Let’s prepare our children for a healthy life by learning the facts about vaccinations. We can ensure our children receive their vaccines according to the recommended immunization schedule by catching up! Vaccines are an effective, proven way to keep children healthy and safe.

This post is in partnership with the American Academy of Pediatrics (AAP); all opinions are my own.

Today I want to talk about the importance of routinely recommended vaccines and catching up on any vaccinations our children may have missed, delayed, or skipped during the pandemic. Pediatricians across the nation have seen a sharp drop in children’s scheduled vaccinations since the pandemic. Sadly, many children are delayed on their routine vaccinations due to the pandemic, and although this is understandable, it is also a frightening trend. We didn’t leave our home for months during the height of the pandemic, and we, too, fell behind in our routine immunization schedules. We kept our children safe through the pandemic, and we still want to keep them safe. As parents, we protect our children every day, and one of the best ways to continue to protect them is by keeping up with their immunizations.

Life is pretty much back to normal, with safety precautions firmly in place in our day-to-day activities. I was quickly able to make a quick call to our pediatrician to make appointments for well-checkups. I wanted to make sure my children were up to date on their milestones and routine shots. We safely had well-visits and got caught up on all recommended scheduled immunizations that we missed. One of the best things to protect my children against some pretty serious but preventable diseases is to ensure they are up to date on immunizations. When children miss their scheduled vaccinations, they are at a greater risk of being exposed to diseases. Falling vaccination rates can lead to new outbreaks of diseases that have been virtually eradicated. And that's the last thing anyone needs on top of COVID-19.

Once children hit the adolescent stage, it might be easy to forget about vaccines. Children in middle adolescence and late adolescence to young adulthood tend to not get sick as often as younger kids, so we simply just don’t visit the pediatrician. However, it is just as important that adolescents stay up to date on their vaccines as young children and preadolescents. Since my children are home-educated, I didn’t have to take them to the doctor for school physicals. However, we stayed up to date on well-visits and scheduled immunizations because it was so vitally important.

The biggest current concern I have as a parent of three teenagers was whether any vaccine would affect my son’s and my two daughters’ fertility. The answer is no, by the way. But opting not to vaccinate my teenagers could affect their fertility. I can’t control what other children and parents do, so I vaccinate them to keep my children safe from exposure to potential diseases. Our pediatrician was able to answer my questions and all my children’s questions. My children are highly motivated in their current education paths, and we don’t want anyone else derailing them and putting their lives at risk because they choose not to vaccinate.

Why Should I Vaccinate My Child?

There are two fundamental and significant reasons to be vaccinated: to protect ourselves and those around us!

I followed my pediatrician's recommendations for immunizing my children. My pediatrician followed the CDC’s recommended immunization schedule, which is also recommended by the American Academy of Pediatrics (AAP). I always stayed up to date on my children’s immunization schedules because I didn’t want my older children to expose my younger children to any potential diseases which they had not been immunized against yet. Babies have natural immunities, but they need protection before the scheduled vaccines since they are vulnerable without vaccines. Children are susceptible to so many illnesses and diseases while their immune system grows, so it is vital to follow the AAP’s schedule.

There are two very specific reasons that I follow the CDC and AAP recommended immunization schedule besides the obvious reasons. The first reason is when my children were very young, we relocated to Asia for one year. My entire family received selectively advised vaccines due to our relocation to this high-risk area. We didn’t want to risk any wonderful new experiences and lasting memories by travel-related health problems. Our doctors and pediatricians provide us with the best advice for minimizing any risks while we were on an expatriate assignment.

The second reason I followed the AAP’s recommended immunization schedule, besides wanting to keep my children safe, is that we are part of the homeschool community in my area, and many parents decide not to vaccinate their children. I am immune-compromised, and my in-laws are pretty old, and I didn’t want to expose my children, myself, or my in-laws to any dangerous diseases. My children are vaccinated to protect themselves, our immediate family, our extended family, filled with babies and young children, and our community.

I know vaccines can be confusing and scary, and sometimes parents blindly approve vaccines or do the exact opposite and blindly opt out of vaccines for their children. Sometimes parents have no idea what is going on and are too scared to ask their pediatrician. However, your pediatrician is your child’s biggest and best advocate, just as much as you are. Your pediatrician is a trusted source to answer your questions and get your children caught up on scheduled immunizations; I can’t stress enough how important it is to call your pediatrician.

As a home educator, I could easily give a complete lesson plan on vaccines and the importance of vaccinations. I may even create an entire lesson plan after this, but for right now, I want to chat about vaccines and break it down with science.

What Exactly Is IN Vaccines?

Our bodies are unique and designed to adapt to a wide variety of bacteria, viruses, and pathogens. Since bacteria and other organisms are everywhere, our body’s immune system is always looking for these dangerous substances and organisms. Our immune system is found within the blood in our bodies. It is made up of white blood cells and other elements like antibodies. However, our immune system needs some help to build up more immunities to be fully functional. Vaccines use this basic principle.

Vaccines contain Antigens. Antigens are substances like viruses, bacteria, chemicals, or toxins. When a vaccine enters our bodies, our immune system automatically produces antibodies. Each antibody produced will have to match one antigen. An antigen and an antibody become partners until the antibody enveloped the antigen. The vaccine is the introduction of the virus the body has not yet seen. Vaccines essentially introduce the body to a new protein to create immunity. This is called the Primary Response.

White blood cells called lymphocytes are sent out to search for the antigen, and they are your immunity cells. These lymphocytes create Antibodies. They make a sort of assembly line, making masses on antibodies that are exactly the same and they lock onto the antigen. Antibodies are proteins called B cells. B-cells then lock onto an antigen to eliminate it from our body. Your body produces different antibodies for specific antigens. These B cells then create memory cells to remember the antigen introduced to the body by the vaccine. The memory cells stay in the body for a long time to protect it if it is ever exposed to that antigen again.

Vaccines are training our bodies to protect us because vaccines are preventative insurances for our bodies. The next time our body interacts with the same antigens, the Secondary Response is triggered, and our memory cells automatically send out antibodies swiftly and powerfully. That is how vaccines work! The significant aspect is that we likely don’t even know it is happening.

I have listened to friends in our close homeschool community tell me that they don’t trust the CDC or a doctor’s recommendation concerning their children’s immune system’s ability to cope with receiving several immunizations in a well-visit. Honestly, vaccines are hardly a challenge for our immune system! But as I just explained, our bodies have this amazing ability to recognize each new antigen and respond separately and very accurately by creating a specific antibody. Think about how many germs your child is exposed to when they go to school and interact with each classmate. That is more new germs than one vaccination, let alone several.

Vaccines imitate the infection; they are not the infection, and they do not cause illness. This is an important concept to understand. The Center for Disease Control (CDC) has done extensive research on vaccinations and found vaccinations safe and effective. A vaccination is only introduced to the public after extensive testing. Parents can feel secure knowing that the vaccinations their children receive are not going to cause any harm. Vaccines provide long-lasting immunity to numerous diseases that your children could be exposed to at some point in their lives.

Why Are Vaccinations Important?

Vaccinations are safe to use as well as a crucial part of keeping children safe from diseases. Sadly, some children may have missed getting all the required shots during the past eighteen months. Although parents are probably juggling many responsibilities right now, don’t skip your child’s vaccines or checkups. Not receiving the entire course of a vaccine leaves a child unprotected and still at risk for getting a disease. Some vaccinations require a booster shot every few years to ensure that the level of immunity remains high.

Missing a dose of vaccination or getting off of the vaccination schedule may not seem like that big of a deal. However, when children miss their scheduled vaccinations, they put themselves, their families, and their community at risk. Some adults may not have ever contracted a specific pathogen that children are now being vaccinated against, and missing a vaccination could put them at a greater risk. Vaccination of children has essentially reduced the number of diseases in our nation because children are no longer carrying specific bacteria, viruses, or infections and spreading them around.

The significant aspect of vaccination is you can still get a shot if you’ve missed a dose. If you've missed or delayed some vaccines in a series of your routinely scheduled immunizations, you don't need to get the entire series of vaccines again — you can pick up where you left off. It’s never too late!

Another important concept to keep in mind when you are making the decision to vaccinate your children is this: if you decide to delay or skip a vaccination and your child gets sick with a disease, they are at risk. The disease can wipe out any memory immunity your child has already built up against other specific diseases. A child who may have been previously vaccinated and protected from a pathogen before they were sick will no longer be immune. Getting a disease, when the child is not fully immunized basically makes the body forget the previous antibodies. Thus, the importance of keeping to the AAP’s recommended immunization schedule. Everyone wants their children to be fully protected at all times.

How Do I Find Out If We’ve Had the Right Vaccinations?

A quick call to your pediatrician and check of health records is the best path. Ask a school nurse or your pediatrician for your child’s records. A visit to your pediatrician’s office is a check or two off of your to-do list. Make sure your children are fully vaccinated according to the recommended immunization schedule. The AAP is campaigning about the importance of routinely recommended immunizations and catching up on any delayed vaccinations your kids may have missed during the pandemic. We all want to boost our children’s immunity and provide long-term protection to them. You can learn more about the campaign here.

It’s natural to have questions about vaccines, and your pediatrician is your child’s best advocate. I encourage you to #CallYourPediatrician today and schedule a well-visit appointment to make sure your children are up to date on all routine immunizations today.

My daughter and I created some images and free printables to help demonstrate what a vaccine does for our bodies.