Vaccinations Children Baby U.S Well Child Appointments Families Program

Parents who want to "comply with" (follow) the standard "vaccination schedule" (a document showing at what age children should be immunized against different diseases) have "a plethora of" (many) choices. When a baby is born in a U.S. hospital, the first vaccinations might "take place" (occur; happen) in the first few hours of life, before the mother and baby return home.

"Subsequently" (after that), babies and young children typically receive vaccinations at the "pediatrician's" (a doctor who specializes in treating children) office during the "well-baby and well-child visits" (a series of appointments used to track a child's health, usually at 1, 2, 4, 6, 9, 12, 15, 18, 24, and 30 months, and then every year after that). Doctors "administer" (provide) routine vaccinations if the parent agrees that they can do so.

If families "miss" (do not have) vaccinations at well-baby and well-child visits, perhaps because they don't have "health insurance" (a program that helps to pay for expensive medical appointments and healthcare), they might go to a "free clinic" (a community-based doctor's office) that provides vaccinations at little or no cost. They might also go to a "pharmacy" (a store that sells medicine) that offers vaccinations, although this is more common for adults than for children.

Some U.S. government agencies offer free vaccinations to "low-income" (from families with little money) children. For example, the "Vaccines for Children" Program (VCP), offered through the Center for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), buys vaccines "at a discount" (for a lower-than-usual price) and gives them to local and state agencies that can administer them to low-income children.