Introduction

Wonder which vaccines your child needs? It can be confusing, especially when new vaccines are developed and added to the schedule. Complicating matters is that many vaccines require several doses. And sometimes, due to shortages of vaccines or other issues, a child can get off schedule.

To find out which vaccines your child should have now and which vaccines are coming up, click on the tabs to the left. The specific vaccines for each age group are based on 2009 recommendations from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

If your child misses a dose of a particular vaccine, ask your child's doctor about catch-up vaccines.

Birth to 2 months: Vaccine recommended

• Hepatitis B

The first dose of hepatitis B vaccine is given at birth. A second dose is given at least one month after the first dose.

2 months: Vaccines recommended

• Rotavirus vaccine
• Diphtheria, tetanus and acellular pertussis (DTaP)
• Haemophilus influenzae type b (Hib)
• Pneumococcal conjugate vaccine (PCV)
• Inactivated poliovirus (IPV)

At age 2 months, your child begins a series of several vaccinations. To reduce the number of shots, your child's doctor may suggest combination vaccines. Although catch-up vaccines are generally available, it's important to follow the vaccines schedule as closely as possible. The first dose of the rotavirus vaccine can't be given before age 6 weeks, for example, and the rotavirus vaccine series can't be started after age 15 weeks.

4 months: Vaccines recommended

• Rotavirus vaccine
• Diphtheria, tetanus and acellular pertussis (DTaP)
• Haemophilus influenzae type b (Hib)
• Pneumococcal conjugate vaccine (PCV)
• Inactivated poliovirus (IPV)

At age 4 months, your child receives follow-up doses to those vaccines received at age 2 months.

6 months: Vaccines recommended

• Rotavirus vaccine
• Diphtheria, tetanus and acellular pertussis (DTaP)
• Haemophilus influenzae type b (Hib)
• Pneumococcal conjugate vaccine (PCV)

At age 6 months, your child receives another round of the vaccines given at 2 months and 4 months, with the exception of the polio vaccine. A third dose of polio vaccine comes later in the vaccines schedule.

6 to 18 months: Vaccines recommended

• Hepatitis B
• Inactivated poliovirus (IPV)

Your child receives the final dose of the hepatitis B vaccine between ages 6 months and 18 months. Your child's doctor may recommend giving the polio vaccine at age 9 months to reduce the number of shots given at age 6 months.

6 to 59 months: Vaccine recommended

• Influenza

A yearly influenza vaccine, preferably given in the fall, helps protect your child from the flu. The first time your child is vaccinated for the flu, he or she will need two doses of the vaccine spaced one month apart. In the following years, only one dose of the vaccine is needed. For younger children, the flu vaccine is given as a shot. For otherwise healthy children age 2 or older, the vaccine may be given as a nasal spray.

12 to 15 months: Vaccines recommended

• Haemophilus influenzae type b (Hib)
• Pneumococcal conjugate vaccine (PCV)
• Measles-mumps-rubella (MMR)
• Chickenpox (varicella)

The final doses of both Hib and PCV vaccines must wait until your child is age 12 months or older. The first doses of MMR and varicella vaccines also are given at this time. To avoid giving four shots in one visit, your child's doctor may recommend the MMR and varicella vaccines at age 12 months and the Hib and PCV vaccines at age 15 months. It's also common to combine the MMR and varicella vaccines in a single shot.

12 to 23 months: Vaccine recommended

• Hepatitis A

Your child receives two doses of the hepatitis A vaccine between ages 12 and 23 months, spaced at least six months apart.

15 to 18 months: Vaccine recommended

• Diphtheria, tetanus and acellular pertussis (DTaP)

Your child receives the fourth dose of DTaP between ages 15 months and 18 months. In some cases, the fourth dose can be given as early as age 12 months — as long as it's been six months since the last dose.

2 to 6 years: Vaccines recommended

• Pneumococcal conjugate vaccine (PPV)
• Hepatitis A
• Meningococcal (MCV4)

Children in high-risk groups may need an additional dose of pneumococcal vaccine or hepatitis A vaccine or one dose of meningococcal vaccine between ages 2 and 6. Ask your child's doctor if your child needs these vaccines.

4 to 6 years: Vaccines recommended

• Diphtheria, tetanus and acellular pertussis (DTaP)
• Inactivated poliovirus (IPV)
• Measles-mumps-rubella (MMR)
• Chickenpox (varicella)

About the time your child starts kindergarten, he or she receives the final doses of DTaP, IPV, MMR and varicella vaccines. Many states require proof of current vaccinations before allowing school enrollment.

5 to 18 years: Vaccine recommended

• Influenza

Annual influenza vaccination is recommended for all children and adolescents between ages 5 and 18. The vaccine may be given as a shot or as a nasal spray. Your child may need one or two doses of the vaccine, depending on his or her age and whether he or she has received the flu vaccine before.

7 to 10 years: Vaccine recommended

• Meningococcal conjugate vaccine (MCV)

Children in high-risk groups may need one dose of meningococcal vaccine between ages 7 and 10. Ask your child's doctor if your child needs this vaccine.

7 to 18 years: Vaccines recommended

• Pneumococcal conjugate vaccine (PPV)
• Hepatitis A

Children in high-risk groups may need one dose of pneumococcal vaccine between ages 7 and 18 years. Others need two doses of hepatitis A vaccine. Ask your child's doctor if your child needs these vaccines.

11 to 12 years: Vaccines recommended

• Tetanus toxoid, reduced diphtheria toxoid and acellular pertussis (Tdap)
• Human papillomavirus (HPV), for girls
• Meningococcal conjugate vaccine (MCV)

If your child has completed the childhood DTaP series, he or she should have a booster shot at age 11 or 12.

The human papillomavirus vaccine, which offers protection from the viruses that cause genital warts and most cervical cancers, is intended for girls ages 11 to 12 — but it may be given to girls as young as age 9. It's given as a series of three injections over a six-month period. The second dose is given two months after the first dose, followed four months later by the third dose.

A single dose of MCV is recommended for children ages 11 to 12 or for any children ages 13 to 18 who haven't yet been vaccinated.