Childhood vaccinations are dates you don't want to forget. And now you never will.

The information no parents can ignore.

Each time I have a child, the immunisation schedule changes. This is a good thing.

It means that doctors and health authorities are regularly updating the way vaccines are given, adding new ones to the schedule as they are tested and approved for general use and making sure the schedule minimises all possible effects.

Awesome.

But it can be confusing. Especially if you have more than one child and you have to juggle a bunch of dates along with everything else you have to remember in your life.

I’ve had times when all three of my children have required their different vaccinations all within a couple of months of each other.

And because personally, I’m hopeless with dates, this has been challenging.

Just as an FYI, you should know that this post is sponsored by NSW Health. But all opinions expressed by the author are 100% authentic and written in their own words.

I have always struggled with dates. I forget birthdays. I write my hairdressing appointments in my diary for the wrong day. I never know when my period is due.

But none of those things are terribly serious (except this one time when I forgot my best friend’s birthday….thankfully when I hadn’t called by dinnertime that day, her husband called ME to remind me).

Childhood vaccinations though? These are dates you do not want to forget.

Since I had my first child 16 years ago and still today, there’s always this nagging fear: have I forgotten someone’s immunisations? It plays on my mind because like almost all parents, I take vaccination very seriously.

I am grateful to live in a society where not only are these vaccines available but they’re free. We are so lucky.

Everyone knows how vulnerable babies are to dangerous diseases in those first few months of life – both our own babies and those in the wider community – and that’s why it’s so crucial to make sure we get them immunised at the right time every time.

And now, happily, there’s an app for that! To help us. To remind us.

Because there are so many reasons parents don’t have their children’s vaccinations up to date – which can be as dangerous as skipping them altogether.

Life is busy though, right? One of your other children might be sick. You might be travelling. And since vaccinations often co-incide with birthdays, you might put it off until after the big day and then…oooops, it’s slipped your mind.

It happens! But it doesn’t have to. Not anymore.

The Save The Date To Vaccinate app is free to download and sends personalised reminders to your phone about when your kids’ vaccinations are due. How awesome is that?

All you have to do is enter the birth date of each of your children and forget about it.  The Save the Date to Vaccinate App will do the rest, making sure you’re keeping your children safe and giving them the best start in life.

Do you believe that all children have the right to be vaccinated on time? Do you need reminders about when vaccinations are due?

Save the Date to Vaccinate is an initiative from NSW Health to remind parents of the importance of on-time vaccinations for children from birth to 4 years of age.

On-time vaccinations help protect children from serious diseases at the most vulnerable time of life.

You can download the free ‘Save the Date’ phone app for personalised schedules, and handy reminders. Visit www.immunisation.health.nsw.gov.au