By Ali Griffin, APRN
Do you every find yourself thinking “why does my kid even need a check-up, even if they are so healthy?” The truth is, EVERY child needs well-visits, ESPECIALLY if they are typically healthy, according to the American Academy of Pediatrics.
*Prevention: Well-visits are crucial for staying up-to-date on life-saving childhood immunizations. These visits also give us a chance to review with parents and families age-specific safety measures in your home and community, from safe sleep for infants to those “sex, drugs, and rock-n-roll” talks with our teens.
*Growth: Routine well-visits give us a chance to monitor physical growth as well as developmental milestones, school/learning progress, and social/emotional development. We can also catch small problems early, before they turn into bigger problems.
*Investigating concerns: At your well-visits, we dedicate time to assessing and evaluating parents’ and kids’ concerns regarding things such as sleep, nutrition, and behavior. We also use surveys which can help us identify early indications of developmental delays for younger children, or behavior or learning concerns in older children. Often, we find anxiety, depression, or attention/focusing issues that with early intervention give children the best possible outcomes.
*Team approach: The pediatric primary care team is at the core of the physical, mental, and social health of kids and their families. We are the bridge between any needed specialists your child might require now or in the future.
Because our well visits are so comprehensive, a typical check-up at Weiss Pediatric Care will last between 30-60 minutes, so be sure to allow enough time when scheduling and planning your appointments.
For more information about well visits and other appointment offered at Weiss Pediatric Care, check out the Office Information page on our website.