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A Baby Who Just Got Their Shots Can Be Around Another Baby

​By: Edith Bracho-Sánchez, Doc, FAAP

Accept you e'er wondered why babies become vaccines starting from the day they're born? One big reason: the youngest of us need the protection the most. It'due south as well the time in your child's development that their immune system works best with the vaccine.

Childhood vaccination is essential considering it helps provide amnesty earlier kids are exposed to potentially life-threatening diseases. Of all the age groups, babies are more often hospitalized, and sometimes die, from the diseases we tin can prevent with vaccines. That's why near of the childhood vaccines are recommended during your baby's first 12 to 18 months of life.

Did yous know?

By the time a child is one-time plenty to start school, they will exist protected from 14 diseases! From birth to age half dozen, infants and children go vaccines to protect them from hepatitis A and hepatitis B, rotavirus, diphtheria, tetanus, acellular pertussis, Haemophilus influenzae type b, polio, pneumococcal affliction, measles, mumps, rubella, varicella and influenza.

Immunization schedule for babies & immature kids

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, the American Academy of Pediatrics and other medical groups, accept all agreed on a schedule for immunizations for kids. This recommended schedule is based on research showing us the best timing for each vaccine dose.

Your pediatrician keeps track of your child'south vaccines. They make sure your kid is protected at the right time.

Baby'southward beginning vaccine

Hepatitis B is the first vaccine most babies receive. Information technology is given within 24 hours of birth. Your baby will get a second dose of hepatitis B vaccine when they are 1 month to two months old and the 3rd dose when they are vi months to 18 months old.


Why practise we give the offset dose and then quickly? More than 1 1000000 people in the U.Due south. have long-term hepatitis B infections. And people who are infected with hepatitis B equally a infant have a xc% chance of developing serious, chronic conditions like liver cancer in their lifetime. And because people may not know they are infected, they may spread the virus if they come in shut contact with your baby. The vaccine is a safe, very constructive fashion to eliminate that risk right away by protecting babies from infection.

two months one-time

The first doses of the vaccines given at two months of age protect babies from seven diseases. Their names may await like a jumble of alphabet messages. But the letters stand for the diseases that used to crusade serious infections in children.

Diphtheria, tetanus and acellular pertussis (DTaP) vaccine


Children get 5 doses of DTaP vaccine. The vaccine prevents serious illness from three diseases:

  • Diphtheria: A serious throat infection that can cause breathing problems and heart failure. Before the vaccine, diphtheria killed i-fifth of the kids who got infected.

  • Tetanus: A deadly bacteria that lives in the soil and is found everywhere in the earth. It can become into your body through a rusty boom or any kind of cutting on your skin. If the germ gets in, it produces a deadly toxin that causes musculus paralysis.

  • Pertussis: Also called "whooping coughing," information technology causes violent coughing fits that go far difficult to breathe. Babies with pertussis may need hospital intendance and are at adventure of death. Often, pertussis is spread to the infant by an adult who has not had the Tdap vaccine.

Haemophilus influenzae type B (Hib) vaccine (4 doses) prevents several types of illness, including ear infections, pneumonia and meningitis. Infections can exist life threatening. If babies have non been vaccinated and accept symptoms, they may need a spinal tap to test for the bacteria.

Polio vaccine (iv doses) prevents a disease that causes death and paralysis. The polio virus is still circulating exterior the United States, and unvaccinated children are at risk.

Pneumococcal vaccine (4 doses) prevents disease caused by bacteria called Streptococcus pneumoniae. When these bacteria invade the lungs, they crusade pneumonia. When they invade the bloodstream, they tin cause an overwhelming infection called sepsis. When they invade the brain, they cause meningitis. They tin also cause ear infections—which about parents know can be painful and frequent. Since we take had this vaccine, the number of kids suffering all of these illnesses has dropped dramatically.

Rotavirus vaccine (ii or 3 doses) stops the chief cause of diarrhea in children. This virus spreads very easily—on your hands, dirty diapers or toys, and through the air. Rotavirus infections crusade severe, watery diarrhea, vomiting, fever and abdominal hurting. Sometimes the virus causes children to go and so dehydrated that they need hospital care.

6 months old

The influenza vaccine is recommended for everyone starting at 6 months of age. The first time your child gets the flu vaccine, they will also need a second dose four weeks later. Even healthy kids tin develop severe complications that send them to the hospital. Flu viruses change from year to year, so everyone needs to get a flu shot each yr. Annual flu shots keep children from astringent disease.

12 to 18 months former

At your child'southward showtime birthday checkup (or before long after), they will get shots that protect them from 5 more than diseases. They likewise may get second, third or 4th doses of the vaccines they started during the beginning year.

Measles-mumps-rubella (MMR) vaccine


Children go 2 doses of MMR vaccine. Near people who are vaccinated with MMR will be protected for life. The vaccine prevents serious affliction from three diseases:

  • Measles tin cause fever, cough, runny nose, and red, watery eyes, normally followed by a rash that covers the whole trunk. Information technology can lead to seizures (often associated with fever), ear infections, diarrhea, and pneumonia. Rarely, measles can cause brain damage or death.

  • Mumps can cause fever, headache, muscle aches, tiredness, loss of appetite and swollen and tender salivary glands under the ears. It can lead to deafness, swelling of the brain and/or spinal string roofing, painful swelling of the testicles or ovaries and, very rarely, death.

  • Rubella can cause fever, sore throat, rash, headache and center irritation. It tin cause arthritis in upward to half of teenage and developed women. A significant person who gets rubella could have a miscarriage or the baby could be born with serious birth defects.

Varicella vaccine (2 doses) prevents "chickenpox," which used to infect four million people in the The states every year. More than 10,000 were hospitalized, and more than 100 died. A balmy case can cause a kid to miss schoolhouse for a week or more.



Hepatitis A vaccine
(two doses) gives lifelong protection from a serious liver disease. The disease can spread through food or by contact with an infected person—fifty-fifty someone who doesn't prove any symptoms.

Fun fact: Vaccines protect babies before nativity!

Information technology's true. Babies get antibodies during pregnancy from some vaccines their mothers have had. For instance, the baby is protected for a short time after they are born if their female parent has had the measles vaccine.

However, this protection moms requite their babies during pregnancy starts to wear off at around 1 year of age. That's why, when they are 12 months to 18 months old, babies become a shot to keep them protected from measles and ii other diseases (the MMR vaccine). Then, a 2nd dose of MMR vaccine is recommended when kids are iv years old. The second dose acts like a reminder for your kid's immune system. Inquiry shows the MMR vaccine is incredibly effective when given at these ages.

Call back

We know from decades of research, in millions of children, that the vaccines piece of work best at these ages, and with this spacing between doses. And we know they are safe when given on this schedule.

The immunization schedule helps children develop life-long immunity and protect them and others from serious diseases. Finally, if you accept questions, talk with your pediatrician. We are here to partner with you to help your kid stay healthy—and thrive.

More information

  • Recommended Immunization Schedules
  • Vaccine Safety: Get the Facts
  • Why Your Newborn Needs a Vitamin Thousand Shot

About Dr. Bracho-Sánchez

Edith Bracho-Sánchez, Doc, FAAP, is a primary care pediatrician and the director of the pediatric telemedicine program at Columbia Academy Irving Medical Center. She was built-in and raised in Caracas, Venezuela, obtained her medical degree from New York University and trained in pediatrics at The Children's Hospital of Philadelphia. She lives in New York Urban center with her husband and son. Follow her on Twitter @DoctoraEdith.

The information contained on this Spider web site should not exist used every bit a substitute for the medical intendance and advice of your pediatrician. In that location may be variations in treatment that your pediatrician may recommend based on individual facts and circumstances.

A Baby Who Just Got Their Shots Can Be Around Another Baby

Source: https://www.healthychildren.org/English/safety-prevention/immunizations/Pages/Your-Babys-First-Vaccines.aspx