Tips for Well Visits
Your child is growing every day, in every way—and there are many ways to continue keeping them healthy.
Your child’s health care team helps keep them healthy so they can play, learn, and grow! Consider these tips to help any visit go smoothly:
Preparing Yourself for the Checkup
- You might write down questions about your child’s health beforehand. It’s a great way to start a conversation that will keep you involved in your child’s care. You might ask about:
- Your child’s height, weight, vision, movement, and overall health
- Milestones your child should be meeting
- Things you can do to help your child stay healthy
- When the next visit will be
Preparing Your Child
- Kids may be scared of the visit. Explain that doctors and nurses keep us healthy and make us better when we’re sick.
- Let your child know what will happen (“The doctor will check different parts of your body to make sure they’re healthy. I will stay with you the whole time.”)
- Before the visit, invite your child to pretend they are the doctor! Let them feel and listen to your heartbeat, or ask them to look into your mouth while you say, “Ahhhhh!”
Children should see a doctor for well visits (checkups):
- eight times in their first year, then at
- 15 months
- 18 months
- 24 months
- 30 months
- Once a year after turning three
Questions, Questions
Wellness visits are important moments to check in about your child’s growth and development, and good conversations are the cornerstones of each visit.
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