What Vaccines do 2 Year Olds Get?

2 year olds need regular exams to ensure that they are staying healthy and that they are up to date with immunizations against many serious childhood diseases.

The common immunizations of 2 year olds include:

• 4 doses of the diphtheria, tetanus and pertussis, DTaP vaccine
• 3 doses of the inactivated poliovirus vaccine
• 3 to 4 doses of the Haemophilus influenza type B, Hib vaccine
• 1 dose of measles, mumps and rubella, MMR vaccine
• either 2 or 3 doses of the rotavirus vaccine
• four doses of the pneumococcal conjugate vaccines, PCV and PPSV
• either one or two doses of the hepatitis A vaccine
• the flu vaccine ideally every year before the flu season begins

Sometimes the doctor may recommend other vaccines if the doctor determines that your child is at risk of conditions like meningococcal or pneumococcal disease. At age 2, you should be going for a checkup once a year.

It is also important that you keep your child up to date with every dose of a vaccine because it is for the best protection against infectious diseases. You can help your child maintain immunity against potentially harmful diseases by staying in the course of the recommended vaccine schedule.

Fortunately, even if your child misses a vaccine for one reason or another, you can organize a catch-up schedule for them so that they can get the missed vaccinations.  While there are no federal laws concerning the vaccination of 2 year olds, there are laws about vaccination requirements for joining school and in any case, you should be on the frontline of protecting your child’s health.

Healthy kids are happy kids. All parents start thinking about the cold weather and the many types of illnesses it brings with it. Hand washing is not a great solution alone, especially after school starts.