

“The frequency, especially in the first year, is due to infants’ rapid growth and vaccine schedule.

A typical schedule of visits may include appointments at the following ages: Well-child visits are scheduled frequently in the first two years of your baby’s life to monitor his or her growth and development.īeginning at age 2, well-child visits happen just once a year until adolescence. To benefit from everything your provider can offer, it’s important to keep up with these routine visits. Regular visits also allow your pediatrician to track your child’s development to ensure he or she is meeting milestones, and prevent or detect health issues before they get serious. They may conduct vision and hearing screenings, too. A well-child visit is an opportunity for your child’s doctor to do a physical exam, provide routine vaccinations, and answer any questions you may have. The Bright Futures/American Academy of Pediatrics (AAP) developed a set of comprehensive health guidelines for well-child care, known as the “ periodicity schedule.” It is a schedule of screenings and assessments recommended at each well-child visit from infancy through adolescence.Whether you’re just welcoming baby home or your child is about to start high school, there’s one thing all kids need at least once a year: a visit with their pediatrician. Check in on how your family is doing and identify any supportive resources or advice related to navigating daily life.
#Well child visits schedule driver
Provide age- and behavior-based counseling for teens on topics such as driver safety, depression and drug or alcohol use.Help your child establish healthy habits and provide tips for families to reinforce these at home.Get to know your child: their diet, sleeping patterns, nutrition, social interactions, behavior and stress levels.Give sports physicals to children who want to want to participate in competitive sports at school or in the community.Provide immunizations for childhood diseases and common conditions that affect children or young adults, such as measles and HPV.Assess your child’s mental health, and ask questions about how they are coping with school, friends, family and any other outside influences.

Ask about sudden changes in your child’s usual activities, mood and overall health.Evaluate your child’s vision and hearing for anything out of the ordinary – it’s important to catch these issues early.Determine if your child is meeting growth and developmental milestones for their age.What to expect at a well-child visitĭuring an annual wellness visit, your child’s pediatrician will: For example, many common developmental delays are discovered during routine checkups with pediatricians – early intervention makes a big difference in getting your child the support they need before something small turns into a bigger issue. Delaying these visits can put your child at greater risk of illness or delay needed interventions. Visiting the pediatrician when your child is well also provides you with an opportunity to ask questions – and get expert answers – about your child’s health, development and well-being. While those annual checkups may seem like just another thing to fit into your family’s hectic schedule, they play a crucial role in preventing future problems. Well visits are essential to ensure your child gets the required vaccinations to attend school, go to daycare and participate in sports. If your child is healthy, it can be easy to let well visits fall by the wayside. What are the risks of skipping well-child visits?
