Health Booklet: what the Child Health Booklet records and why you bring it to every visit

Health Booklet is the everyday name for the Child Health Booklet, the 'baby book' that hospitals in Singapore give every baby at delivery. HealthHub says every Singapore child has had one since 1984. Doctors and nurses use it to record your child's birth details, height and weight, developmental milestones and vaccinations, so you bring it to every jab and check-up.

What goes into the Health Booklet

HealthHub, writing for the Health Promotion Board, lists what the booklet holds:

• birth data on page 3, such as the date and time of birth and the hearing screen done at birth
• height, weight, developmental milestones and immunisations, recorded at each well-baby visit
• an allergy table that your child's doctor fills in
• developmental checklists on pages 5 to 28, which you complete before each visit
• an oral health checklist and a child safety checklist

The booklet also prints the NCIS, so you can see which jab is next. If you want to make sense of the height and weight entries yourself, see growth percentile.

Bring it to every vaccination and developmental check

HealthHub's help centre is clear on this: bring the hard copy so the doctors and nurses can record the vaccinations given and the outcome of their assessment. NHG Polyclinics asks for your child's birth certificate on the first visit and the Health Booklet at every visit.

HealthHub says the booklet sets out 7 recommended touchpoints for developmental screening: 4 weeks, 3 or 4 months, 6 months, 12 months, 18 months, 30 months and 48 months. Jabs can be given at the same visits. Before each one, NUP asks you to fill in the pre-screening developmental questionnaire in the booklet. Going abroad? NHG says to take the booklet along if your child will have jabs overseas, so the records stay complete.

The digital Health Booklet on HealthHub

The HealthHub app has a Children's Health section that HealthHub calls a companion to the physical booklet. You can log birth information and growth records, see upcoming vaccinations, and view past immunisation records pulled from the National Immunisation Registry. Entries are made in the app, and the HealthHub website is for viewing only.

One gap: HealthHub says developmental assessment data from doctors is not available there yet, so the paper booklet is still the fuller record. Once your child finishes the childhood jabs, NHG Polyclinics says a Certificate of Vaccination is issued, and it is one of the documents needed for Primary One registration. MOH also accepts the record downloaded from the National Immunisation Registry.

Lost or damaged Health Booklet

You can get a replacement. HealthHub says only selected polyclinics and hospitals sell hard copies, and lists KKH, NUH, SGH, Gleneagles Hospital, NHG Polyclinics and SingHealth Polyclinics, most of them for replacements only. You can also download the latest version, updated December 2025, from HealthHub as a PDF.

The booklet changes with the schedule. HealthHub says the NCIS and the booklet will be amended on 1 January 2027, and MOH has announced that the HPV9 vaccine joins the NCIS that day. If a jab in the booklet is followed by a fever, the fever checker tells you, by age and reading, whether to watch at home or see a doctor. A polyclinic nurse can also check the booklet for missed doses.

Frequently asked questions

Do I still need the paper Health Booklet if I use the HealthHub app?

Yes. HealthHub says to bring the hard copy so doctors and nurses can record the vaccinations given and the results of their assessment in it. The app shows immunisation records but not, for now, developmental assessment data.

Where can I replace a lost Health Booklet?

At selected public hospitals and polyclinics, including KKH, NUH, SGH, NHG Polyclinics and SingHealth Polyclinics, HealthHub says. You can also download the PDF version from HealthHub.

Is the Health Booklet the same as the vaccination certificate?

No. The booklet is the running record. NHG Polyclinics says a separate Certificate of Vaccination is issued once your child completes the childhood jabs, and it is needed for Primary One registration.

My child was born overseas. What do I bring?

Your child's overseas immunisation records. NHG Polyclinics says the nurse checks them on the first visit, and that the records should be updated in the National Immunisation Registry before the polyclinic continues the jabs.

Related terms

• NCIS (National Childhood Immunisation Schedule): Singapore's official list of recommended childhood vaccines and the age each dose is due, from birth to 17 years.
• Polyclinic: A public primary care clinic with subsidised fees, where Singapore families can take children for jabs and checks.
• Growth Percentile: How your baby's weight, length or head size compares with children of the same age, as plotted on a growth chart.
• BCG (Bacillus Calmette-Guerin): The tuberculosis vaccine most Singapore babies get in hospital soon after birth. It usually leaves a small scar.
• MMR (Measles, Mumps and Rubella): The measles, mumps and rubella vaccine. Singapore children get it at 12 months and again at 15 months, as MMRV.
• Fever in a Newborn: A raised temperature in a baby under 3 months, which Singapore hospitals treat as a reason to come in straight away.

See every term in the glossary