Having injections is never fun for adults or children, but protection from certain key illnesses is important for all small children. Click here for general information on baby vaccinations or for advice on tips on caring for your baby during vaccinations.
Some of the immunisations offered to young babies and children have changed slightly, and the schedule has been updated by the NHS this autumn (2006).
Parents are normally notified directly by their GP when a vaccination is due and they will be expected to make an appointment to attend. However, if you do not hear anything from your doctor when a certain age and stage passes, call your GP to check.
If your baby is due to have a vaccination, but is unwell, you can call your GP's reception and discuss either delaying a jab, or going ahead with an appointment, at which time the nurse or doctor will check your baby to see if he or she is well enough to have the vaccination. A raised temperature is usually the main reason a baby should hold off having a jab, unless he has an ongoing medical condition which prevents treatment.

Vaccination schedule for babies under one year old
Before your baby is three months old Your baby can be offered their BCG vaccination either at birth or before he is three months old. This tends only to be offered in areas where there is a greater risk of exposure to TB, which is a highly infectious lung disease. In the UK, the instance of TB is again increasing, but check out the NHS website advice to see if this is deemed relevant to your family. After the age of three months, this requires an additional skin test, which is why it is usually offered so young.
At two months A baby will be offered a series of vaccinations at two, three and four months. These are group vaccinations to keep up 'herd immunity' against diseases that are happily, because of such a vaccination programme, now more rare in the UK. The ONE INJECTION covers Diptheria, tetanus, pertussis (whopping cough), polio, and Haemophilius influenzae type b (Hib). This injection is usually shortened to DTaP/IPV/Hib.
At three months A baby will get THREE different injections at the same sitting. As well as the second DTaP/IPV/Hib jab, there is the PCV vaccine against Pneumococcal infection; and the MenC vaccine against Meningitis C.
At four months A baby will get THREE injections: the third DTaP/IPV/Hib; a second jab for MenC; and the second PCV injection.

At one year
At this time, a one year old will be offered ONE injection to boost aGainst Hib and meningitis C. This one injection therefore is referred to as Hib/MenC.

At 13 months
At 13 months, your baby is expected to attend for ONE injection to protect against measles, mumps and rubella (aka German measles). This is the MMR vaccine.

Between three and five years
Before your child starts full-time school, he will be expected to have THREE more vaccinations.
One injection is another boost for PCV; one if another boost for DTaP/IPV; and one is a boost for MMR.

Between 13 and 18 years
In his teens, your child will receive another booster for Td/IPV, covering Diptheria, tetanus and polio.
The BCG vaccination to protect against TB, which used to be routinely given to children in their early teens, will now be replaced by targeted treatment for babies and older people who are regarded as being at risk from exposure to TB infection.