Taking your child for vaccinations is a job you can own: checking the appointment, bringing the record and asking the questions. Timetables can change, and some changes depend on when your child was born. Use their personal child health record and confirm what is due with your GP practice.
Find the right schedule for your child
Use the official programme for your part of the UK. Check your child’s date of birth as well as their age, especially if you are comparing an older record with a newer webpage.
- England: NHS vaccinations and when to have them
- Scotland: NHS inform vaccines for children
- Wales: Public Health Wales routine immunisation schedules
- Northern Ireland: nidirect childhood immunisation programme
Why the old timetable has been removed
The previous version of this article included a timetable that no longer reflected current guidance. For example, the NHS schedule checked for this update places MenB at 12 weeks and pneumococcal vaccination at 16 weeks. It also includes MMRV and an 18-month appointment for specified birth cohorts. The current NHS schedule explains who is eligible.
An old screenshot is easy to save and hard to keep up to date. This page now links to the official programmes instead of presenting one fixed table as a checklist for every UK child.
Before the appointment
- Check the date, location and which child the appointment is for. If you cannot attend, contact the service to rearrange.
- Bring the personal child health record, often called the red book, and any vaccination information from another country or service.
- Write down questions about previous reactions, health conditions or medicines so you can raise them with the clinician.
- Ask the practice what to do if your child is unwell before the appointment. Do not guess whether to cancel.
If another parent usually organises appointments, ask for the record and relevant information beforehand. You should not have to relay every question by text from the waiting room.
Questions worth asking
- Which vaccines are being given today, and what do they protect against?
- What effects might we notice afterwards, and what should prompt medical advice?
- Is any medicine recommended for this particular vaccination, and what exact instructions should we follow?
- When is the next appointment, and who will arrange it?
Ask for the information leaflet or the relevant NHS vaccine page. Instructions can differ between vaccines and children, so this guide does not give a general medicine dose or promise the same after-effects for everyone.
Afterwards and if an appointment was missed
Before leaving, check that the record has been updated and note the next step. Share the clinician’s aftercare instructions with anyone looking after your child later that day.
If a vaccination has been missed or you are unsure what your child has already received, contact your GP practice to arrange the next step. The NHS schedule includes advice about missed vaccinations. You do not need to reconstruct a catch-up programme yourself.
Keep the appointment note somewhere both carers can find it. Record the vaccine names, date and any follow-up question you want to ask, rather than relying on memory after a busy day.
Updated 9 September 2026. Sources checked for this update are linked beside the relevant guidance.
Leave a Reply