🛡️ Safety Lab · Pharmacy-Reviewed
Newborn & Infant Vaccinations UK — The Complete Schedule Explained
The UK routine immunisation schedule from 8 weeks — what vaccines are given, when, and what to expect afterwards.
The UK routine immunisation schedule from 8 weeks — what vaccines are given, when, and what to expect afterwards.
The question I see most often from new parents is not about the vaccines themselves — it is about the timing. Why so early? Why so many at once? The answers are rooted in immunology, not convenience.
Maternal immunity — antibodies passed from mother to baby during pregnancy — begins to wane from around 2 months. The 8-week vaccines are timed to provide protection precisely as that window closes. Starting later leaves your baby unprotected when these diseases are most dangerous.
8 weeks: 6-in-1 (diphtheria, tetanus, whooping cough, polio, Hib, hepatitis B) · Rotavirus (oral) · MenB
12 weeks: 6-in-1 (second dose) · Rotavirus (second dose) · PCV
16 weeks: 6-in-1 (third dose) · MenB (second dose)
12 months: Hib/MenC · MMR · PCV booster · MenB booster
After the MenB vaccine, give infant paracetamol — one dose at vaccination, two further doses 4–6 hours apart. Dose by weight. Sore leg, fussiness, and low-grade fever are normal for 24–48 hours.
“My baby has a cold — should we postpone?” A mild illness is not a reason to postpone. Reschedule only if your baby has a high fever — and reschedule as soon as possible.
“Can vaccines cause the disease?” No. The NHS schedule vaccines do not contain live viruses capable of causing infection, with the exception of rotavirus which contains a weakened live virus that cannot cause disease in a healthy baby.
NHS Childhood immunisation · PHE Immunisation Green Book · WHO · Reviewed April 2026.