Vaccine schedule: does your pediatrician have vaccine requirements?
Not all pediatricians practice the same way! Find out what yours does at a prenatal visit.
Some pediatric practices have policies that they will not accept families in their practice if they refuse to vaccinate their children. This policy is simply to protect the other patients in their waiting rooms. Although most pediatricians feel it is absolutely unnecessary to follow alternate vaccine schedules, most will be flexible.
If you attend a prenatal visit with your future pediatrician, you can ask about his or her vaccine policy. Pediatricians want families to be comfortable with their decisions to vaccinate, so do not hesitate to ask questions.
Reviewed by Dr. Sara Connolly, August 2019
We have gotten all the recommended vaccinations on schedule, but I did discuss that decision with our pediatrician at length beforehand. He was comfortable with doing whatever we decided, which made me trust his opinion even more!