Your baby is one!
Your baby's next checkup is due just after his or her first birthday. Bring your child's Lifetime Immunization Record and Childhood Health Record to every checkup.
Immunizations Between 12 and 18 Months
Childhood immunizations can safely protect your baby from 14 different diseases. Vaccines strengthen the immune system by preparing it to defend against viruses and bacteria that cause serious disease. More than one dose of vaccine is often needed for the best protection against specific diseases. Talk with your nurse or doctor about which of the following vaccines your baby needs to be up to date:
- Hepatitis B (HepB)
- Diphtheria, tetanus, acellular pertussis (DTaP)
- Haemophilus influenzae type b (Hib)
- Pneumococcal conjugate vaccine (PCV)
- Inactivated Polio Vaccine (IPV)
- Flu (influenza), yearly
- Measles, mumps, and rubella (MMR)
- Chickenpox (varicella)
- Hepatitis A (HepA)
To comfort your baby during and after immunizations, try the following:
- Stay calm. Your child can sense when your are anxious. If you don't think you can stay calm, find out if there is someone else who can be with your child while he or she gets vaccinated.
- Bring your baby's favorite toy or blanket.
- Hold your baby on your lap. Talk or sing with him or her.
- Breastfeed or bottle feed your baby.
- Put a cool, clean, wet washcloth over the area where the shot was given.
- Ask your doctor about medicine for pain or fever. Find more comfort tips (PDF) (Immunize.org)
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: