Just like antibiotics, vaccines also can be seen as both an extraordinary medical advance and a threat to your child's health. Even though vaccine experts generally agree that no vaccine is 100 percent safe or effective, it is clear that they are helpful for the majority of children. If you are uncertain whether you want to immunize your child, be sure to talk to your pediatrician about your concerns so that you can make an informed decision. Most of the common problems from vaccines are limited to local reactions at the location where your child got the shot, such as redness, swelling, and soreness. Many vaccines can also cause rashes and fever, but severe reactions, like a serious allergic reaction, seizures, or high fever, are very rare.

Routine Vaccinations

There are several vaccines that are commonly given to children at their routine checkups. These include all of the following, which are included in the Recommended Childhood and Adolescent Immunization Schedule that is published by the AAP each year.

Hepatitis B

This vaccine, which protects against the hepatitis B virus, a common cause of liver disease, is given as a three-dose series to infants. The first dose is often given at birth or before hospital discharge. The second dose is usually given when infants are one to four months old, and the last dose when they are between six and eighteen months old.

DTaP

The diphtheria, tetanus, and acellular pertussis vaccine has fewer side effects than the older DTP vaccine. The first three doses are given at two, four, and six months.

IPV

Although kids used to get the oral polio vaccine (OPV), because of the risk of it causing vaccine-associated paralytic polio, this vaccine is now given as an inactivated shot. Your infant will get doses of this vaccine at two and four months, and a third sometime between six and eighteen months.

Hib

This vaccine protects against the Haemophilus influenzae type b bacteria, which can cause meningitis, epiglotitis, pneumonia, and skin, bone, and blood infections. It is given at two, four, and six months, with a booster dose at twelve to fifteen months.

Prevnar

Although often thought of as the “ear infection vaccine,” this vaccine also protects against meningitis, pneumonia, and blood infections caused by the Streptococcus pneumonia bacteria. Like Hib, it is given at two, four, and six months, with a booster dose at twelve to fifteen months. An older Prevnar 7 version of this vaccine is now being replaced with the newer Prevnar 13 vaccine that provides better coverage against more subtypes of the Strep pneumo bacteria.

Rotavirus Vaccines

Depending on the vaccine brand that is given to your infant, Rotarix versus RotaTeq, she will get either two or three doses of this oral vaccine to protect her from infections caused by certain strains of rotavirus, a common cause of vomiting and diarrhea in children.

Twelve-Month Shots

In addition to the booster doses of the Hib and Prevnar vaccines, infants get the MMR (measles, mumps, rubella) and the chickenpox vaccine when they are twelve to fifteen months old.

Flu Shots

Parents are often surprised at the idea of giving a flu shot to their baby, but it is approved for infants six months and older. Why would you want to give your baby a flu shot? One of the main reasons is that younger children are thought to be at big risk for flu complications, just as elderly people are. So even if your baby is healthy, a flu shot might be a good idea to help her avoid getting sick. In fact, it is now recommended for all children who are at least six months old. Keep in mind that infants do have to get two doses of the flu shot at least one month apart the first year that they get their flu shot.

Combination Shots

Nobody likes the fact that infants have to get so many shots, especially if they have to get four or five separate shots during a single visit. Your baby might get fifteen separate shots before her first birthday, including three doses of several vaccines. However, that number can be greatly reduced with the use of combination vaccines.

One of these, Pediarix, combines the DTaP, IPV, and hepatitis B vaccines into a single shot, which can cut the number of shots from fifteen to only nine (or ten if your baby also got the birth dose of the hepatitis B vaccine). Pentacel is another that combines DTaP, IPV, and Hib. If you are concerned about your baby's reaction to all those needles, speak with your pediatrician about the possibility of receiving combination shots.