Well-child visits are essential to helping your child remain healthy as they grow and develop. These visits occur frequently during your child’s infancy, eventually slowing to annual visits during their childhood and teenage years. During these visits, our team will check their overall health, perform necessary examinations, and update their vaccines as they grow. These visits with our team will ensure that potential health concerns are caught early and allow us to prevent or mitigate any long-term consequences.
The Importance Of Well-Child Visits
The American Academy of Pediatrics has stressed the importance of well-child visits for children starting at three to five days old. After this initial visit, additional visits will occur at 10 days, two months, four months, and six months. After that they’ll continue to occur every three months at nine, 12, 15, 18 months. The next two visits will be six months apart at 24, and 30 months.
Following this, the rate of visits will slow dramatically, with one annual visit needed each year. Yearly visits are an essential part of helping children and adults stay healthy. Children who fall behind in their visits are more likely to receive their vaccinations off the regular schedule. This can lead to their contracting preventable diseases and pneumonia.
The most important measure you can take for your child’s health is to ensure they make it to their well-child appointments on schedule. Our office is there to help you make this process easier. We provide appointment reminders by email, text, or phone to ensure you get all of these vital appointments. When you bring your child to an appointment, schedule the next one before you leave. These two steps will be essential parts of making these vital appointments.
The significant benefits of wellness visits differ from those of a sick visit. Well-child visits address various health needs depending on your child’s age.
These include:
• Physical Exams
• Vaccines
• Vision Checks
• Cholesterol and Blood Pressure Tests
• Hearing Checks
• Autism Screening
• Emotional Health Assessments
When they enter their teens, confidential conversations will offer additional support. During these conversations, we’ll discuss high-risk behaviors, alcohol, and drug use to provide support if any of these are present.
Your child’s health needs change rapidly as they grow. Throughout their childhood, their bodies and minds develop rapidly. Well-child visits are paced to meet these needs. An average well-child visit takes approximately 15 minutes, though they may take longer. During these visits, our providers will address topics including:
Nutritional Concerns and Healthy Eating
Sleeping
Physical Activity
Performance at home and in school
Engagement in Extracurricular Activities
Schedule Your Child’s Next Wellness Visit Today
Call our office today if you’re looking for a new pediatrician or need to set up your next wellness visit. Our team in Twin Falls, ID, will help arrange an appointment at a convenient time and ensure you know what to expect during your visit and that you’re fully prepared. This will include aiding in filling out paperwork, answering questions about what the visit will contain, and more. We look forward to providing your child with the care they’ll need to grow and thrive.