About the VaxScheduler

Please read before using

This site is provided as is, for general information only. We make no guarantee that any content, plan or data here is accurate, complete or current, and we are not responsible for any errors, omissions or changes, or for any issues or outcomes that result from using it. You are responsible for reviewing everything yourself, checking the official sources linked on each page, and confirming any plan with your child's healthcare practitioner before acting on it. See the disclaimer and terms.

Why does it exist?

Many parents want to vaccinate but find the routine infant timetable hard to follow, and it is not easy to work out by hand what a slower pace looks like. The CDC publishes minimum ages, minimum intervals and catch-up rules, but not a plan built around a family's preferences. This tool turns those official rules into a clear, printable schedule you can take to your child's healthcare practitioner.

It is not an anti-vaccine resource. We are direct about the trade-off: delaying a vaccine lengthens the time a child is unprotected, and the CDC and AAP both recommend on-time vaccination as the default. The tool exists to help families who have decided to go slower do so completely and in time for school, in partnership with their practitioner.

How does the planner work?

1. It starts from the official schedule. For each vaccine it uses the CDC's minimum age for every dose and the minimum interval after the previous dose.
2. You set the pace. You choose how many shots per visit, how many months between visits, whether to cap aluminum-containing vaccines per visit, and your finish date.
3. It applies the dose-reduction rules. For a few vaccines the CDC catch-up rules need fewer doses when a series starts later. Hib and PCV are not routinely needed for healthy children from age 5, and DTaP and polio can finish one dose earlier when the last dose is given at age 4 or older.
4. It respects hard limits. Rotavirus has strict age cutoffs, so the planner never places its doses outside them.
5. It rotates through the vaccines. Each round covers every vaccine that is due — one dose of each, like a CDC checkup — packed into visits that fit your pace and deadline.
6. It tells you when a plan does not fit. If a dose cannot be placed legally before your date, the planner says so and suggests a later finish date that it has verified by running the plan again.

The scheduling engine is covered by automated tests. It models the healthy-child path only: children who were premature, have certain medical conditions or are traveling may need different timing and more doses, which is one more reason to review the plan with a practitioner.

Where does the information come from?

Scheduling rules come from the CDC schedule, catch-up schedule (Table 2) and notes. Brand and ingredient data come from the CDC excipient summary and FDA package inserts. The 2026 CDC and AAP difference is encoded from both bodies' published schedules and from Congressional Research Service and court records; see the CDC vs. AAP guide. State school requirements link to each state's own page; see requirements by state. The full list is below, and the method is described in our editorial policy.

How accurate and current is it?

We aim to reflect the official schedules faithfully and to link a primary source for every factual claim. The dose mechanics (ages and intervals) are stable. The universal-versus-optional labeling of some vaccines has been in flux since 2025, so we date those statements and flag them. Guidance and laws change and we may not always be current; the official sources we link, and your practitioner, are the authority. Every change we make is listed on What's changed.

How is it funded?

The tool and guides are free. Today the site runs on optional tips; clearly labeled affiliate links may follow (none are live yet), it shows no ads, and no sponsor influences what it publishes. Details are in the editorial policy and the affiliate disclosure.

What is the privacy promise?

There are no accounts. The plan you build is calculated in your browser and any progress you mark is saved only in your browser's local storage; nothing you type into the planner is sent to us unless you turn on the optional encrypted synced copy. We use aggregate analytics with your consent. Read the privacy policy.