Guest blog by Emily Clancy, Communications Director at Immunize Colorado

Vaccines are a vital way to prevent disease, especially for pregnant people and newborns. Understandably, some parents have questions about vaccines. Are they safe for my baby? Why do babies get so many vaccines? How effective are they at preventing illness? Research shows most parents try to answer these questions and make a decision about whether to vaccinate their child during pregnancy. Therefore, pregnancy and early childhood are important times to educate families about the importance of vaccination. 

To help pregnant people and young families learn about and access vaccines and other pregnancy-related health care, the statewide nonprofit Immunize Colorado will host three free Community Baby Showers in late 2025 and early 2026. These events are made possible through the Impact on Equity Initiative of Early Milestones. Each Shower will showcase local organizations that will provide information and resources on everything from early literacy, child safety, and food assistance to health insurance navigation and child care support. Each event will also offer a vaccination clinic, free food, and giveaways. 

Why Are Vaccines Important for Young Families?

Vaccines given to children help protect them from 18 diseases. Many of these diseases, like polio and measles, used to sicken thousands of children each year. Now, thanks to vaccines and other public health measures, we see fewer cases of and deaths due to vaccine-preventable diseases. Many once-common diseases are now rare thanks to vaccines. 

Vaccines are critical for everyone, especially vulnerable groups like pregnant people and infants. All pregnant people should receive a Tdap (tetanus, diphtheria, and pertussis) vaccine during each pregnancy. If needed, they should also get seasonal vaccines for flu, RSV (respiratory syncytial virus), and COVID-19. These vaccines can help protect them from getting sick. They also allow a parent to pass antibodies to their infant before they are born, which protect the baby after birth before they can get their own vaccines.

Infants get between 16 and 19 vaccine doses during their first six months. This may seem like a lot of vaccines, but vaccinating on time is the best way to keep babies healthy. A baby’s immune system is strong, and it’s not possible for vaccines to overwhelm it.

Simply put, vaccines save lives. The CDC estimates that, for children born between 1994 and 2021, vaccination will prevent 472 million illnesses, 29 million hospitalizations, and over 1 million deaths. Vaccines are also incredibly safe. The vaccine approval process involves years of testing. Even after a vaccine is approved, it is continually monitored for safety. Though we have lots of evidence that vaccines are safe and beneficial, vaccines are still sometimes misunderstood.

Challenges to Vaccine Trust and Access

The Baby Showers will be held at a moment when trust in and access to vaccines are being challenged. Nationally, cuts to Medicaid and changes to the vaccine schedule could result in many families losing access to vaccines if they are no longer covered by insurance. Vaccine misinformation also runs rampant online, prompting some parents to question or distrust vaccination. Experts who can answer their questions, like pediatricians, are also very busy. There is often not enough time during well-child visits for conversations that adequately address parents’ questions. 

Because of these challenges, we are seeing higher rates of vaccine-preventable diseases and lower vaccination rates. In 2025, there have been over 1,200 cases of measles so far (16 in Colorado), compared to just 285 in all of 2024. There were also six times the number of whooping cough cases in 2024 compared to 2023. Despite this, vaccination rates are decreasing. In Colorado, only 88% of Colorado kindergarteners were fully vaccinated against measles during the 2024/2025 school year. (This is below the 95% rate needed to protect schools and communities from outbreaks.) And 30% of children under age two are missing one or more vaccines. Overall, it is getting harder for parents to make informed decisions about and to access vaccines.

Part of the Solution: Community Baby Showers

At Immunize Colorado, our work reduces barriers to immunization by addressing some of these challenges. Community events like the Baby Showers are just one of the many ways we do this. During the Baby Showers, Immunize Colorado will use four key strategies proven to help make vaccines easy to understand and ensure they are easy (and free) to get:

1. Offering a mobile vaccine clinic – This allows us to meet people in their communities at convenient times (outside traditional doctor’s office hours) to access care.
2. Offering wraparound social services – This allows parents to access any resources they may need in a “one-stop-shop.” 
3. Utilizing Trusted Messengers – These are trusted members of a community to whom people turn for information and guidance. They help plan events with their community’s needs in mind. They can also reach out to families directly to make them feel comfortable attending the event and confident that their unique needs are understood and met.
4. Sharing easy-to-understand vaccine information – Parents feel empowered to vaccinate their kids when they have clear information from trusted sources available in a language they understand. Immunize Colorado shares this information with parents through disease-specific fact sheets and links to our Immunize For Good parent website–all available in English and Spanish.

Together, these strategies will help increase trust in the healthcare system. They will also allow us to provide resources to families who need them. When we work to increase access to vaccines, we ultimately help to reduce inequities. For our state’s youngest members, this means they’ll have a great “shot” at a healthy start to life! 

The Community Baby Showers will take place on the following dates:

• August 16, 2025
  Clayton Early Learning | Denver, CO | 10 a.m. – 1 p.m.

• September 13, 2025
  Westwood Community Center | Denver, CO | 10 a.m. – 1 p.m.
• February 2026 (date TBD)
  Colorado Springs, CO | Time TBD

Learn more about the Baby Showers: https://www.immunizecolorado.org/event/community-baby-showers/