What is the current vaccination schedule for kids? Do I need to stick to it?

The question: What is the current vaccination schedule and do I need to stick to it?
 
The vaccine schedule is posted on the CDC website (http://www.cdc.gov/vaccines/recs/schedules/child-schedule.htm). It changes often, so I always recommend people look at the site to see exactly what is recommended. The schedule is confusing because at some visits—particularly infant check up visits—3 or 4 shots are recommended at a time, and some of those shots contain 2 or 3 different vaccines. This can get overwhelming. Parents can choose to “stagger” shots, which means to give them slowly over time. But here are a few pointers to keep in mind:
 
1. Each vaccine needs to be given 2, 3 or 4 times. This is called a series. So just because your child got one tetanus shot doesn’t mean he’s done with tetanus. In fact, most of the time 1 shot is insufficient. The series is what builds the immune system response.
 
2. If you are going to stagger shots, you need to do your research and have a conversation (or a few conversations) with your doctor. Choose which shots to give first base upon what is most important for your child—choose the vaccines that protect against the life-threatening and more common illnesses. Factor in whether you are going to be traveling internationally. Avoiding a specific vaccine just because a friend told you to may be a bad decision for your child.
 
3. Educate yourself. Understand that not giving a vaccine is as much of a choice as giving it. There are potential side effects for vaccines; there are also potential illnesses that a person can get if the vaccine is not given. Understand this. 4. Finally, this is not a one-time decision. Each time your child goes to the doctor for a check up, you will likely talk to the doctor about vaccines. The conversation should be on-going, not just a one-time thing. All of my patients asked me what I did for my children. I always answered the same way. I said, “I have read every study and I have seen each of the diseases that these vaccines protect against. As a result, I followed the schedule and full vaccinated my kids. I don’t worry about vaccine safety. But that was my decision, not yours. Each parent needs to make a decision about vaccines for his or her own child.”