Your baby's checkups are important
Regular visits to the doctor help keep your baby healthy and you informed. Your baby needs regular checkups during the first year. The next one will be when he or she is about two months old. Checkups are a good time to ask questions about vaccines, feeding, sleep, development, and baby care. It's also important to get your baby's vision checked. Talk to your baby’s doctor about vision screening at every visit. If you need information on how to find affordable health insurance, call the Help Me Grow WA Hotline or visit parenthelp123.org.
Bring your baby’s Lifetime Immunization Record and Childhood Health Record to every visit. Your first Child Profile mailing included these records. If you didn't get them or need more copies, call the Help Me Grow WA Hotline.
Was your baby’s hearing screened at birth? Check with your baby's doctor if you're not sure. It's important to find hearing problems early. Go to early hearing loss for information about newborn hearing screening.
Pertussis (whooping cough) is serious for babies
More than half of all babies under one who get whooping cough must be hospitalized. Nine out of ten whooping cough deaths occur in babies under six months. Whooping cough is a respiratory illness that spreads easily by coughing, sneezing, and talking. It can cause coughing spells in older children and adults. Babies with whooping cough often can’t cough and have problems feeding and may stop breathing and turn blue. Whooping cough may cause pneumonia, seizures, brain damage, and death in babies.
Most babies with whooping cough get it from their parents, siblings, grandparents, or other caregivers who have the disease but may not know it. A mother who gets Tdap vaccine early during the third trimester of pregnancy gives direct protection to her baby for the first few months of life. Here are some tips for added protection:
- Make sure your baby gets five doses of DTaP vaccine on time for continued protection against whooping cough.
- Keep your baby away from anyone with a cough, cold, or signs of illness.
- Surround your baby with a “cocoon” of protection.
Make sure everyone in close contact with your baby is up-to-date with their whooping cough vaccine. Everyone seven years and older needs a dose of Tdap vaccine. Visit www.doh.wa.gov/WhoopingCough for more information.
Babies Need Immunizations
Before your baby is immunized, you’ll get a Vaccine Information Statement that describes the vaccine, the disease it prevents, and any possible vaccine side effects. Record all vaccines in your baby's Lifetime Immunization Record. To view your and your family's immunizations online visit www.myirmobile.com. Also, check with your baby's doctor to make sure his or her immunizations are in the Washington State Immunization Information System. It helps healthcare providers keep track of immunization records. It also makes sure records are complete in case you change providers and when your child starts child care, school, or camp.
More Immunization Information
See the Recommended Immunization Schedule for Children from Birth to Age 6.
Find more information on diseases and the vaccines that can prevent them online and in the following brochures: