Vaccines are one of the most powerful tools to protect children from serious and potentially life-threatening diseases. The childhood vaccine schedule was devised to ensure that every child gets a healthy start in life.
What is the childhood vaccine schedule?
The childhood vaccine schedule outlines which vaccines your child will need and when. The schedule was developed based on a child's immune system, their ability to respond to the vaccine and the threat that those diseases pose to children.
Children are more vulnerable to different infections at certain ages. Children who are not vaccinated are more vulnerable to more severe disease. They're also at higher risk of ending up in the intensive care unit or dying from that infection.
The California Department of Public Health (CDPH) recommends that children and teens be vaccinated based on the American Academy of Pediatrics immunization schedule.
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What does the childhood vaccine schedule look like?
Birth
2 Months
- DTaP – Diphtheria, tetanus and pertussis (whooping cough)
- Hepatitis B
- Polio – Inactivated polio virus vaccine
- PCV – Pneumococcal vaccine
- Hib – Haemophilus influenzae type b (Hib meningitis)
- RV – Rotavirus
4 Months
- DTaP
- Hepatitis B
- Polio
- PCV
- Hib
- RV
6 Months
- DTaP
- Hepatitis B
- Polio
- PCV
- Hib
- RV
12 Months
15 Months
- DTaP
18 Months
- Hepatitis A
4-6 Years
- Polio
- DTaP
- MMR
- Varicella
9-12 Years
- Human papillomavirus (HPV) – Two doses that are given 6-12 months apart.
11-12 Years
- Tdap – Tetanus, diphtheria and pertussis (This is a booster shot to maintain protection after the initial DTaP series.)
- Meningococcal disease (MenACWY)
16 Years
- Meningococcal disease
16-18 Years
- Some teens may be recommended the MenB vaccine. It protects against another type of bacteria (serogroup B) that causes bacterial meningitis. High-risk groups include those with damaged or removed spleens, certain immune deficiencies, or those exposed during an outbreak.
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How many vaccines are part of the childhood vaccine schedule?
If a child gets every recommended vaccine, by the age of 18, they would have 72 vaccine doses. This total includes the annual influenza (flu) vaccine and the COVID vaccine. Some of these are combination (or oral) vaccines, so the number of actual shots is much less.
What are the recommendations for the flu vaccine, COVID vaccine and RSV vaccine?
The CDPH released vaccine recommendations for the 2025-26 respiratory virus season:
Flu vaccines are recommended for all children ages 6 months or older.
COVID-19 vaccines are recommended for children in the the following categories:
- Ages 6-23 months old
- Ages 2-18 years old with risk factors or who have never received a COVID-19 vaccine
- Those who are in close contact with other people who have risk factors
- Those who choose protection from COVID-19
Respiratory syncytial virus (RSV) vaccines are recommended for children:
- Younger than 8 months old
- Ages 8 to 19 months with risk factors
See how you can prepare for flu and RSV season
Can the measles, mumps and rubella (MMR) vaccine be split into three separate shots?
The MMR vaccine has been studied for years and is extremely safe. It's the only vaccine in the U.S. that protects against measles, mumps and rubella. You can't get separate measles, mumps or rubella shots.
Learn how the MMR vaccine can protect your family
Can vaccines be delayed or skipped?
If parents are considering delaying some vaccines, talk to your child's health care provider. Certain vaccines are in the vaccine schedule to protect children when they are most vulnerable.
For example, the DTaP vaccine is given at 2, 4 and 6 months of age. Children less than 6 months of age are most vulnerable to severe cases of whooping cough and dying from that disease, so you don't want to delay that vaccine. Similarly, the Hib vaccine or the PCV protect children from meningitis when they are most at risk for infection.
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Are all of the childhood recommended vaccines safe for children?
All of these vaccines have been rigorously studied. Before the vaccines are approved by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA), thousands of children receive these vaccines. They are intensively studied by researchers. Parents keep diaries of any significant reactions that may occur. Longer term follow up is also done in these studies.
Once vaccines are approved by the FDA and recommended for the general population, several vaccine safety systems do further studies. Some in the private sector, like the vaccine safety datalink, involve millions of children in HMO-style databases. Others are studied by the CDC's vaccine safety systems. We have a lot of safety data. If there is any kind of danger with a vaccine in the data, we will immediately hear about it.
This blog was medically reviewed by Dean Blumberg, chief of pediatric infectious diseases.
