Your child gets a lot of vaccines in her first few years of life, and that’s for good reason: Vaccines are the number one way to protect your baby from preventable diseases like measles, polio, and whooping cough that can make her extremely sick.
And to make sure she doesn’t miss a single potentially life-saving dose, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) has an immunization schedule that’s been carefully designed to maximize her protection at every age.[1]
But it’s not uncommon for parents to consider changing or delaying this schedule. Some caregivers might believe an alternative immunization schedule is better, while others might miss an appointment accidentally or because their child was sick, and they thought it’d be better to wait. Whatever the reason, you may be wondering how bad it is, really, to skip or delay your child’s vaccines.
Here’s what parents should know about alternative vaccine schedules, including why it’s so critical to follow the recommended timetable and what to do if your little one does get behind on her shots.
Is it okay to delay my baby’s vaccines?
Schedules may be a matter of opinion when it comes to other areas of a baby's life, but with immunizations, sticking to the recommended vaccine timetable is definitely best.
That's because if your child isn't up-to-date with her vaccines, she's not fully covered — and therefore susceptible to the diseases that the shots prevent.
Not having full protection against these illnesses can have serious consequences. All the diseases that vaccines protect against are ones that can make young kids very sick and even be life-threatening.
Before we had vaccines for diseases such as measles, polio, and diphtheria, for example, they claimed the lives of many thousands of children every year. A number of diseases, including measles, pertussis (whooping cough), and others still circulate in outbreaks from time to time. Others could be reintroduced to a community by just one unvaccinated person.[2]
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"The recommended vaccine schedule is like a shield built to protect your baby at the exact times they're most vulnerable," says Florencia Segura, M.D., a pediatrician at Einstein Pediatrics in Vienna, Virginia, a fellow of the American Academy of Pediatrics (AAP), and a member of the What to Expect Medical Review Board. "It’s not random, it’s based on decades of research showing when babies are most at risk for life-threatening diseases like whooping cough or pneumococcal infection."
And the proof is in the studies, which have shown that the recommended ages and intervals between doses of vaccines provide the very best protection for your child.
Not immunizing your little one according to this timetable increases her chances of catching an infectious disease in the short term, plus makes it difficult for her to gain full protection when she’s older.
For example, one study found that kids of parents who intentionally delayed their vaccines were significantly less likely to be up-to-date by the time they were 19 months old, putting them at further risk.[3]
What's more, leading doctors and scientists work together continuously to determine the best timing of vaccines for children, and the schedule is updated accordingly every year. Making sure your child gets her shot on time ensures that she’s protected against various diseases when her risk is greatest.
What should I do if my baby misses vaccines?
First, rest assured that it's never too late to get started or pick up where you left off — late or delayed immunizations are always better than no immunizations at all.
If your child misses any of her vaccines, or if you’re not quite sure but suspect she might be behind, let your pediatrician know right away. Together, you can come up with a plan to get her back on track.
"If your baby misses a shot, don’t panic, just call your pediatrician," Dr. Segura says. "What matters most is making sure your baby gets protected as soon as possible — better late than never when it comes to vaccine-preventable diseases."
Pediatricians are used to helping families navigate missed vaccines. In fact, there is even an official "catch-up schedule" for delayed immunizations issued by the CDC, which your doctor will consult (more on this below).
Keep in mind, too, that with a few exceptions, children need to be up-to-date with vaccinations to attend child care, preschool, and school, depending on your state requirements.
What is the catch-up vaccine schedule for my baby?
If your child missed any of her vaccines, her doctor won’t necessarily give her all of the shots she needs at once: The CDC’s catch-up schedule for children and adolescents is designed to help health care providers determine the optimal timing to get her back on track.[4]
Depending on which vaccine (or vaccines) she missed, your child’s pediatrician will reference this schedule to figure out the right catch-up window.
For example, if she skipped any of her DTaP doses — which are usually given at 2, 4, 6, and 15-18 months, followed by another between ages 4 and 6 — your pediatrician will check the CDC’s schedule to find the correct intervals for her make-up shots.
You can feel confident that the delayed vaccine schedule is safe for your child. As with the original timetable, leading experts take into consideration age-specific risks for diseases and complications, and age-specific immune responses to the vaccines when coming up with these schedules.[5]
What if I’m worried about my baby getting too many shots at once?
This is a common parental concern, but luckily it’s one you can check off your list of worries. Not only is it not possible for vaccines to “overwhelm” your child’s immune system, but vaccines actually help strengthen it: Whenever your child gets a vaccine, her body learns how to make antibodies against that germ, allowing her to fight it off should she encounter it in real life.[6]
And if your child needs more than one shot in a day? That’s okay too. Compared to the many thousands of germs your baby is exposed to in real life on any given day — crawling around on the floor, putting something dirty in her mouth, breathing in cold viruses in the supermarket — vaccines represent an insignificant drop in the immune system bucket.
The schedule of recommended shots has been proven to be safe for your little one, and it performs the critical task of protecting her from certain germs she could encounter that can be life-threatening.
"I completely understand that seeing multiple shots on the schedule can feel overwhelming, but the science is very reassuring," Dr. Segura says. "Giving multiple vaccines at once is safe, doesn't overload the immune system, and actually means fewer visits to the pediatrician, less stress, and quicker protection."
- It’s not uncommon to wonder if you can skip or delay your child’s vaccines. Parents might consider an alternate immunization schedule for any number of reasons, like if they believe it’s healthier or better to space out vaccines, or because their child was sick at the time they were due for a shot.
- However, it’s critical to stick to the CDC’s recommended vaccine timetable. This schedule has been carefully designed to maximize your child’s protection from serious diseases like measles, polio, and whooping cough that can make her very sick. Leading doctors and scientists work together continuously to determine the best timing of vaccines for children, and the schedule is updated every year.
- Skipping even one dose of a vaccine can put your child at risk. If she misses a vaccine, she’s at a higher risk of catching a disease at a time when she’s most vulnerable. Before we had vaccines for them, these illnesses caused many thousands of childhood deaths every year. Some of them, such as measles, still circulate in outbreaks from time to time.
- If your child does miss a dose, know that you’re hardly the first parent to be in this situation. Pediatricians are used to helping families navigate missed vaccines, and they’ll reference the CDC’s catch-up schedule to help your child get back on track. Just let your pediatrician know right away — the sooner you reach out, the sooner your child can get the critical protection she needs.
The bottom line? Not only are vaccines exceptionally safe, but they provide critical protection against diseases like measles, whooping cough, and polio that can make children very sick.
The CDC’s recommended vaccine timetable is carefully designed to ensure your child is protected from these diseases at the moments in her life when her risk is highest. That’s why it’s important to do your best to stick to this schedule as closely as possible, which includes going to all of your baby’s well-child visits so she can get her shots on time.
But if your little one does miss a vaccine for any reason, know that it’s not too late to get caught up. Just let her pediatrician know right away — your doctor will know how to get her up to speed, and a delayed shot is always better than one that your child doesn’t get at all.
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