Baby vaccine schedules compared: UK, US, UAE and Germany
Every country builds its childhood vaccine schedule around the same goal, protecting babies as early as it is safe to, but the exact vaccines, ages and combinations differ. If you are raising a baby across borders, or comparing what friends abroad are doing, here is how the four schedules Cubby supports line up.
This is a plain-English overview. For the full age-by-age list and a birthday calculator, open your country's page: UK (NHS), US (CDC), UAE (MOHAP) or Germany (STIKO).
The big picture
All four protect against the same core diseases in the first months: diphtheria, tetanus, whooping cough, polio, Hib and hepatitis B (usually in one combination jab), plus pneumococcal and rotavirus. The differences are mostly in when doses fall, which extras are routine, and how vaccines are combined.
Key differences at a glance
| Vaccine | UK | US | UAE | Germany |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| BCG (TB) | Risk groups only | Not routine | At birth | Not routine |
| Hepatitis B at birth | In the 8-week 6-in-1 | Yes, at birth | Yes, at birth | In the 2-month 6-fach |
| Primary combo starts | 8 weeks | 2 months | 2 months | 2 months |
| Rotavirus | Yes (from 8 wk) | Yes (from 2 mo) | Yes | Yes (from 6 wk) |
| Meningococcal B | Yes (8, 12 wk, 1 yr) | Not routine for infants | Not routine | Yes (2, 4, ~12 mo) |
| Measles/mumps/rubella + varicella | MMRV (1 yr & 18 mo) | MMR + varicella (12-15 mo & 4-6 yr) | MMR + varicella (12 mo), MMR (18 mo) | MMR + varicella (11 & 15 mo) |
| RSV protection (newborn) | Maternal/seasonal | Maternal or infant antibody | Per clinic | Nirsevimab by birth month |
What stands out
- The UK starts at 8 weeks and now uses MMRV (one jab covering chickenpox too) after a January 2026 update that also added an 18-month visit.
- The US gives hepatitis B at birth and adds hepatitis A in the second year, with a clear 4-6 year pre-school booster set.
- The UAE starts with BCG and hepatitis B at birth, reflecting local public-health priorities, and uses 5-in-1 / 6-in-1 combinations.
- Germany uses a 2+1 schedule (2, 4, 11 months) for the 6-fach and pneumococcal vaccines, and can begin rotavirus from 6 weeks.
If your family moves country
Schedules are not directly interchangeable. A baby part-way through one country's plan does not simply restart, a clinician maps the doses already given onto the new schedule. Bring an up-to-date record of every dose and date; that record is exactly what a shared tracker is for.
Track your country's schedule in Cubby
Pick your country once and Cubby keeps the right schedule with reminders, shared with everyone who cares for your baby. Moving country? Switch the schedule and your logged doses carry over.
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