The immunisation schedule for your baby’s first year
Summary
Getting your baby immunised is important as it helps protect them against serious infection and disease. Most vaccines provide immunity that lasts a lifetime, but to get full protection, often the immunity has to be built up gradually through regularly repeated doses. The immunisation schedule is designed to give your baby maximum protection1. It should be followed even if your baby is premature as premature babies have lower immunity than full-term babies.
Your baby’s first injection
Soon after your baby is born, you’ll be offered a vitamin K injection for them. This is not actually a vaccine but a high dose of the vitamin, to aid blood-clotting. You can choose to give your baby vitamin K orally, via drops, over a period of days and weeks instead of through injection – or may decide not to give them the supplement at all.
Baby immunisations during the first year
Your baby will be offered these vaccinations1:
At 8 weeks
- Rotavirus
- Meningococcal group B disease (MenB)
- Pneumococcal disease
- Their first dose of five-in-one, which protects against diphtheria, tetanus, pertussis (whooping cough), polio and Haemophilus influenzae type b (Hib)
- Rotavirus
- Their second dose of five-in-one
At 12 weeks
- MenB
- Pneumococcal disease
- Their third dose of five-in-one
At 16 weeks
- Hib/meningococcal group C (MenC)
- MenB
- Measles, mumps and rubella
- Pneumococcal disease
At 12 months
Travel vaccines
If you are planning to travel in their first year, check with your healthcare professional if your baby needs additional immunisation. Some vaccines, like hepatitis A, typhoid and cholera, should be free through the NHS.
Last reviewed: 9th December 2016
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