7 to 11 Months

The American Academy of Pediatrics (AAP) recommends a well-child visit at 9 months. Ask your doctor's office about scheduling this visit. There are usually no vaccinations scheduled between 7 and 11 months of age. However, if your baby has missed an earlier vaccination, now is a good time to "catch up".

Get tips to prepare yourself and baby for your baby's well-child visit

Record your baby’s vaccines, growth, and developmental milestones using the Well Child Visit Tracker [2 pages]. Learn more about developmental milestones at Learn the Signs. Act Early.

Find out what vaccines your baby needs and when with the Recommended Immunizations for Children from Birth through 6 Years Old [2 pages]

How Vaccines Prevent Diseases

The diseases that vaccines prevent can be dangerous, or even deadly. Vaccines reduce the risk of infection by working with the body’s natural defenses to help it safely develop immunity to disease.

When germs, such as bacteria or viruses, invade the body, they attack and multiply. This invasion is called an infection, and the infection is what causes illness. The immune system then has to fight the infection. Once it fights off the infection, the body is left with a supply of cells that help recognize and fight that disease in the future.

Vaccines help develop immunity by imitating an infection, but this "imitation" infection does not cause illness. It does, however, cause the immune system to develop the same response as it does to a real infection so the body can recognize and fight the vaccine-preventable disease in the future. Sometimes, after getting a vaccine, the imitation infection can cause minor symptoms, such as fever. Such minor symptoms are normal and should be expected as the body builds immunity.

Read more about how vaccines and the body work together to fight disease in the Understanding How Vaccines Work [2 pages] fact sheet and in the Parents’ Guide to Childhood Immunizations [10 pages].

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Track Your Baby's Vaccinations

It's important to maintain an up-to-date vaccination record so that you know what vaccines your baby received and what vaccines they need next to continue developing immunity against potentially harmful diseases. Ask your doctor or clinic to give you an immunization record form to track your child’s vaccines. Keep it safe and up-to-date. Bring the form with you for each of your child's doctor visits, and ask the doctor to record the date and dose for each vaccine. That way, you can be sure that the immunization information is current and correct.  You can also ask your doctor to record the vaccines your child has received in your state’s immunization registry.

Record your baby's vaccines, growth, and developmental milestones using the Well Child Visit Tracker [2 pages].

Find out what vaccines your baby needs and when with the Recommended Immunizations for Children from Birth through 6 Years Old [2 pages].

Get tips on how to keep and find your child's vaccine records.

Find out your state vaccination requirements for childcare and schools.

Missed Vaccinations

Help your baby build immunity against potentially harmful diseases by staying on track with the recommended vaccine schedule. If your baby has missed any shots, work with your baby's doctor or health clinic to get back on track. It's not too late to catch-up. CDC has an online tool that can help you create a personalized schedule for your child to follow. This tool will help your baby "catch up" with the recommended childhood vaccination schedule and ensure your baby child is fully protected from 14 vaccine-preventable diseases by 2 years of age.

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