Guide
Catching up on vaccines, by age
A healthy child who starts with no vaccines needs 18 doses at 12 months, 16 at 5 years and 12 at 16 to 18 years, against 26 on the on-time schedule. Pick an age for the vaccine-by-vaccine breakdown.
Key takeaways
- Dose counts take 3 different values across the 11 ages: 18, 16, 12.
- The first drop comes at 5 years, when Hib and PCV age out (18 to 16 doses); the next at 7 to 10 years, when DTaP becomes Tdap (16 to 12).
- Fewest visits: 7 (at 3 doses per visit); most: 18 (one dose per visit).
Doses and visits by starting age
| Starting age | Doses | On time | Visits at 3 per visit | Visits at 1 per visit | Last visit at (3 per visit) |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 12 months | 18 | 26 | 8 | 18 | 4 years |
| 18 months | 18 | 26 | 8 | 18 | 4 years |
| 2 years | 18 | 26 | 8 | 18 | 4 years |
| 3 years | 18 | 26 | 8 | 18 | 4 years |
| 4 years | 18 | 26 | 9 | 18 | 4 years 10 months |
| 5 years | 16 | 26 | 8 | 16 | 5 years 9 months |
| 6 years | 16 | 26 | 8 | 16 | 6 years 9 months |
| 7 to 10 years | 12 | 26 | 7 | 12 | 7 years 7 months |
| 11 to 12 years | 12 | 26 | 7 | 12 | 11 years 7 months |
| 13 to 15 years | 12 | 26 | 7 | 12 | 13 years 7 months |
| 16 to 18 years | 12 | 26 | 7 | 12 | 16 years 8 months |
Healthy child, planner default vaccines, no prior doses. Ranges such as 7 to 10 years use the youngest child in the range.
What changes with age
- Hib and PCV fall to a single dose in the later bands and disappear at age 5.
- DTaP and polio finish one dose early once the last dose can be given at age 4 or later.
- Hepatitis B (3), MMR (2), varicella (2) and hepatitis A (2) never drop.
Common questions
Does a child ever need more doses than the on-time schedule?
Not in this planner: the largest plan (18 doses) is still below the on-time total of 26. Children with some medical conditions follow different rules and may need more.
Which age takes the most visits?
At one dose per visit the longest plans are 12 months, 18 months, 2 years, 3 years and 4 years, with 18 visits each.
How do these pages relate to the on-time schedule?
The on-time series for these vaccines is 26 doses; the page for each age counts how many of them are still needed. For the standard checkup view see the baby-shots-by-age guide.
Start from your child's record
Add the doses already given and the planner builds only what is left.
Open the planner in catch-up modeSources
Primary sources only. Links open the publisher's own page.