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 different ages. Children who are not vaccinated are more vulnerable to more severe disease and are at higher risk of ending up in the intensive care unit or dying from that infection.
The California Department of Public Health (CDPH) recommends the vaccination of children and teens in accordance with the American Academy of Pediatrics immunization schedule.
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 – Diphtheria, Tetanus and Pertussis (Whooping Cough)
- Hepatitis B
- Polio
- PCV – Pneumococcal vaccine
- Hib – Haemophilus influenzae type b (Hib Meningitis)
- RV - Rotavirus
6 Months
- DTaP – Diphtheria, Tetanus and Pertussis (Whooping Cough)
- Hepatitis B
- Polio
- PCV – Pneumococcal vaccine
- Hib – Haemophilus influenzae type b (Hib Meningitis)
- RV - Rotavius
12 Months
- Hepatitis A
- MMR – Measles, Mumps and Rubella
- PCV – Pneumococcal vaccine
- Hib – Haemophilus influenzae type b (Hib Meningitis)
- Varicella (Chickenpox)
15 Months
- DTaP – Diphtheria, Tetanus and Pertussis (Whooping Cough)
18 Months
- Hepatitis A
4-6 Years
- Polio
- DTaP – Diphtheria, Tetanus and Pertussis (Whooping Cough)
- MMR – Measles, Mumps and Rubella
- Varicella (Chickenpox)
9-12 Years
- Human papillomavirus (HPV). Two doses are given 6–12 months apart.
11-12 Years
- Tdap – Tetanus, Diphtheria and Pertussis (Whooping Cough) – this is a booster shot to maintain protection after the initial DTaP series.
- Meningococcal disease (MenACWY)
16 Years
- Meningococcal disease (MenACWY)
16-18 Years
- Some teens may be recommended for the MenB vaccine that 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.
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 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 influenza vaccine and COVID vaccine?
The CDPH released vaccine recommendations for the 2025-26 respiratory virus season:
Influenza vaccines are recommended for all children ages 6 months or older.
COVID-19 vaccines are recommended for all children ages 6-23 months as well as:
- All ages 2-18 years old with risk factors or never vaccinated against COVID-19
- All who are in close contact with others with risk factors
- All who choose protection from COVID-19
RSV vaccines are recommended for:
- all children younger than 8 months
- all children ages 8 to 19 months with risk factors.
Can the Measles, Mumps and Rubella (MMR) vaccine be split into three separate shots?
The Measles, Mumps and Rubella (MMR) vaccine has been studied for years and is extremely safe. It’s the only vaccine we have in the U.S. that protects against measles, mumps and rubella. You can’t get separate measles, mumps or rubella shots.
Can vaccines be delayed or skipped?
If parents are considering delaying some vaccines, talk to your child’s health care provider. To find a UC Davis pediatrician, visit our Find a Physician website. 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. This is because 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, pneumococcal conjugate vaccine, protect children from meningitis when they are most at risk for infection.
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 Food and Drug Administration (FDA), thousands of children receive these vaccines, and 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 study. 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’ve a lot of safety data and if there is any kind of danger with a vaccine in the data, we will immediately hear about it.
Sign up for our Health Highlights e-newsletter
This post was medically reviewed by Chief of Pediatric Infectious Diseases Dean Blumberg.
