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From the American Academy of Pediatrics: "The Well-Child Visit: Why Go & What to Expect?"
- 5 days ago
- 3 min read
This article is from the American Academy of Pediatrics www.healthychildren.org.
Regular checkups are an important way to keep track of your child's health and physical, emotional, and social development. These visits are important for ALL children, including children and youth with special health care needs who may also be under the care of specialists. Your conversations can range from sharing your successes and milestones to overall concerns about child development, to challenges in daily routines. Think of these visits as your chance to learn as much as you can about the best ways to help your child grow. By focusing on your child's growth and learning, both you and your health care professional make sure your child is developing as expected. Your family and health care professional form a partnership based on respect, trust, honest communication, and understanding your family's culture and traditions.
What to expect during your visit
A well-child visit is a chance to get regular updates about your child's health and development. Your health care team will take measurements, conduct a head-to-toe examination, update immunizations, and offer you a chance to talk with your health care professional.
Your well-child visit includes 4 specific activities:
Determining whether your child has any health concerns
Offering ways to keep your child from developing health concerns
Providing support for your child's overall health and well-being
Talking through health information and offering advice
By focusing on each activity, your health care professional offers you tools and information that you can use to support your child's development.
How to Prepare for a Well-Child Visit
To get the most out of your time with the health care team during the visit, take a few simple steps to prepare. For example:
Make notes about what you've noticed about your child's health and development. Include any changes in behavior or family routines. Write a list of questions. You will have time to ask them during your visit. If you have many questions, ask the most important ones first and plan for another time for a longer discussion. The Well-Visit Planner is an online tool that can help you identify questions and concerns to raise with your health care professional. Encourage your teen to ask questions about his/her own health. Gather information that might be helpful for your health care professional. Share information from school (such as your child's Individualized Education Program) or child care to help your health care professional learn more about your child.
After the Visit
Depending on your child's age, you may have well-child visits every few weeks, months, or yearly. The AAP provides a Schedule of Well-Child Care Visits from birth to 18, known as the "periodicity schedule" To help you create a plan for when you get home, write a "to-do" list during the visit. List tasks that you can easily fit into your life, like "keep healthy snacks in the house" or "turn off the TV or computer an hour before bedtime." Also include follow-up tasks, such as "make an appointment with the specialist" or "talk with teachers about special education services." Clarify each task on your "to do" list with your health care team so you know exactly what to do and when to do it.
Your well-child visit isn't the only time you can talk with your health care team. If questions arise after your visit is over, call the office and ask the team for answers. Or if you follow up on a task you discussed during your wellÂchild visit, call the office to update the team. Keeping your health care team up to date helps make the most out of your next well-child visit.
Additional Resources from AAP:
Your Child’s Checkups
All About the AAP Recommended Immunization Schedule
Milestones Matter: Your Child's Growth & Development By Age 5
This article is informational and is not a substitute for medical attention or information from a certified medical provider.