Many parents put off having their children seen by their pediatrician until the child is sick or not feeling well. However, preventative care is extremely important to keeping your children as healthy as possible. A child experiences many periods of rapid growth and development as they age. Because of this, routine well-child check-ups are recommended to ensure your child is growing and developing the way they should be. Well-child check-ups are recommended more when a child is very young, such as for a newborn or infant, and decrease as the child ages – but no matter how old your child is, they should see their pediatrician for a well-child check-up annually at a minimum.
Preventative Care
Preventative care is one of the biggest reasons to have your child receive their annual well-child check-up. These visits provide the pediatrician the opportunity to see your child at their healthiest and to ensure they are providing the necessary preventative care to keep your child as healthy as possible. During a well-child check-up, your child’s pediatrician will review your child’s personal medical history and relevant family medical history, check your child’s vitals such as height, weight, and temperature, complete a comprehensive physical examination, complete health-risk assessments, and provide any immunizations that need updating.
Tracking Your Child’s Growth & Development
Measuring your child’s growth and development and tracking it over a period of time to ensure their development is age-appropriate and there are no concerns of a developmental delay is another important reason for taking your child to routine well-child visits with their pediatrician. Developmental screenings are provided at age-appropriate intervals to measure the child’s gross and fine motor, communication, problem-solving, social, and emotional growth and development. Vision, hearing, and depression screenings are included in this part of the well-child visit at certain ages.
Building A Relationship With The Pediatrician
You and your child having a close and trusting relationship with their pediatrician is important for many reasons. If your child does get sick, they want to know the person they are going to see for evaluation and treatment is reliable and can be trusted. Even if your child is generally healthy, well-child visits provide the opportunity for the child to build a relationship with their pediatrician that will make them comfortable sharing information if concerns do arise as they grow older. The well-child visit is also a great time for you to discuss any questions or concerns you have related to your child’s health such as concerns with their eating or sleeping habits and what to expect as your child continues to grow.
Schedule Your Child’s Well-Child Visit Today!
Visiting your child’s pediatrician shouldn’t only happen when your child is sick. If you have fallen behind on bringing your child to their recommended well-child visits, contact Children’s Medical Center today to schedule an appointment with their primary care provider. We are proud to support a child’s whole health – and the well-child check-up is the first step to keeping them as healthy as possible.
