Vaccines Provide Many Health Benefits
Vaccination schedule starts at two months of age
Your baby gets vaccines based on a routine schedule. By following this schedule, your child gets:
- Antibodies that will recognize live germs
- The ability to remember how to fight these live germs if they are ever exposed to them
- Less of a chance of developing anxiety and needle fear
- Protection from other infections
Learn more about the vaccines given and the diseases they protect your baby from:
Video: How Far Do You Go To Keep Your Children Safe?
Video: Vaccination - Are We There Yet?
Vaccinating your baby
- Multiple injections
Your baby's immune system is amazing. Scientists have estimated that babies can handle up to 10,000 vaccines at one time. Since your baby is always making more protective antibodies, vaccines never use up or overwhelm their immune system.
Science has determined that following the routine schedule gives your baby the best and earliest protection from diseases that can seriously harm or kill them. Vaccines given at the same time work just as well together with no increase in side effects.
When your baby gets their routine vaccines on time, you will have fewer trips to the doctor and your baby will have fewer periods of discomfort.
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Pain management for your baby
Pain in vaccination can be distressing for both babies and parents, but this shouldn't stop you from getting the vaccines. There are simple tools to help reduce your baby's perception of pain.
What you can do
- Breastfeed your baby before, during and after the vaccination
- Use skin to skin contact
- Hold your baby upright and close as this will help them feel secure and stay still
- Stay calm and positive using your normal speaking voice
- Distract your baby using their favourite toy, blanket or song
- Apply a topical anesthetic - no prescription is needed and you can apply it at home or at the clinic
- If you're not breastfeeding, you can use sugar water
- Reporting your baby's vaccinations
All vaccines need to be reported to Public Health. Your baby's health care provider is not required to do this for you. Use your personal immunization record (yellow card) to keep track of your baby's vaccinations.
For more information, read more in A Parent's Guide to Vaccination.