AAP vs. CDC Vaccine Schedules: What Changed in 2026, and Why We Follow the AAP

Updated October 2026. Federal vaccine policy has been changing quickly, and we'll keep this page current.

For decades, families didn't need to think about "which" vaccine schedule to follow. The American Academy of Pediatrics (AAP), the CDC, and other medical groups published one shared schedule. That changed in the past year, and many parents have asked us what it means. Here's a plain-language guide.

Our answer, up front

Uptown Pediatrics follows the AAP schedule. It protects children against 18 serious diseases, it's based on a careful review of the evidence by pediatric experts, and it's endorsed by many other medical organizations, including the American Medical Association, the American Academy of Family Physicians, and the American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists.

How we got here

• August 2025: After changes to the federal vaccine advisory committee, the AAP began publishing its own evidence-based schedule.
• January 2026: The U.S. Department of Health and Human Services announced a pared-back CDC schedule that routinely recommends vaccines against 11 diseases, moving others to "high-risk only" or "shared clinical decision-making." The AAP noted that no new data were cited to justify the changes.
• March 2026: A federal judge paused those changes while a lawsuit brought by the AAP continues. The government has appealed.
• August 2026: An executive order called for further changes, including splitting the MMR vaccine into three separate shots, which aren't licensed in the United States. The AAP and more than 200 organizations opposed it.

Where the schedules differ

These vaccines are routine on the AAP schedule but were not routine for all children on the January 2026 federal schedule:

• Hepatitis B: AAP recommends the first dose at birth for every baby. The federal schedule limited the birth dose to babies whose mothers test positive or have unknown status.
• Rotavirus: Routine on the AAP schedule; shared decision-making on the federal one.
• Flu: AAP recommends a flu shot every year for everyone 6 months and older.
• COVID-19: AAP recommends it routinely for babies 6 to 23 months, and for older children at higher risk or whose families want protection.
• Hepatitis A: AAP recommends it routinely at 12 to 23 months.
• Meningococcal (MenACWY): AAP recommends it routinely at 11 to 12 years, with a booster later.
• RSV protection for infants: AAP recommends it for babies in their first RSV season, depending on whether mom was vaccinated in pregnancy.

What stayed the same

Both schedules recommend routine vaccination against diphtheria, tetanus, and whooping cough (DTaP and Tdap), Hib, pneumococcal disease, polio, measles, mumps, and rubella (MMR), chickenpox, and HPV.

What it means for your family

• School requirements are set by New York State, not by the federal schedule.
• Insurance: Most major insurers have said they will keep covering, at no cost to families, the vaccines that were recommended as of September 2025, through the end of 2026. If you have a coverage question, call your plan or our billing team at 866-371-6118.
• Your questions are welcome. We believe in vaccines because the evidence is strong, and we also believe in shared decision-making. We'll always take the time to talk through any vaccine with you.

See our vaccine and well visit schedule, read the evidence on MMR and autism, or call 212-427-0540.

Source: American Academy of Pediatrics, HealthyChildren.org: All About the AAP Recommended Immunization Schedule and AAP News: AAP's 2026 immunization schedule.