Resource

Immunization for infants and toddlers

Getting your child immunized, and immunized on time, is one of the most important ways to keep them healthy.

When to get your infant or toddler vaccinated

Getting your child immunized, and immunized on time, is one of the most important ways to keep them healthy. Learn the benefits of immunizations.

  • Routine childhood immunizations are offered at 2, 4, 6, 12, 18 months, and 4 years of age.
  • Vaccines work best when they are given at the right time as your child grows. Follow the B.C. immunization schedule.

If your child has a chronic health condition, different chronic health conditions can put your child at risk for different vaccine-preventable diseases. Talk with your doctor or a nurse from your local public health unit to find out what vaccines your child may need.

Immunizations schedules are often different from country to country. As a new Canadian, there may be free vaccines that your child is eligible for. Talk with a nurse at your local public health unit to find out.

Routine childhood immunizations are free. Learn the risks of alternative schedules and choosing not to vaccinate your child.

How to keep your child's immunizations up to date and know what vaccine is next

  • Book your child’s next appointment after your child is immunized and while you are still at the health unit.
  • Sign up with ImmunizeBC to get text message reminders.
  • Download the CANImmunize App for your iPhone or Android device.

Where to get vaccines for your infant or toddler

Where to get routine recommended vaccines

Where to get COVID-19 and Influenza vaccines for infants and toddlers

  • Register your child with Get Vaccinated and you will see multiple locations near you to book when you receive your invitation.
  • VCH Immunization Clinic locations, when your infant or young child receives it together with their routine immunizations.

Additional vaccines available for purchase

Routine recommended vaccines for infants and toddlers are free. There are additional vaccines available for purchase that may benefit your child, including vaccines to protect against hepatitis A and additional types of meningococcal bacteria. These vaccines are available from travel clinics, most pharmacies and some doctor’s offices. For more information on these vaccines, speak to your family doctor. 

Immunizations are safe

Some people worry that vaccines can cause other health problems, such as autism. Researchers have not found any evidence of a link between vaccines and autism or any other illnesses. Learn more about the safety of vaccines.

How to help your infant or toddler have a positive immunization experience

Learn about what to expect at your child's immunization appointment and how to make the experience a positive one.

Learn more

Immunization records for infants and toddlers

Children born in B.C. receive a Child Health Passport booklet. Bring this booklet to each visit, record your child’s immunizations and keep it in a safe place. You may need it later to sign up for daycare or school, to travel or to take to the hospital in case of emergency.

If you lose your child’s health passport, contact your doctor or Public Health for their immunization records and record it on:

It is important to keep your child’s immunization record up to date. Parents or guardians can access their child’s health record through Health Gateway . Health Gateway only shows immunizations in the Provincial Immunization Registry; this includes immunizations given at a VCH Immunization Clinic. It does not show immunizations given by other health-care providers (i.e. family doctors/nurse practitioners or from health-care providers from First Nations communities or in communities outside of B.C.).

2023 Vancouver Coastal Health Immunization Coverage Survey

VCH is currently supporting the Ministry of Health to do a survey to determine the immunization rates of two-year old children in our region. 

Parents and guardians of children born in 2020 and currently living in the VCH region, whose names were drawn at random, have been invited to participate by letter. Participation in this brief, 10-minute survey is voluntary.

If you are a parent or guardian who received a letter, we appreciate your help. The survey will not only allow us to determine up-to-date immunization rates for this age group, but as your child was born during the first year of the COVID-19 pandemic, it will also help us understand if there were any impacts from the pandemic on routine childhood immunizations. This information can help us design Public Health programs and services to ensure that all young children from our communities are provided with the best access to immunization services.  

For more information about the survey, please see our Frequently Asked Questions.

 

Resources

    • Immunize BC

      Immunization information, materials and resources for parents and health care professionals.

    • Caring for Kids: Immunization

      A parent’s guide to immunization information on the internet.

    • HealthLink BC: The benefits of vaccinating your child

    • BC Centre for Disease Control: Immunizations and vaccines

      Comprehensive information on immunization and vaccines.

    • World Health Organization: Immunizations

    • I Boost Immunity

      Earn a vaccine for someone in need by answering a quiz.

    • Immunization information on the Internet - Can you trust what you read?

      The goal of this fact sheet is to help you decide if vaccine information you find on the internet is accurate.

    • Tommy's Force Field

      Public health nurse Marilee Hare created this immunization resource to educate children on the importance of getting vaccinated.

    • Video: I lost my friend to meningitis

      A video about the importance of getting vaccinated against meningococcal disease. It only took four days for meningitis to take Leo's life. In B.C., Canada, grade 9 students will be offered a vaccine that prevents deaths like Leo's.

More information on immunization

Immunization records

Immunization coverage

Immunization for school-aged children