Your children's vaccination record: keeping it in order and never missing a booster
The whole family, in a single app.
The family organiser for iPhone, Android and the browser, end-to-end encrypted. Free for a family of two parents.
The vaccination record is one of those documents that seem simple until you need them. The paediatrician asks when the last booster was, school wants a certificate, summer camp asks whether tetanus is up to date — and the paper booklet is in a drawer at the other home, or at the grandparents', or can't be found at all.
This article is about organising vaccination information. The vaccination schedule, recommendations and health decisions are for your paediatrician and local health authority.
Why the paper record isn't enough
- It gets lost or damaged, and rebuilding it means requesting data from the vaccination office
- It lives in one place, while two parents, grandparents and sometimes travel need it
- It doesn't alert you: boosters years apart are easy to forget
The answer isn't throwing the paper away, but always having a digital copy and a system that remembers the dates.
1. Photograph everything, today
The first step takes ten minutes: photograph or scan every page of each child's vaccination record, and any certificates issued by the health authority. Save the files in the family documents, in a folder per child. They're encrypted with the family key and visible to both parents.
From then on, if the booklet goes missing, the data is still there.
2. Each vaccination as data, not just a photo
A photo can be looked at, but not searched. In each child's health section vaccinations are recorded one by one: date, type, batch if you have it, with the certificate attached. When the paediatrician asks "when was the last dose?", the answer is a single line.
3. Boosters in the calendar
When the vaccination centre gives the next appointment date — or the paediatrician says when a booster is due — that date goes straight into the family calendar, with a reminder a few weeks before. Boosters years apart are exactly the ones that get forgotten.
4. The certificate when you need it
School, sport, summer camps, travel: you often need to show vaccination status. With the certificate already in documents, you open it on your phone or send it in a minute, without rushing to the vaccination office.
5. In separated families
When children live in two homes, the paper booklet can only be in one of them. A digital copy shared between parents prevents an appointment falling through because "the other parent has the booklet", and stops one parent having to ask for information they should already have. More in the kids' documents across two homes.
6. The full health record
Vaccinations are only part of a child's health history. Visits, tests, allergies and treatments complete the picture: KidBox generates a summary health record to show a new doctor.
In short
Photograph the booklet and certificates today, record each vaccination as data in the child's section, put boosters in the calendar with a reminder, keep certificates ready to show and share them between parents. The paper booklet stays in the drawer. But you no longer need to go looking for it.
The tools this article talks about
Read next
Your kids' health history: what to keep, where, and why the doctor needs it
Vaccinations, visits, tests, treatments: how to build a clinical history of your kids that either parent can show any doctor, in one tap.
The family health record: what to keep, how to organise it and when it really matters
A night in A&E, a new paediatrician, a specialist asking for tests from two years ago. What to keep about each family member's health, and how to find it in thirty seconds.
The first year as new parents: what to organise, and what to let go
Check-ups, vaccinations, documents, benefits, night shifts and a thousand photos. What to sort out in the first weeks so you don't have to think about it on three hours' sleep.