How many vaccine doses by age 6?
From birth to the 4 to 6 year visit, the AAP 2026 table lists 27 to 29 doses of the 9 vaccines with a set number of doses, and the schedule cdc.gov shows today (dated 2 Jul 2025) lists 27 to 29. Flu and COVID-19 have no set number, and the RSV antibody depends on the mother’s RSV vaccination, so they are not in the totals (see below). The AAP table lists COVID-19 for all children aged 6 to 23 months; cdc.gov marks it shared clinical decision-making.
A range means the table gives more than one dose number for that vaccine: Rotavirus and Hib.
Doses by vaccine
| Vaccine (counted from the table’s wording) | AAP 2026 | cdc.gov, dated 2 Jul 2025 |
|---|---|---|
| Hepatitis B3rd dose | 3 | 3 |
| RotavirusRV1 is a 2-dose series, RV5 a 3-dose series | 2 to 3 | 2 to 3 |
| DTaP (diphtheria, tetanus, whooping cough)5th dose | 5 | 5 |
| Hib (Haemophilus influenzae type b)3rd or 4th dose | 3 to 4 | 3 to 4 |
| Pneumococcal conjugate4th dose | 4 | 4 |
| Polio (IPV)4th dose | 4 | 4 |
| MMR (measles, mumps, rubella)2nd dose | 2 | 2 |
| Chickenpox (varicella)2nd dose | 2 | 2 |
| Hepatitis A2-dose series | 2 | 2 |
| All 9 vaccines added up | 27 to 29 | 27 to 29 |
This counts doses listed for all children in each table, from birth to the 4 to 6 year column. It is doses, not visits or injections, and a vaccine can cover more than one disease (the disease names are in each row). Doses a table marks only for certain high-risk groups are not counted. Among the vaccines counted above, those are Hib; Pneumococcal conjugate; MMR (measles, mumps, rubella) and Hepatitis A. Meningococcal ACWY is marked only for certain high-risk groups, so it is not counted at all.
Sources: AAP Immunization Schedule, 2026, Table 1 (revision log dated 1 Sep 2026); CDC Child and Adolescent Immunization Schedule by Age, addendum updated 2 Jul 2025.
Flu, COVID-19 and the RSV antibody
The AAP table gives no fixed number for these (flu: 1 or 2 doses annually; COVID-19: 1 or more doses; RSV antibody: 1 dose depending on maternal RSV vaccination status), so they are not in the totals. Each table’s own wording, from the full comparison:
- FluAAP 2026: 1 or 2 doses annually. cdc.gov: 1 or 2 doses annually.Source: downloads.aap.org and cdc.gov
- COVID-19: the AAP 2026 table marks it routine for all children aged 6 to 23 months and, from age 2 through 18 years, for certain high-risk groups or where a parent or guardian desires protection; the cdc.gov schedule (addendum updated July 2, 2025) marks it shared clinical decision-makingSource: downloads.aap.org
- RSV antibody: for the first RSV season the AAP 2026 table and notes name two products, nirsevimab and clesrovimab, and the cdc.gov schedule (addendum updated July 2, 2025) names nirsevimab only; for the second season, high-risk children aged 8 to 19 months, both name nirsevimab. The ages and categories are the same; the high-risk groups each names for the second season differSource: downloads.aap.org
Then and now: CDC’s 1995 schedule
The same count for the childhood schedule in CDC’s MMWR notice, effective January 1995 (the notice says ACIP and the AAP endorsed it, and it is listed on CDC’s page of prior schedules), is 16 to 18 doses of 5 vaccines. The schedule cdc.gov shows today lists 27 to 29.
On the 5 vaccines that are in both tables, the count is 16 to 18 in 1995 and 17 to 18 now.
| Vaccine | CDC, January 1995 | cdc.gov, dated 2 Jul 2025 |
|---|---|---|
| Hepatitis B | 3 | 3 |
| Rotavirus | Not in that table | 2 to 3 |
| Diphtheria, tetanus, whooping cough | 5 (DTP or DTaP) | 5 |
| Hib | 3 to 4 | 3 to 4 |
| Pneumococcal conjugate | Not in that table | 4 |
| Polio | 4 (OPV) | 4 |
| MMR (measles, mumps, rubella) | 1 to 2 | 2 |
| Chickenpox | Not in that table | 2 |
| Hepatitis A | Not in that table | 2 |
| Total | 16 to 18 | 27 to 29 |
How the 1995 count is made: the table’s cells from birth to the 4 to 6 year column, one dose per cell. Its notes say a Hib dose at age 6 months is not required when that product (PRP-OMP) was given at 2 and 4 months, and that the second MMR dose may be given at entry to kindergarten or middle school, so Hib and MMR are ranges. The 1995 table names the vaccines it lists (DTP or DTaP; OPV, oral polio vaccine); the current tables list DTaP and IPV. This compares dose counts only, not the diseases covered or how well the vaccines protect.
The January 2026 HHS schedule
It is not in the totals above. It is stayed by a court order and is not the schedule cdc.gov shows. HHS’s fact sheet gives numbers of diseases and immunizations, not doses per child.
Where things stand
- The schedule on cdc.gov is the one dated 2 Jul 2025. CDC's page says this is because of the court order of 16 Mar 2026. Source: cdc.gov
- The court order of 16 Mar 2026 stayed the January 2026 HHS change to the schedule. Source: courtlistener.com
- HHS fact sheet, January 2026 schedule (stayed) HHS (fact sheet, 5 Jan 2026) said CDC would continue to recommend that all children be immunized against 10 diseases plus varicella; other immunizations to be for high-risk groups or shared clinical decision-makingSource: hhs.gov (archived copy)
- HHS fact sheet, on the end-of-2024 CDC schedule HHS (fact sheet, 5 Jan 2026) contrasted its new schedule with the CDC schedule at the end of 2024, which recommended 17 immunizations for all childrenSource: hhs.gov (archived copy)
What about a total through age 18?
The count on this page stops at the 4 to 6 year column. The CDC and AAP tables list doses vaccine by vaccine and age through 18, and a single total depends on which vaccines, ages and product choices are counted, so totals quoted elsewhere can differ. To check a number you have seen, add up the rows of the table it comes from: the AAP schedule or the CDC schedule.
All facts on this page were checked on or after 11 Nov 2026.
Each visit is on the schedule. The two schedules side by side: CDC and AAP compared. Your child’s doctor can tell you which schedule they follow.