Immunization Policy

New patient registration

Vaccines are important for your child because vaccines save lives. That’s why Commonwealth Pediatrics immunizes patients according to the schedule recommended by the American Academy of Pediatrics (AAP). We understand that patients and families have questions about vaccines. We value your questions and appreciate the trust you place in us. We are committed to having these conversations in a respectful and honest manner.

At a minimum, we expect all children to have the following:

1. All early childhood vaccines recommended by the AAP (including 2 flu doses) by the 2nd birthday
2. All preteen/adolescent vaccines recommended by the AAP (including 2 HPV doses) by the 13th birthday

When choosing a pediatric office, please consider if our expectations are a good fit for you and for your family.

We use combination vaccines whenever possible. This helps children get life-saving protection when it’s needed, with fewer office visits and fewer needles. Giving multiple vaccines at once is safe and does not harm the immune system. It is safe and recommended to give vaccines even when children have a mild illness, a low-grade fever, or are on antibiotics. Splitting or delaying shots does not have any benefit and puts your child and community at risk.

We ask all families to book their next visit before leaving the office, to help keep children vaccinated on time. This is even more important for families who want to use a different vaccine schedule. If your child is due for shots, we will recommend them even if your child is here for an illness. We do ask parents who request alternate schedules to sign a form stating they understand the risk of delaying or refusing shots, every time a vaccine is declined.

If you have questions about vaccines, or about keeping children calm and comfortable during shots, we are here to help!

We also trust the following websites:

vaccineinformation.org

vaccinateyourfamily.org

shotbyshot.org