Setting the Record Straight on Baby Vaccines

Why so many vaccines for babies?

The idea that too many vaccines overwhelm a baby's immune system sounds logical, but it is an urban legend. No evidence supports this belief, which gained popularity at a time when autism rates and the number of baby vaccines had both risen. But of course, coincidental timing does not prove cause! 

Baby Vaccines: Then vs. Now

While babies do get more vaccines today, they actually don't have more "stuff" injected into their bodies. In 1980, the DPT shot was a blenderized bacteria soup of around 1,000 different illness particles or antigens. And, the polio vaccine babies used to get was a live virus that actually triggered a minute case of the disease to prevent a more serious one. 

Today, newborn vaccines are way, way more purified. The current DPT vaccine contains only three bacterial antigens and the polio vaccine no longer includes any live virus. These advances create a win-win situation: Vaccines guard kids against many more illnesses AND even though the number of vaccines has increased, the number of illness particles being injected into their bodies…is lower than ever before!

What vaccines are given to newborns?

The following vaccines are recommended for babies at birth: 

• Hepatitis B (First Dose)

These newborn vaccines are recommended for babies at 1-2 months old:

• Hepatitis B (2nd dose)
• DTaP (first dose)
• HiB (first dose)
• Polio (first dose)
• PCV13 (first dose)
• RV (first dose)

At 4 months, a baby should receive the following newborn vaccines:

• DTaP (second dose)
• HiB (second dose)
• Polio (second dose)
• PCV13 (second dose)
• RV (second dose)

For a complete list of recommended vaccines by age, take a look at our Immunization Guide and Vaccine Schedule. 

What about a COVID 19 vaccine for babies?

The American Academy of Pediatrics recommends the COVID vaccine for all children 6 months and older. Learn more about the COVID vaccine for babies and kids. 

How many newborn vaccines can a baby's body handle?

I often hear, “how many vaccines can my baby get at once?” Some parents worry that a baby can't handle several vaccines given at once. That's hardly the case. The immune system is a superb, multitasking, fighting machine! Every day thousands of threats strike at our little ones: from bacterial invaders to swarms of viruses to offending dietary proteins, damaged cells, irritating pollen, and even tiny cancers. The ability to thwart many mild attacks concurrently—including tolerating multiple vaccinations—is exactly what the immune system was built to do.

In fact, a new theory suggests that allergies and asthma may be on the rise in part because we’ve made the world TOO clean. It makes sense if you think about it. Early “exercise” helps a baby's immune system achieve tip-top fighting condition!

Do vaccines cause autism?

No. Vaccines do not cause autism. For years, vaccines have been blamed for autism. The suspicion often comes from timing: Autism symptoms commonly become noticeable around the same age that children are getting lots of vaccines. At the same time, the childhood vaccine schedule has grown…and so have autism diagnoses. But remember, lots of things have increased over those same years! Lining up two trends on a graph doesn’t mean one is causing the other.

Take mercury, for example. It was once suspected to be the autism culprit in some vaccines. So, beginning in 2002, almost all mercury was removed from childhood vaccines—over 95%. If mercury were truly to blame, we would have expected autism diagnoses to drop. They didn’t. They kept rising.

Today, we have very strong science on this. Dozens of well-designed studies, following more than a million children, have looked for a link between vaccines and autism. They have not found one.

The Bottom Line on Baby Vaccines

Vaccines can sound scary when they’re all lined up on your baby’s schedule—but they’re actually one of the safest, strongest layers of protection we can give our little ones.

More on keeping your baby healthy:

• How to Help Toddlers Deal With Shots
  
• When Vaccines Become a Parent's Civic Duty
  
• COVID Vaccines and Pregnancy
  
• Do Newborns Need a Vitamin K Shot and Eye Antibiotics?
  
• Flu Shot Need-to-Know
  
• Autism and Vaccines
  

Disclaimer: The information on our site is NOT medical advice for any specific person or condition. It is only meant as general information. If you have any medical questions and concerns about your child or yourself, please contact your health provider.