TLC Pediatrics of Amarillo is committed to providing the best and most up-to-date preventive care for your child. We believe that immunizations are an essential part of that care. Vaccines are a safe and effective way of preventing diseases that can cause life threatening illnesses in infants and children. Immunizations are the basis of preventative medicine. It makes sense to prevent very serious illnesses for some of these serious viral illnesses such as measles or mumps, there are no available treatments, only supportive care. Many carry devastating consequences such as meningitis, neurological sequellae, or death, so prevention is of utmost importance. With minor modifications, we follow and use the vaccine schedule recommended by the American Academy of Pediatrics and the Centers for Disease Control for routine well child immunizations and screening tests.

For descriptions of these vaccines and the diseases they protect against, please visit www.immunizationinfo.org , www.vaccinesafety.edu, or www.immunize.org. For detailed informational sheets published by the Centers for Disease Control (CDC) please visit www.cdc.gov/vaccines/pubs/vis.

• Click here to read How to Prepare Your Child for Immunizations
• Click here to view Our Philosphy on Vaccines
• Click here to view a list of our well child and immunization schedule.
• For a personalized vaccine schedule please click on the following image:

Vaccine Safety and Resources
Childhood Immunization Support Program – American Academy of Pediatrics
Vaccines & Immunizations – Centers for Disease Control & Prevention
Vaccine Safety – Centers for Disease Control & Prevention
Vaccine Education Center – The Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia
Institute for Vaccine Safety – Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School for Public Health

How to Prepare Your Child for Immunizations

• Talk about doctor visits in a positive way.
• Read fun books to your child about doctor visits prior to your appointment.
• If your child asks if the shot or procedure will hurt, don’t fib about it; get down at your child’s eye-level and explain that the shot may hurt a little for a few seconds.
• Allow your child some control regarding the appointment. Let them choose which toy they want to bring with them, and how they want to sit for the shot.
• Distraction is helpful during the shot or procedure, such as
  • Playing “I spy” and helping your child find items in the room
  • Blowing bubbles during the shot (this also helps the child to regulate breathing and remain calm)
• Tell your child to blow out the pain like a candle or have the child squeeze your hand as hard as the pain is of the shot
• Plan a special reward for after the shots (i.e. going to get ice cream, going to the park, visiting a grandparent/relative, etc.)
• Allow the child to calm down before leaving the doctor’s office so that they can leave on a positive note and not associate the doctor’s office with negative things or pain.
• Children sense parents’ anxiety. Make sure you’re able to stay calm during the procedures.