When it comes to their child’s health care, parents have a lot of questions. One of the most common questions is whether child care wellness visits are worth the trouble. If their child feels fine, why bother going to see the doctor? While this may follow a certain “If It Ain’t Broke, Don’t Fix It” mentality that many of our parents and their parents before them followed, it does not really align with the modern way we look at parenting and child care. Well child visits offer a great opportunity for pediatricians to assess your child for any underlying issues or red flags that may be impervious to a non-medically trained eye. Your pediatrician will check your child head to toe to make sure your child is reaching their developmental milestones alongside the rest of their peers and classmates. Secondly, well child visits offer the chance for parents and pediatricians to get to know one another. Parents can ask any questions they may have about their child’s health.
The best pediatrician will ask you all about your child to get a better picture of their day-to-day life. They will ask questions like, “how is your child doing in school?”, or maybe they will ask how your child interacts with other children in a social setting – are they a leader or a follower? Do they like taking center stage or are more content hanging around in the fringes. They will also ask questions about your family’s life at home. What are your child’s favorite foods? On any given day, what types of foods are on the average family dinner plate? These questions are not meant to be intrusive or prying. The pediatricians, such a Lakeland, FL Pediatrician, are simply trying to get a better understanding of what external and internal factors are at play in your child’s life that might be affecting their health in both positive and negative ways.
Another reason that well child visits are critical for your child’s health is to receive any vaccinations that your child may need. Child vaccinations have become a bit of a controversy in the past decade or so because an article was published by a European doctor claiming there to be links between vaccinations and mental disabilities. While this claim has been refuted and proved to be false many years ago, the rumor has propagated across the western world and led many anxious parents to choose to not vaccinate their children. The truth is that vaccines are a victim of their own success. A thorough vaccination regimen across the United States in the past century has all but eliminated diseases, such as polio and smallpox. In the past, these diseases were to blame for countless childhood illnesses and even death. However, with the introduction of vaccinations and herd immunity, modern medicine has wiped the diseases from modern memory and consciousness. Unfortunately, the upticking in parents choosing to not vaccinate their children has caused a resurgence of these old diseases in small pockets around the country, potentially reversing decades of hard work.
Any pediatrician will agree that child wellness visits are an important part of your child’s health. When your child is an infant, check-ups are more frequent. However, as your child gets older and starts participating in sports or recreational activities, these wellness checks can double as physicals for school. Most busy pediatrician offices are booked pretty solid for the majority of the year, especially right before school sessions start. So, it is best practice to schedule your child’s appointments two to three months in advance to ensure they are seen on time. The American Academy of Pediatrics has a recommended schedule of when your child should be seen throughout their life, according to their age. The AAP also has a directive on what vaccinations your child should be receiving at each well-child visit. Certain vaccinations are more effective when given at certain times in your child’s development. If you have any more questions about this, the AAP has a multitude of information on the subject on their website.
