Your toddler’s health is your number one priority. The goal is to keep your toddler fit both on the inside and the outside. After all, the success of your child’s development lies on how healthy he is. Vaccination is important to help your toddler stay fit. So instead of treating ailments, his body can prevent it from the start.
Vaccines give your little one a strong immune system since more antibodies are released into his system which safeguards the body from malfunctioning. There are various types of vaccines for children required by National Immunization Schedule. Read on to help you identify their function and importance.
Basic Vaccines Your Child Must Have
From birth to his growing years, here are the essential vaccines you need to ensure your little one receives:
At Birth
Hepatitis B
Hepatitis B immunization must be given within 12 hours after the child’s birth. Generally, it is given in a series of 3 injections (after birth, at 1 to 2 months and at 6 to 18 months). HBV offers long-term immunity from your toddler’s childhood to adult years. This vaccine helps defend his body from multiple infections. It also eliminates your toddler the risk of getting liver disease (cirrhosis) and liver cancer.
At 1 to 2 Months
DTaP
DTaP vaccine is given through a series of 5 injections (starts at 2 months, 4 months, 6 months, 1 to 2 years old and 4 to 6 years old). This immunization prevents three kinds of diseases – diphtheria, a major throat virus that obstructs the airway which leads to breathing difficulty, tetanus, a poisonous producing microbe usually found in infected wounds that can lead to a nerve ailment and pertussis or whooping cough (difficulty of breathing) which blocks the airway passage of the respiratory that can cause other respiratory diseases.
Haemophilus Influenza
Known as Hib vaccine that is injected to toddlers at 2 months and 4 months. A booster dose is recommended once a toddler reaches 12 to 15 months. Hib helps prevent your toddler’s body from blood, bone and joint infections, meningitis, pneumonia and pericarditis (disease of the membrane that covers the heart).
Polio
The most basic toddler vaccine in the world, polio immunization is recommended once your toddler reaches 2 months. This helps avoid the spread of viruses that is acquired through direct person to person contact which often leads to permanent paralysis or worse, death.
At 4 to 8 Months
PCV
Your toddler must be immunized with pneumococcal conjugate vaccine once he is 4 months old. Subsequent shots must be given once he reaches his 6th, 12th and 15th month. PCV helps avert severe viruses that can cause bacterial meningitis, blood diseases and pneumonia.
At 12 to 15 months
MMR
Once your toddler hits the age of 1, he needs to be vaccinated with MMR. This helps protect his immune system from acquiring rubella (German measles), measles and mumps. Failure to have MMR vaccination can often lead to major health complications that are often untreatable.
Chickenpox
Varicella vaccine shields your toddler from getting the most common and very transmittable viral infection – chickenpox.
At 16 to 24 months
Hepatitis A
If you want additional immunity for your toddler, Hepatitis A vaccine is recommended especially when the family travels to a country with high HAV as this prevents epidemics from developing.
Vaccines serve as the perfect shield for your toddler. But, do keep in mind that it is best to consult a pediatrician for professional advice about your child’s best time table for his immunization shots.
