Sometimes as a mom, life can feel like one giant checklist—every time we tick something off, another task is added, then another, and another…
The back-to-school season can feel overwhelming, especially coming off the back of a long, lazy summer.
But certain things we just can’t overlook. Like making sure our kids stay up to date with their immunizations. In order to attend school in Ontario, children must be immunized against tetanus, diphtheria, polio, measles, mumps, rubella, chicken pox (for children born on or after January 2010), meningococcal disease and whooping cough, unless they have a valid exemption. And unlike that Pokémon backpack that your son just ‘has to have’, getting vaccinated needs to make its way to the very top of your to-do list!
It’s important to get vaccinated to protect against outbreaks of diseases in communities. By choosing to have your child immunized, you’re ensuring that they’re protected against diseases, as well as protecting vulnerable kids who cannot be immunized for medical reasons.
So once the kids are back at school—and their lunches need packing, their dinners preparing, and the classic mom chauffeuring service gets underway once more—we’ll take all the extra help we can get.
The Ontario.ca/vaccines website provides parents with young kids with a super easy-to-use immunization scheduler, meaning you can stay on top of your kid’s doctor’s appointments. And since most vaccines need multiple doses to provide full protection, it’s a great way to help you stay on track.
If you’re unsure when you should be getting your child immunized, the easiest way to keep track is to stick to the vaccination schedule on Ontario.ca/vaccines.
This handy table below will provide you with all the vaccines recommended in infancy, early childhood, as school-age children:
| Age | Vaccination |
| 4 and 6 | Tetanus, diphtheria, pertussis, polio, measles, mumps, rubella, chicken pox, |
| Grade 7 (12 years old) | Meningococcal conjugate (Men-C-ACYW), hepatitis B, human papillomavirus (HPV) |
| Between 14 and 16 | Tetanus, diphtheria, pertussis. |
Don’t forget to book your next appointment and to inform your local public health unit each time your child is immunized!
For more information, visit Ontario.ca/vaccines.
This post has been brought to you by the Government of Ontario but the opinions are our own.
Tagged under: school,ontario,immunization,vaccinations
Category: health
