BABY bits

Vaccinating Your Baby

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) advises that children be vaccinated for 14 diseases before age 6 on a schedule, which involves roughly 29 shots, sometimes several at once. That said, a wide majority of pediatricians and family doctors permit parents who wish to delay vaccinations for their baby even though the decisions put the children at risk for measles, whooping cough and other ailments. In a survey from the American Academy of Pediatrics, many doctors get requests to spread out vaccines in a typical month and will agree to do so. It is important to be aware that vaccines help to prevent common diseases that used to seriously harm or even kill children.

Beginning in the hospital, your infant will receive: Hepatitis B (first dose)

Newborn vaccines recommended for babies at 1 - 2 months old:

Hepatitis B (second dose)

DTaP (first dose)

HiB (first dose)

Polio (first dose)

PCV13 (first dose)

RV (first dose)

At 4 months, a baby should receive the following newborn vaccines:

DTaP (second dose)

HiB (second dose)

Polio (second dose)

PCV13 (second dose)

RV (second dose)

What about the COVID-19 vaccine for babies?

In February, 2023, the CDC added COVID-19 shots to the schedule of routinely recommended vaccines for children. In addition, updated guidance on influenza and pneumococcal vaccines and new vaccines for measles, mumps, and rubella (MMR) and for hepatitis B were added. COVID-19 vaccine is recommended for everyone ages 6 months and older. Consult with your doctor if you have questions.

For a complete list of recommended vaccines by age go to cdc.gov/vaccines/ schedules.

Teething Can Start Earlier Than You Think

You've finally gotten into a rhythm with Baby at about 3 months of age and then ... wait ... is that a little tooth breaking through Baby's gums? Could be. Babies as young as 3 months old can begin teething, according to KidsHealth.org.

While it's more common for the first teeth to appear between 4 and 7 months of age, earlier teething can happen, too. First, it's the bottom two central incisors. After that, the four top teeth will come in about a month or so later.

Teething brings drool, swollen gums, fin- ger sucking, crying, fussing and crankiness. So if your baby was sleeping through the night at this point (miraculous), that could get upset now. Here are ways to bring some relief:

• Refrigerated rubber teethers to chew on

• Doctor-approved acetaminophen

• Cold, soft foods and milk

Frozen teething toys are too hard for a teething baby, so avoid those. And always consult with your pediatrician if fever, runny nose or diarrhea are present.