No one is more vulnerable to preventable diseases than young children. Preschoolers in particular, with their less than developed senses of cleanliness and frequent interactions with other kids, can catch viruses from each other easily. This is why it’s absolutely essential to keep yourself and your kids up to date on all vaccines recommended by the CDC or your pediatrician. Keep yourself and your children healthy with these important vaccines designed for preschoolers.

Vaccines for preschoolers are a huge part of promoting childhood health. Are your little ones up to date on these 5 immunizations? Click To Tweet

Recommended Childhood Vaccines

As school starts, your children enter an environment where they are exposed to a huge variety of viruses and bacteria from other students, their teachers, the air outside, and plenty of other sources. It’s disturbingly easy for them to pick up a potentially dangerous sickness. Fortunately, these recommended vaccines will help keep your little ones healthy:

1. DTaP
2. MMR
3. Chickenpox
4. Polio
5. Influenza

1) DTaP

The DTaP vaccine is three in one. The shot protects your child from Diptheria, tetanus, and pertussis (whooping cough). If you’ve been following the recommended vaccine schedule, this will be your child’s fifth dose of this particular immunization.

2) MMR

Your child will also need their second dose of the MMR vaccine, which protects against measles, mumps, and rubella. This particular shot comes later because infants tend to have more antibodies against these diseases, making this shot less effective until the child is older.

3) Chickenpox

Chickenpox is an uncomfortable and potentially deadly disease that could, at best, cause your child to miss a week of school and you to miss a week of work caring for them. While the vaccine may rarely result in mild fever, the effects wear off rapidly and are far less severe than the disease itself.

4) Polio

History enthusiasts will remember the polio epidemic that swept America in the early 1900s, leaving a trail of deaths and paralyzed victims in its wake. Fortunately, with the invention of the polio vaccine, this disease is all but eradicated. Your preschooler will be receiving their fourth dose of this vaccine.

5) Influenza

An older child or adult who contracts the flu will likely be sick for a couple of days and contagious for up to a week, resulting in missed school time and missed work time for the parents. Older patients can develop complications, but it’s not as likely. However, younger children who contract the flu virus are particularly vulnerable to dangerous complications and even death. Your preschool-aged children will need the flu shot every year to prevent them from getting seriously sick.

Pro Tip: Visit your local grocery store or pharmacy and ask about flu shots for yourself and your children. Most places offer them for free with insurance coverage.

Vaccinating Your Children

Vaccination is one of the safest things you can do for your children as they start attending a new school. Talk to your doctor to determine the timing of each shot, how to handle any temporary side effects, and any other questions you may have. Protect your kids’ health through these tested and proven vaccines for preschoolers.

Join the conversation to learn more about keeping your kids healthy this fall.