The CDC vaccine schedule for babies, and what changed in 2026
Every routine dose on the US childhood immunization schedule from birth to 18 years in one table — plus a plain-English account of the 2026 schedule changes, the court ruling that paused them, and how the US schedule differs from India's.
On the long-standing CDC schedule, which the American Academy of Pediatrics (AAP) still recommends, babies get hepatitis B at birth; DTaP, polio (IPV), Hib, pneumococcal (PCV) and rotavirus at 2, 4 and 6 months; MMR, chickenpox, hepatitis A and boosters at 12–18 months; a yearly flu shot from 6 months; and pre-school boosters at 4–6 years. In January 2026 the CDC narrowed which vaccines it recommends for every child, but a federal court paused that change in March 2026 while the case continues — so check with your paediatrician. Araia can lay out the CDC schedule as real dates for your baby, alongside the IAP and WHO schedules.
The US childhood immunization schedule is set by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) on the advice of its Advisory Committee on Immunization Practices (ACIP). For decades it barely changed from one year to the next. 2026 has been different, and a lot of parents are now unsure which version applies to their baby.
This guide gives you the routine schedule paediatricians work from — the one the American Academy of Pediatrics (AAP) continues to recommend — and then explains, separately and plainly, what changed this year and where it stands.
The CDC vaccine schedule, birth to 18 months
Where the schedule gives a window (for example, the third hepatitis B dose at 6–18 months), the dose can be given at any point in that window; most clinics give it at the start.
| Age | Vaccines due | Protects against |
|---|---|---|
| Birth | Hepatitis B-1 · RSV antibody (nirsevimab)* | Hepatitis B, severe RSV infection |
| 1–2 months | Hepatitis B-2 | Hepatitis B |
| 2 months | DTaP-1 · IPV-1 · Hib-1 · PCV-1 · Rotavirus-1 | Diphtheria, tetanus, whooping cough, polio, Hib meningitis, pneumococcal disease, rotavirus diarrhoea |
| 4 months | DTaP-2 · IPV-2 · Hib-2 · PCV-2 · Rotavirus-2 | Same as above, second dose |
| 6 months | DTaP-3 · PCV-3 · Hib-3† · Rotavirus-3† · Influenza (2 doses the first season) | Same as above, third dose; seasonal flu |
| 6–18 months | Hepatitis B-3 · IPV-3 | Hepatitis B, polio |
| 12–15 months | MMR-1 · Varicella-1 · PCV booster · Hib booster | Measles, mumps, rubella, chickenpox, pneumococcal disease, Hib |
| 12–23 months | Hepatitis A — 2 doses, 6 months apart | Hepatitis A |
| 15–18 months | DTaP-4 | Diphtheria, tetanus, whooping cough |
*Nirsevimab is a long-acting antibody rather than a vaccine. It's given to babies born during, or entering, their first RSV season (roughly October to March), and usually isn't needed if the mother had the RSV vaccine at least two weeks before birth. †Hib-3 and Rotavirus-3 depend on the brand: some Hib vaccines (PedvaxHIB) and the two-dose rotavirus vaccine (Rotarix) skip the 6-month dose.
From 2 to 18 years
| Age | Vaccines due |
|---|---|
| Every year from 6 months | Influenza |
| 4–6 years | DTaP-5 · IPV-4 · MMR-2 · Varicella-2 |
| 11–12 years | Tdap · HPV (can start at 9) · MenACWY-1 |
| 16 years | MenACWY booster · MenB (discussed with your doctor, 16–18 years) |
COVID-19 vaccination for healthy children moved to a decision made with your doctor in 2025; ask your paediatrician what they recommend for your child.
Follow the CDC schedule in AraiaChoose CDC as your baby's schedule and Araia turns every dose into a real date from your baby's birthday, reminds you before each visit, and keeps a photo of the immunization record next to it. Switch to IAP or WHO at any time.
Get Araia freeWhat changed in 2026, and where it stands
This is the part that has confused parents, so here it is in order. The situation is still moving; the dates below are as of late October 2026.
- December 2025. The CDC moved the hepatitis B birth dose for babies of mothers who test negative for hepatitis B to an individual decision between parents and their doctor, rather than a routine recommendation for every newborn.
- 5 January 2026. The CDC published a revised childhood schedule that kept routine, for every child, the vaccines against 11 diseases — measles, mumps, rubella, polio, whooping cough, tetanus, diphtheria, Hib, pneumococcal disease, HPV and chickenpox — and moved rotavirus, influenza, COVID-19, hepatitis A, hepatitis B and meningococcal vaccines to shared clinical decision-making or to high-risk groups only. HPV dropped to a single dose. No vaccine was removed from the schedule, and all of them stayed covered by insurance.
- 16 March 2026. A federal court in Massachusetts paused the January revision, along with recent appointments to ACIP and the votes taken by the reconstituted committee, finding they were likely unlawful. That put the earlier routine schedule back in effect while the case continues.
- Since then. The government has appealed, and a May 2026 executive order directed the CDC and ACIP to review the schedule again. Further changes are possible.
Throughout all of this the AAP kept its own schedule unchanged, and most paediatric practices follow it. That is the schedule shown in the tables above.
Every vaccine on the schedule is still available and still covered by insurance. "Shared clinical decision-making" doesn't mean a vaccine isn't recommended — it means the decision is made with your doctor. If you're unsure about a particular dose, ask your paediatrician directly; the official version is always on cdc.gov.
CDC vs the Indian (IAP) schedule
Many Indian families either move to the US with a baby part-way through vaccinations or are comparing what relatives abroad are told. The two schedules protect against mostly the same diseases, but the timing and a few vaccines differ:
| CDC (US) | IAP (India) | |
|---|---|---|
| Primary doses | 2, 4, 6 months | 6, 10, 14 weeks |
| BCG (tuberculosis) | Not routine | At birth |
| Polio | Injectable IPV only | IPV, plus oral drops on national days |
| First MMR | 12–15 months | 9 months |
| Typhoid | Travel only | Routine (TCV) |
| RSV antibody | Routine in RSV season | Not routine |
| Meningococcal | At 11–12 and 16 years | High-risk only |
Doses given in India count in the US and vice versa — a pentavalent or hexavalent shot at 6 weeks in India is recorded as DTaP, Hib and hepatitis B doses by a US clinic. Bring the written record and let the new paediatrician map it across. If you're in India, our IAP vaccination chart is the one to follow; for the global baseline, see the WHO vaccination schedule.
Your paediatrician may adjust timing for prematurity, illness, travel or a catch-up schedule. Confirm every dose with them, and check cdc.gov for the current official version.
Late or missed doses
The CDC publishes a catch-up schedule for exactly this, and the rule is reassuring: you never need to restart a series. Give the next dose, respecting the minimum interval between doses. The exception is rotavirus, which has age limits — the first dose must be given by 14 weeks 6 days and the last by 8 months — so a baby who misses that window simply doesn't get it.
After any vaccine, a low fever, fussiness and a sore leg for a day or two are normal. Our guide to baby fever and when to worry covers the signs that need a call the same day.
Frequently asked questions
What vaccines does a baby get at 2 months on the CDC schedule?
Did the CDC change the childhood vaccine schedule in 2026?
Is the hepatitis B vaccine still given at birth in the US?
How is the CDC schedule different from the Indian IAP schedule?
Can I track the CDC vaccine schedule in an app?
This guide is general information for parents, written from published paediatric guidance (WHO, AAP, CDC, IAP). It is not medical advice and cannot account for your baby specifically. Anything that worries you — feeding, breathing, fever, weight, a rash — is a call to your paediatrician, not a search. In an emergency, go to a hospital.
Stop keeping it all in your head
Araia logs feeds, nappies, sleep and weight in one tap, tracks the IAP vaccination schedule for you, and answers questions using your own baby's history.