatrician, the pediatricians at Health Service Alliance are here to help. We are dedicated to providing compassionate, personalized, and accessible care regardless of your ability to pay. Reach out today to learn more.