A crib, baby clothes, diapers, and a baby car seat must be on your checklist as a new parent. However, one more important thing you should be keen about is vaccination for your new bundle of joy. From the sterile womb, your little one enters a world full of germs. And this makes it essential to ensure that your baby’s immune system is effective enough against potential attacks.
Why does your child need vaccinations?
Are you wondering why a newborn is scheduled to get a baby injection right away? Or why your child needs immunization for diseases that you have never heard of? Well, your baby gets vaccinations starting from the day he or she is born, as the safe, tested, and approved baby injections and medicines help protect your baby against serious diseases. By introducing your baby to a germ in a controlled way, vaccinations make your baby’s body learn how to recognize and fight it. Vaccinations not only help protect your baby from diseases but also help prevent the spread of diseases to others. So, vaccination at the right time is essential as it helps develop immunity before your little one is exposed to potentially life-threatening diseases.
Children are prone to certain diseases at certain ages. A vaccination schedule is a plan with recommendations for vaccinations your child should get and when to get them. Some baby injections are deliberately spaced to boost immunity at the right age. By following the right schedule of vaccinations, you can give your little one the best protection against harmful diseases.
Here is the list of vaccines for babies –
Newborn baby vaccination-
- Hepatitis B-1
- BCG
- OPV
6 weeks
- DTP-1
- IPV-1
- Hib-1
- Hepatitis B-2
- Rotavirus-1
- PCV-1
10 weeks
- DTP-2
- IPV-2
- Hib-2
- Hepatitis B-3
- Rotavirus-2
- PCV-2
14 weeks
- DTP-3
- IPV-3
- Hib-3
- Hepatitis B-4
- Rotavirus-3
- PCV-3
6 months
- Influenza Vaccination – 1
7 months
- Influenza Vaccination – 2
9 months
- MMR-1
- Meningitis ACWY – 1
- Yellow Fever
- Typhoid Conjugate Vaccination
12 months
- Hepatitis A – 1
- Meningitis ACWY -2
- PCV Booster
- Japanese Encephalitis
- Cholera
15 months
- MMR-2
- Varicella-1
- PCV Booster
16-18 months
- DTP Booster-1
- Hib B-1
- IPV B-1
- PCV Booster
18-24 months
- Hepatitis A -2
- Varicella-2
- Meningitis ACWY-1
- Annual influenza vaccination
30-36 months
- Annual influenza vaccination
40-47 months
- Annual influenza vaccination
4 to 6 years
- DTP Booster-2
- IPV B-2
- MMR-3
More than one dose of vaccination may be administered at different ages to give your child long-term protection. Vaccinations are safe but, as with any medication, can cause mild side effects such as fever, redness, fussiness, etc. It is a sign that your baby’s immune system is developing. Also, the benefits of getting vaccinated are greater than the side effects. Most of the time, side effects last only a few days and go away on their own.
Getting vaccinated on schedule spells multiple benefits for your little one. Consult with your pediatrician about baby injections and follow the right vaccination schedule for the best protection.