{"id":9395,"date":"2020-04-08T21:17:14","date_gmt":"2020-04-09T04:17:14","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/my.castlighthealth.com\/blog\/?p=9395"},"modified":"2020-04-08T21:17:14","modified_gmt":"2020-04-09T04:17:14","slug":"well-child-visits","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/my.castlighthealth.com\/blog\/well-child-visits\/","title":{"rendered":"Well-Child Visits"},"content":{"rendered":"<p>Well-child visits are a time when parents can check up on their child\u2019s health and make sure they\u2019re growing and developing normally. Well-child visits usually start a few days after children are born and continue until they turn 18.<\/p>\n<h2 id=\"choosing-a-doctor\" class=\"wp-block-healthline-tabbed-heading\" data-toc-label=\"Choosing a doctor\">How do I choose a doctor for my child?<\/h2>\n<p>There are two kinds of doctors who treat children:<\/p>\n<ul>\n<li>A pediatrician takes care of children when they\u2019re born up until they become teenagers. Most pediatricians see children up to age 18; however, in some cases, they may continue to see patients until age 21. Some pediatricians have experience with specific diseases, such as pediatric cancer.<\/li>\n<li>A family physician (FP) is a doctor who takes care of patients of all ages. FPs are trained to take care of children, but they also have training in other areas, such as women\u2019s health or general internal medicine.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p>The type of doctor you choose depends on what you\u2019re looking for. If you want a doctor who can care for your child through adulthood, you may choose an FP. Or you may decide you\u2019d rather have a doctor who specializes just in children.<\/p>\n<p>Start looking for your child\u2019s doctor early, at least 3 months before your baby is due. Start by checking which doctors are covered under your insurance policy.<\/p>\n<p>Then ask for recommendations from friends, co-workers, and other healthcare providers. You can also research physicians online. The American Academy of Pediatrics and the American Board of Family Medicine maintain lists of board-certified doctors in your area.<\/p>\n<p>Next, schedule a prenatal appointment (an appointment before your child is born). A prenatal appointment is a great time for you to interview your selected physician. During your office visit, consider the following:<\/p>\n<ul>\n<li>What\u2019s the doctor\u2019s personality like?<\/li>\n<li>Is the office staff pleasant?<\/li>\n<li>When is the office open and how busy is it?<\/li>\n<li>If your child has an emergency or you need to contact the office after hours, who would take care of that?<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<h2 id=\"appointment\" class=\"wp-block-healthline-tabbed-heading\" data-toc-label=\"Appointment\">What happens during a well-child visit?<\/h2>\n<p>During a well-child visit, your doctor will:<\/p>\n<ul>\n<li>perform a physical exam<\/li>\n<li>give the child any necessary shots, such as immunizations or vaccinations<\/li>\n<li>track how your child is growing and ask about development and behavior<\/li>\n<li>talk about illness prevention, nutrition and physical fitness, and health and safety issues<\/li>\n<li>talk about how to handle emergencies and sudden illness<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p>Make sure your doctor isn\u2019t doing all the talking. The well-child visit is your best opportunity to bring up any worries about your child\u2019s growth and development, especially if your child isn\u2019t reaching important milestones.<\/p>\n<p>Remember, your doctor may be an expert in children\u2019s health, but you\u2019re the expert on your child.<\/p>\n<p>Also, don\u2019t be afraid to ask questions, medical or otherwise. Your child\u2019s doctor can give you valuable advice on how to promote your child\u2019s learning and development, how to potty train, tips on playground safety, and more.<\/p>\n<h2 id=\"immunizations\" class=\"wp-block-healthline-tabbed-heading\" data-toc-label=\"Immunizations\">Are vaccines safe?<\/h2>\n<p>Vaccinations are an important part of your child\u2019s well-child visit. Some parents worry that these shots can lead to certain health problems.<\/p>\n<p>Researchers at the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) have done a number of studies on vaccine use and autism, and they have disproven that there\u2019s a link between the two. Vaccines aren\u2019t only safe, but they also play an important role in keeping all children healthy.<\/p>\n<h2 id=\"schedule\" class=\"wp-block-healthline-tabbed-heading\" data-toc-label=\"Schedule\">Recommended doctor\u2019s visits<\/h2>\n<p>The American Academy of Pediatrics has a recommended schedule of visits for children starting soon after they\u2019re born. You should visit a doctor for a well-child checkup and immunizations, if due.<\/p>\n<p>The chart below gives a general idea of when immunizations are given. Note that there can be some variation depending on your child and your doctor\u2019s recommendations.<\/p>\n<div class=\"wp-block-table scrollTable responsive\">\n<table class=\"responsive\">\n<tbody>\n<tr>\n<td><strong>Age<\/strong><\/td>\n<td><strong>Immunizations<\/strong><\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<tr>\n<td>3 to 5 days after birth<\/td>\n<td>hepatitis B (Hep B)<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<tr>\n<td>1 month old<\/td>\n<td>checkup<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<tr>\n<td>2 months old<\/td>\n<td>rotavirus (RV) <br \/>\nHep B<br \/>\ndiphtheria, tetanus, pertussis (DTaP)<br \/>\n<em>Haemophilus influenzae<\/em> type b (Hib)<br \/>\npneumococcal (PCV)<br \/>\ninactivated poliovirus (IPV)<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<tr>\n<td>4 months old<\/td>\n<td>RV<br \/>\nDTaP<br \/>\nHib<br \/>\nPCV<br \/>\nIPV<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<tr>\n<td>6 months old<\/td>\n<td>RV<br \/>\nHep B<br \/>\nDTaP<br \/>\nHib<br \/>\nPCV<br \/>\nIPV<br \/>\ninfluenza (flu)<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<tr>\n<td>9 months old<\/td>\n<td>checkup<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<tr>\n<td>12 months old<\/td>\n<td>measles, mumps, rubella (MMR)<br \/>\nhepatitis A (Hep A)<br \/>\nvaricella (chickenpox)<br \/>\nHib<br \/>\nPCV<br \/>\nFlu<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<tr>\n<td>15 months old<\/td>\n<td>DTaP<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<tr>\n<td>18 months old<\/td>\n<td>checkup<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<tr>\n<td>24 months old<\/td>\n<td>flu<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<tr>\n<td>30 months old<\/td>\n<td>checkup<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<tr>\n<td>3 years old<\/td>\n<td>flu<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<tr>\n<td>4 years old<\/td>\n<td>DTaP <br \/>\nIPV<br \/>\nMMR<br \/>\nvaricella<br \/>\nflu<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<\/tbody>\n<\/table>\n<\/div>\n<p>After age 4, a well-child visit should take place every year and should include a physical exam and a growth, developmental, behavioral, and learning assessment.<\/p>\n<p>You can check out the CDC\u2019s recommended immunization schedule.<\/p>\n<h2 id=\"development\" class=\"wp-block-healthline-tabbed-heading\" data-toc-label=\"Development\">Is my child developing normally?<\/h2>\n<p>Your child\u2019s doctor will look at your child\u2019s growth and development at each well-child visit. This includes measuring your child\u2019s weight and height and specific milestones, such as:<\/p>\n<h3>At 6 months old<\/h3>\n<p>The child should respond to their own name, roll over, and have good hand-eye coordination.<\/p>\n<h3>At 1 year old<\/h3>\n<p>The child should be able to take a few steps and say simple words, such as \u201cda-da\u201d or \u201cma-ma.\u201d<\/p>\n<h3>At 2 years old<\/h3>\n<p>The child should be able to say two- to four-word phrases, begin to run, and start to show signs of being ready for potty training.<\/p>\n<h3>At 4 years old<\/h3>\n<p>The child should be social with other children, copy some letters and numbers, and have good language skills.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Well-child visits are a time when parents can check up on their child\u2019s health and make sure they\u2019re growing and developing normally. Well-child visits usually start a few days after children are born and continue until they turn 18. How do I choose a doctor for my child? There are two kinds of doctors who [&hellip;]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":49,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[1],"tags":[408,525,527,461],"featured_image_src":"https:\/\/d3toagd7ypryjs.cloudfront.net\/blog\/wp-includes\/images\/media\/default.png","acf":{"post_type":"post","post_subtitle":"","header":"","footer":"4 minute read","card_title":"Read: Well-Child Visits","mobile_content":{"mobile_story_label":"","mobile_post_title":"","mobile_carousel_image":"","mobile_hero_image":"","mobile_content_body":""},"post_hero_image":{"ID":9900,"id":9900,"title":"Well-Child_Visits","filename":"Well-Child_Visits.jpg","filesize":52220,"url":"https:\/\/d3toagd7ypryjs.cloudfront.net\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/03\/Well-Child_Visits.jpg","link":"https:\/\/my.castlighthealth.com\/blog\/well-child-visits\/well-child_visits\/","alt":"","author":"49","description":"","caption":"","name":"well-child_visits","status":"inherit","uploaded_to":9395,"date":"2020-04-09 04:16:16","modified":"2020-04-09 04:16:16","menu_order":0,"mime_type":"image\/jpeg","type":"image","subtype":"jpeg","icon":"https:\/\/my.castlighthealth.com\/blog\/wp-includes\/images\/media\/default.png","width":961,"height":400,"sizes":{"thumbnail":"https:\/\/d3toagd7ypryjs.cloudfront.net\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/03\/Well-Child_Visits.jpg","thumbnail-width":150,"thumbnail-height":62,"medium":"https:\/\/d3toagd7ypryjs.cloudfront.net\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/03\/Well-Child_Visits.jpg","medium-width":300,"medium-height":125,"medium_large":"https:\/\/d3toagd7ypryjs.cloudfront.net\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/03\/Well-Child_Visits.jpg","medium_large-width":640,"medium_large-height":266,"large":"https:\/\/d3toagd7ypryjs.cloudfront.net\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/03\/Well-Child_Visits.jpg","large-width":640,"large-height":266,"1536x1536":"https:\/\/my.castlighthealth.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/03\/Well-Child_Visits.jpg","1536x1536-width":961,"1536x1536-height":400,"2048x2048":"https:\/\/my.castlighthealth.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/03\/Well-Child_Visits.jpg","2048x2048-width":961,"2048x2048-height":400}},"post_cta_status":"false","post_conclusion_status":"false","post_co_branding_status":"false"},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/my.castlighthealth.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/9395"}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/my.castlighthealth.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/my.castlighthealth.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/my.castlighthealth.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/49"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/my.castlighthealth.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=9395"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/my.castlighthealth.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/9395\/revisions"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/my.castlighthealth.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=9395"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/my.castlighthealth.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=9395"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/my.castlighthealth.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=9395"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}