As an adult, you may only go to see your primary healthcare physician when you’re sick or injured. But when you and your partner decide to have a baby, you’ll need to come into my Miami pediatric practice for well-baby checks and well-child checks throughout the year.
What exactly are these visits? Well, they’re an important opportunity for me to track your child’s development, make sure he or she is reaching milestones at appropriate ages. We screen for conditions that may need to be evaluated by a specialist, including some that may have a long-term or life-long impact on your child’s life.
Making sure you and your child come to all your scheduled well-baby checks is extremely important, especially during your child’s earliest years. Doing so helps me and my pediatric medical team to evaluate your child on a regular basis, talk to you about how he or she is progressing with developmental milestones at home and is also an opportunity for you to ask any questions you may have or discuss any concerns.
Well-child checkups are also important for disease prevention. Aside from the seasonal flu shot, which can be performed every fall, your child will receive all of the vaccines that the Centers for Disease Control (CDC) recommends for American children during its well-check. Sticking to this vaccine schedule is very important to guard your baby against preventable diseases that can make your child very sick, or in some cases, even risk death. The CDC does extensive research on vaccines and vaccine safety every year, so you can trust – as I do – that their recommended vaccination schedule is safe, necessary, and appropriate.
How Often Are Child Well Visits?
Pediatricians like myself follow a prescribed schedule of well-child checkups created by the American Academy of Pediatrics (AAP). We schedule these important visits for your child at:
- 2 or 3 days after bringing the baby home from the hospital (or 2 to 4 days old for babies released from the hospital before 2 days old)
- 1 month
- 2 months
- 4 months
- 6 months
- 9 months
- 1 year
- 15 months
- 18 months
- 2 years
- 2 and a half years
- 3 years
- Once a year every year until age 21
Baby Well Checkups Miami
You’ll notice from the above-listed schedule that children under age 2 come in for well visits much more frequently than older kids. While it may look like an overwhelming schedule, I promise, there are very good reasons for each and every one of these recommended visits.
During each visit, our pediatric team will be:
- Weighing and measuring your child, and then checking his or her weight and height against the World Health Organization (WHO) growth chart for his or her age to ensure your baby is growing at an appropriate rate.
- Checking your child’s eyes and ears.
- Listening to your child’s lungs.
- Listening to your child’s heartbeat to check for any abnormalities. Many heart conditions present in early childhood, so early detection is key.
Additionally, if you have a baby, my pediatric team will be interviewing you on things such as your baby’s sleep habits and routine, how many wet and dirty diapers your baby typically has a day, and how he or she is doing with reaching certain milestones such as tracking a moving object, babbling, rolling over, crawling, talking, and walking. There may even be some appointments during which you’re asked to fill out some developmental milestone checklists. We know these are a lot of questions for us to ask, but they all help us make sure your baby is on the right track to a happy and healthy life.
Child Checks in Miami for Older Kids and Teens
As you can also see from the above list of recommended well visits, once your child reaches age 3, he or she only needs to come in for a child check in Miami once a year. But just because you only need to come into us for a yearly visit, doesn’t mean you have to be a stranger!
We want to see you and your son or daughter anytime you have a question or concern about your child at any developmental age. This means you can always schedule a visit if you suspect anything is wrong with your child, from behavioral concerns to concerns over nutrition due to picky eating habits to getting informed about teen mental health. Remember, as your pediatrician, my pediatric medical team and I are always here for you and your family!
Referrals After a Well-Child Checkup
If, after a well-child check, I refer you to a specialist, don’t be concerned! As a pediatrician, I am constantly screening children for common childhood conditions and treating common childhood illnesses like ear infections, hand, foot, and mouth disease, and strep throat.
I also can screen for more complicated conditions such as developmental delays, autism, gastritis, vision issues, and celiac disease. If during my screen I diagnose you with one of these, I may send you to a specialist for more comprehensive care. For example, while my team will give your child an eye chart exam when he or she is old enough to recognize and verbalize common shapes, doing so only lets us know if your child needs to see a pediatric ophthalmologist, not what prescription of glasses he or she may need to wear.
However, following your child’s case and performing all of these types of exams allows me if necessary to refer you to an excellent network of Miami pediatric physicians and therapists who can determine these things, and more! Many times when I refer a child to a specialist, he or she returns with no specialized treatments needed. Other times, a specialist is able to manage a condition early and get your child the treatment he or she needs as quickly as possible.
The Best Questions to Ask During Well-Child Checkups
There are no wrong questions to ask during a well-child check. However, these are some of the most common ones I am asked that help me identify whether your child may need assistance in an area, or give you advice on when taking certain over-the-counter medications and foods:
- My child seems to have a never-ending ear infection. What should I do?
- How much acetaminophen or ibuprofen can I give my child at this age?
- When is it safe to give my baby honey or peanut butter?
- My child babbles but doesn’t talk as much as his or her peers or older siblings did at this age. What should I do?
- My child seems to have seasonal allergies. Is it safe to give him or her over-the-counter pediatric allergy medicine?
All these (and any other questions you may have) can help lead us to a discussion about what’s going on in your child’s life now. Oftentimes, I’m able to ease a parent’s concerns with a conversation, an information sheet, or a referral to a specialist for a more in-depth examination.
Well-Child Checkup or Sick Visit, We’re Here to Help
As a Miami pediatrician with over 20 years of experience, my goal is to help you and your child live the happiest and healthiest life possible. My team and I, Dr. Ana Maria Hernandez-Puga, are always here for you – whether you need to come in for a well-child check, make up a well-visit that you had previously missed, or come in for a sick visit. Call my office to schedule an appointment, today, at (305) 614-3017.
