Each year, the recommended vaccine schedule is determined by a panel of top disease experts and doctors called the Advisory Committee on Immunization Practices (ACIP). The schedule is approved by the American Academy of Pediatrics, the CDC, and the American Academy of Family Physicians, among other leading health care organizations. These experts determine each vaccine’s dose timing with two considerations. First, it is scheduled for the age when the body’s immune system will respond best. Second, it is balanced with the need to protect infants and children when they are most vulnerable to diseases.

You may have heard about vaccine schedules that delay or spread out vaccines. There is no scientific reason to believe that spreading out or delaying your child’s vaccines is safer than following the CDC-recommended schedule. There is no science behind alternative schedules. Moreover, delaying or opting out of recommended vaccines leaves your child vulnerable to diseases at key times.