AAP Offers Resources for Parents on the Many Health Benefits of Immunization for their Babies
Introducing a new baby to your home, whether as a new parent or as part of a growing family, can be challenging. The American Academy of Pediatrics (AAP) is helping new parents learn the facts about vaccines with a new, completely free set of video courses for parents.
“Having a baby is a wonderful, life-changing event. I tell all new parents that immunizing your children on schedule against vaccine-preventable disease is perhaps the most important decision you’ll make in the first years of your child’s life, because it will help your child thrive into the future,” said AAP pediatrician Whitney Casares, MD, FAAP. “Like teaching your child to read, vaccines teach your baby’s immune cells to prevent diseases.”
This year for National Infant Immunization Week, April 22-28, the AAP has launched a new course on YouTube—a complete guide to immunizations for parents of young children—that answers common questions about vaccines from birth through age 6 years. The course is free and available here.
The course—Introduction to Protecting Your Child: The Complete Guide to Childhood Vaccinations—offers tips for parents on how vaccines work, vaccine myths versus facts, and answers the most common questions pediatricians hear from parents about their child’s vaccines. The course faculty are AAP pediatricians like Dr. Casares, and include Joanna Parga-Belinkie, MD, FAAP, Edith Bracho-Sanchez, MD, FAAP, Rebekah Fenton, MD, MPH, FAAP, and Anita Chandra, MD, FAAP.
Chapters in the course include:
- Childhood Immunization Schedule for Ages 0-6
- Myths vs. Facts on Childhood Immunizations
- How Do Vaccines Work?
- Top Questions Parents Ask About Childhood Vaccines
- Tips for Parents When Getting Vaccines
The AAP is also offering an interactive tool, Conversations About Vaccines, allowing parents to find answers to their vaccine questions, in English and Spanish. Additional resources include:
- How Your Child’s Immune System Updates after Vaccinations: this video explains how vaccines update your child’s immune system, just like a computer update helps your computer resist malware.
- A YouTube playlist of sharable video shorts in English and Spanish.
- HealthyChildren.org content for parents:
