Ottawa – Your child will need to be vaccinated at different times in their life to get the best protection against vaccine-preventable diseases. Vaccination schedules are designed to provide protection before children are likely to be exposed to the disease.
Vaccination schedules may be different depending on the province or territory you live in. No matter where you live in Canada, childhood vaccines are provided for free and offered according to your province or territory’s routine or catch-up schedules.
Your child will usually be vaccinated:
- between birth to 2 months
- at 4 months
- at 6 months
- at 12 months
- at 18 months
- between 4 to 6 years of age
Vaccine records
You can find out which vaccines your child has had by looking at their vaccine record. If your child doesn’t have one, contact their health care provider or your local public health unit to get one.
Everyone should maintain a vaccination history throughout their life. Keep it in a safe place and present it at every vaccination appointment so it can be updated. In some regions, your child’s vaccine record may be electronic. Whether you have a paper or electronic vaccine record, you should ensure it’s updated whenever your child receives a vaccine.
Who to talk to for vaccine advice
Talk to your child’s health care provider, local public health unit or pharmacist. They can provide you with more information about vaccines or direct you to sources of information about vaccines.
It’s important to get information about vaccines from reputable sources, like:
- A Teen’s Guide to Vaccination
- A Parent’s Guide to Vaccination
- Canadian Pediatric Society
- Vaccines and immunization (World Health Organization)
Some sources may contain information that’s untrue, unclear or misleading (misinformation). There are resources to help you identify sources that may not be reliable or information that may not be true.