CDC and the American Academy of Pediatrics (AAP) recommend annual influenza vaccination for all children age 6 months and older who do not have a contraindication. AAP recommends any licensed vaccine appropriate for the child’s age and health status, without preference for one product or formulation. See the 2026 AAP policy statement on influenza immunization at https://doi.org/10.1542/peds.2026-078778.
Last reviewed:
October 11, 2026
All six 2026–27 influenza vaccines approved for children are trivalent. Five injectable vaccines are available for children: three egg-based IIVs, one cell culture-based IIV, and one recombinant vaccine. All are administered intramuscularly:
- Fluarix (GSK): 0.5 mL/dose for age 6 months and older
- FluLaval (GSK): 0.5 mL/dose for age 6 months and older
- Fluzone (Sanofi): 0.25 mL or 0.5 mL per dose for age 6 through 35 months; 0.5 mL/dose for age 3 years and older
- Flucelvax (ccIIV, CSL Seqirus): 0.5 mL/dose for age 6 months and older
- Flublok (RIV, Sanofi): 0.5 mL/dose for age 9 years and older
- One egg-based live attenuated nasal spray vaccine, FluMist (LAIV, AstraZeneca), is an option for healthy, nonpregnant people age 2 years and older: 0.2 mL intranasally.
AAP recommends any licensed influenza vaccine appropriate for the child’s age and health status, without preference for one product or formulation. See AAP’s 2026 influenza vaccine policy statement at https://doi.org/10.1542/peds.2026-078778.
Last reviewed:
October 11, 2026
Children age 6 months through 8 years should receive a second influenza vaccine dose 4 weeks or more after the first dose if they meet one of the following three criteria: 1) they are receiving influenza vaccine for the first time, or 2) they have not received a total of at least two doses of any seasonal influenza vaccine before July 1 of the current year, or 3) their vaccination history is unknown. The two previous doses need not have been received during the same season or consecutive seasons.
A child who is 8 years old and is recommended to receive two doses during the current season and turns 9 during the current season before receiving dose 2, should still receive dose 2.
Immunize.org’s handout titled “Guide for Determining the Number of Doses of Influenza Vaccine to Give to Children Age 6 Months Through 8 Years” provides additional guidance on this issue; it is available at www.immunize.org/catg.d/p3093.pdf.
Last reviewed:
October 11, 2026
Yes. Doses of FluMist administered in past seasons can be counted.
Last reviewed:
October 11, 2026
The two doses may be the same or different products.
Last reviewed:
October 11, 2026
The child should receive the dose appropriate for the child’s age at the time of the visit. At age 37 months, give a 0.5 mL dose of Fluzone.
Last reviewed:
October 11, 2026
Yes, unless state law prohibits it. Fluzone is the only product in the 2026-27 season that has a multidose vial packaging option containing thimerosal. A June 2025 ACIP vote to recommend only thimerosal-free influenza vaccines was paused by a federal court stay in March 2026 and is not in effect. The American Academy of Pediatrics (AAP) recommends any licensed influenza vaccine appropriate for a child’s age and health status, without preference for a product or formulation. See the 2026 AAP influenza policy statement at https://doi.org/10.1542/peds.2026-078778.
Last reviewed:
October 11, 2026
Yes, but only if the 9-year-old meets all of the criteria below:
- they turned 9 years old during the current season, and
- they had received one dose during the current season before turning 9, and
- they have no or unknown history of receiving any previous dose of influenza vaccine before July 1 of the year of the current season.
Last reviewed:
October 11, 2026
A CDC study showed a small increased risk for febrile seizures during the 24 hours after a child receives the inactivated influenza vaccine at the same time as the PCV13 vaccine or DTaP vaccine. However, the risk of febrile seizure with any combination of these vaccines is small and ACIP recommends giving these vaccines at the same visit if indicated. The risk for febrile seizures in children who received the currently recommended PCV15 or PCV20 vaccines at the same time as an influenza vaccine has not been studied.
See www.cdc.gov/vaccine-safety/about/febrile-seizures.html for more information about febrile seizures after vaccination.
Last reviewed:
October 11, 2026
