For Babies, Children & Teens

The best time to start to start building immunity from vaccine preventable diseases is before the risk of exposure increases. Ensuring your child gets the right vaccines at the right ages helps protect them before they are exposed to vaccine-preventable diseases.

While this may sound complicated, it doesn’t have to be. Medical and public health experts with the Advisory Committee on Immunization Practices (ACIP) recommend a standardized vaccine schedules for infants, children, youth, and adults, which are approved by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), the American Academy of Pediatrics (AAP), and the American Academy of Family Physicians (AAFP). This is the same schedule that your doctor, or your child’s pediatrician, uses when recommending vaccines for you and your family.

See the following sections for more information about vaccines recommended at different points from pregnancy through age 18.

Pregnancy

Did you know that by staying up to date with vaccines before and during pregnancy, you can share immunity with your baby? It’s true, the immunity you pass to them helps protect them from some diseases during the first few months after they are born. By getting vaccinated before pregnancy, you also get protection from serious disease during your pregnancy, which could affect your health and your unborn child’s. This is especially important as some diseases, like rubella, can cause miscarriages and birth defects.

For more information about vaccines to consider when pregnant, see visit the Immunization health topic page. 

COVID-19

Pregnant and recently pregnant people are more likely to experience severe illness and people who get COVID-19 while pregnant are at greater risk of complications that can affect pregnancy. Learn more

Ages 0-2

This is an important time to start building your child’s immunity. For some vaccines, multiple doses will be necessary to build and continue to boost their immunity.

For more information about vaccines to consider for your baby, see the Immunization health topic page and the CDC’s vaccine schedule for this age group. 

Ages 3-8

Between the ages of 3 and 6, your child’s immune system is continuing to build, and they will need additional doses of some vaccines as they prepare to enter preschool and eventually kindergarten! And remember, you may need to provide proof of vaccination for your child to enter school. Learn more about this here.

For more information about vaccines to consider for your child, see the Immunization health topic page and the CDC’s vaccine schedule for this age group. 

Ages 9-18

During the preteen and teen years, your child’s needs for immune protection change. Protection provided by some childhood vaccines will start to wear off, so adolescents need additional vaccines to boost their immunity. Teens may also be more likely to be exposed to other infections at this point as well, so making sure that they receive the right vaccines before their risk increases is important.

If your child is college-bound, make sure that they are up to date on their vaccines and that they have a copy of their records, which may be required by their school. If your child has foreign travel plans, check and see what vaccines they may need before travel.

For more information about vaccines to consider for your child, see the Immunization health topic page and the CDC’s vaccine schedule for this age group. 

Other Vaccines to Consider

COVID-19

And don’t forget about your child’s COVID-19 vaccine, too! ACIP recommends COVID-19 vaccines for everyone ages 6 months and older. Learn more

Travel

Are you or your child traveling soon? You may want to consider additional vaccinations that are recommended prior to travel to your destination. See For Travel for more information.

Content in this section adapted from materials created by the CDC.

For information about the Vaccine for Children (VFC) program, please visit the Washington State Department of Health Childhood Vaccine Program page.

To contact the Spokane Regional Health District childhood vaccine regional coordinator, please email iapsupport@srhd.org.

VaxCards Quick Reference Guide

The VaxCards booklet is a quick reference guide for routine immunization recommendations.* Color-coded by disease, this guide includes photos of each vaccine, manufacturer information, and a brief overview of use recommendations.

*The information contained in this guide is for informational purposes only and is not exhaustive. For the most up-to-date and non-routine recommendations, please refer to the Advisory Committee on Immunization Practices’ (ACIP) most recent immunization schedules on the CDC website.

Washington State school and child care vaccination requirements serve the purpose to reduce the incidence of vaccine-preventable disease and their associated negative outcomes by increasing vaccination rates. All child cares and schools are required to report their immunization status by November 1 of each year.

The Immunization Assessment and Promotion program at Spokane Regional Health District (SRHD) provides local support to schools and child cares regarding immunization record collection and review, mobile immunization clinic coordination to address vaccine gaps among their student population, and state vaccine and vaccine education requirement satisfaction.
 

School Partnerships for a Healthy Community

The Immunization Assessment & Promotion (IAP) team works closely with Spokane County schools to coordinate vaccination clinics. These events are open to the public and any child from any school district can attend them. All the vaccines are provided at no cost and records are entered into the Washington State Immunization Information System (WA IIS). For information about upcoming clinics, please see the Events page.

If you represent a school and are interested in hosting a vaccination clinic, please fill out the clinic request form.