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First-year vaccine schedule

Which childhood vaccines your baby gets and on what timetable in the first year. US official bodies now publish somewhat different schedules.

Which vaccine schedule should we follow in the first year?

In short: Parents choose between 5 main approaches: Full AAP schedule on time; The federal (CDC) schedule as restored by the court, plus case-by-case extras; Spaced-out schedule; Selective; None. Evidence: guidance changing. Official guidance changed recently and is still moving — check current sources. Best settled: during pregnancy.

Evidence
Guidance changing
Best settled
During pregnancy
Part of
Pregnancy to first birthday

First-year vaccine schedule: what are the options?

Parents usually land on one of these 5 approaches.

  1. 1. Full AAP schedule on time

    The baby gets every vaccine on the American Academy of Pediatrics schedule at the recommended ages.

  2. 2. The federal (CDC) schedule as restored by the court, plus case-by-case extras

    The baby follows the federal schedule, and you decide on any others one at a time.

  3. 3. Spaced-out schedule

    The baby gets the vaccines but spread over more visits than recommended.

  4. 4. Selective

    The baby gets some vaccines and not others.

  5. 5. None

    The baby gets no vaccines.

First-year vaccine schedule: what does the evidence say?

Guidance changing. Official guidance changed recently and is still moving — check current sources. (In flux)

A March 16, 2026 court order stayed the CDC's January 2026 memo (which cut routine vaccines from 17 to 11) and the reconstituted advisory committee's votes, restoring the earlier schedule; the AAP publishes its own, slightly broader schedule. The case is on appeal, with First Circuit argument set for October 6, 2026; the CDC's own schedule page still shows the pre-2026 version

Sources

What else is worth knowing?

In the first year a baby is offered vaccines against a range of serious infections, usually at visits around 2, 4 and 6 months. The schedule is designed around when protection is needed and when the body responds best. Ask your child's doctor which schedule they follow and why.

Questions to ask each other

  • Which schedule is our pediatrician following and are we comfortable with it?
  • What questions or worries do each of us have?
  • What would we do if we disagreed, and who can we ask to help us decide?

More in Newborn medical choices

First published 2026-10-03. Last updated 2026-10-05. General information, not medical advice.