The reason you have a schedule for well-child appointments is that, unlike other visits to your healthcare provider, there won’t be any symptoms or ailments prompting your visit. You go in for a well-child visit for things like tests, immunizations, and growth tracking. These visits will be an important part of Baby‘s healthcare and a good opportunity for you to talk to your healthcare provider about any questions or concerns you might have.
The American Academy of Pediatrics has a recommended schedule of well-child visits and a series of questionnaires that parents can access online and take to their appointments. The questionnaires have different prompts to consider (ex. Do you have questions about how to take your baby’s temperature?), a checklist of developmental milestones, and other resources. The schedule for well-child visits looks like this:
The first year
-
2-5 days old
-
1 month old
-
2 months old
-
4 months old
-
6 months old
-
9 months old
-
12 months old
The second year
-
15 months old
-
18 months old
-
2 years old
After that last appointment, Baby will likely have one more well-child visit at 2 ½ years old before moving to yearly visits. The AAP recommends that children have one visit every year until they’re 21.
These visits will allow your healthcare provider to track your child’s growth and development, test their hearing and vision, give immunizations, and talk to you about nutrition, sleep, behavior, and more. Early appointments are also an opportunity for the doctor to check in with you and make sure you’re adjusting to life with a new baby.
Your well-child visit schedule might not look exactly like this, but it gives you a good idea of what to expect. The doctor will be able to work with you to develop a well-child visit schedule for you and Baby.
If you have questions about your health or your child’s, Ovia’s team of skilled nurses are available through in-app chat, and can send personalized advice right to your phone.
Sources
- “AAP Schedule of Well-Child Care Visits.” HealthyChildren.org. American Academy of Pediatrics. December 18, 2015. Web.
