My kids' vaccinations are up to date, thanks to our doctor, but how I've kept track of them through the years is another story. The nice little booklets we started out with when they were all babies didn't get carried along to every appointment, so they soon fell out of date. I've relied on my doctor's records.

It turns out doctors have been wanting a tech tool that would tell them when to ideally administer vaccines after a child misses scheduled vaccinations. Researchers at the Georgia Institute of Technology listened and have developed an online tool that helps parents and pediatricians keep track and adjust immunizations so they are given at the best possible time when the optimal time has passed.

And lots of kids don't get their vaccines on time. About 28 percent of toddlers haven't been vaccinated according to U.S. guidelines, according to the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. The Washington Post reports that only 9 percent of children received all of their vaccinations at the recommended milestones, and half received all the recommended doses by their 2nd birthday.

Using the computer program, doctors—and parents—can enter a child's birth date and previous immunization dates. If follow-up immunizations have been missed, the program creates a personalized schedule of the recommended dates to administer all vaccines in the future.

Many of us have been there—scheduling annual checkups later than we should. Having a tool like this will help keep parents on track to schedule appointments on time and not miss required vaccinations. The fact that parents can use it, too, is a good thing. You can download the "catch-up immunization scheduler" for kids ages 6 and younger here on the CDC web site, where you'll also find more information about vaccines and recommended immunization schedules for all ages.

Would you find a tool like this helpful?