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I absolutely love my sons’ pediatrician. Both of my sons have been seeing him for years. I can call the office and they know who I am as soon as I say I’m CJ’s or TJ’s Mom. In my experience the whole office is very nice and always try to be as accommodating as possible. I never, ever, shudder at the thought of going there. We don’t only go to see the pediatrician for sick visits, we also go to all available well checkups. Some people have questioned my view of the importance of a well checkup. Why do I take my kids for well checkups? Well of course there’s the annual screening or exam. And then there are three other big reasons.
Building relationships.
It’s important to build relationships, both with the doctor and the staff. They need to know your child. You and your child need to know them. As you well know, seeing someone once doesn’t qualify as knowing a child. It’s easiest to provide the most efficient and most effective treatment if the doctor knows the child. Well check-ups offer the doctor a chance to monitor any present and ongoing situations. They also provide a chance for the doctor to spot any potential issues. If you walk into a doctor’s office and have only been there once when your child is sick that doctor doesn’t know your child as well as they could or should. Only by going for regularly scheduled well visits can a doctor build a thorough and proper health history, which is invaluable as time goes by. And one more thing about relationships. By going to well visits as well as sick visits your child will come to know and trust the doctor.
Asking Questions.
You’re bound to have them at certain points in a child’s life. Infancy. Toddler years. Teenage years and puberty. Older teens entering adulthood. These are all times that parents find themselves with the most questions, as they are all gateways from one stage of life to another. New parents have lots of questions. It can be very helpful if new parents write down some information on baby’s development, such as how often they’re feeding, voiding, etc, as well as any questions that they might have, so they are prepared when they see the doctor. Parents of toddlers might worry about development. Puberty is a whole different animal, as they say. Older teens entering adulthood can be stressful for everyone. Kids worry about their future, as do parents. Topics of drinking, drugs and sex are more prevalent then in years prior. If you hold your questions until your child is not feeling well you will probably not remember to ask those questions at a sick visit because you’ll be concerned about your child potentially being ill. And there is one thing about questions you should know. The only stupid question is the unasked question.
Having Conversation.
The internet is a wonderful thing. But, if you’re on it as much as I am, you see a lot of opinions. Sadly, those opinions are often based upon conjecture and not fact. Have conversations with the pediatrician about things that haven’t happened yet. You don’t need to wait to have a question about sexual development during puberty to discuss it with the pediatrician. Don’t wait for flu season to discuss pros and cons of getting a flu shot. Discuss things you should watch for before the time comes. If you have an older child discuss warning signs of alcohol and drug abuse. If you know the time is coming that sexual activity is even a remote possibility get prepared. Know the answers to the questions your child will have regarding disease and conception. Remember that relationship I mentioned building? This is a part of that as well. By discussing these topics before you need to you and your doctor will be best prepared to take action if it is needed, and will know the signs of what is and isn’t common for your child. It’s also through conversation that the doctor may identify risk factors for certain conditions, and to encourage healthy behavior.
You can also find more information about well checkups, including checkup schedules and immunization information, on the Molina Healthcare website.
Because insurance now covers Well Checks at 100%.. which I know in reality we are paying BUT since I don’t have to pay out of pocket, I def go ahead and take my girls for Well Checks. It helps for those days my girls might have an ear infection they are able to call in a script.
I do because I want to make sure they are healthy. Once they are an adult, they can blow off the doctor like me if they want to.
My kids never went long enough without seeing the doctor to have a Well Check. Now that they are older and better, I like when they go for wellness check ups to prevent any new health problems from developing.
I took my son to all his well check-ups. He had the same pediatrician that I went to when I was little.
Everyone in my family does well checkups. I think it is so important to develop a relationship with a doctor when you are not sick. Yearly checkups are a must do 🙂 About a week before our appointments I keep a running list of questions. I make sure to take my list with me to the appointment to ensure all my questions are answered.
my kids now adults chart their own medical care….
No kiddos in our household, but hubby and I go for our annual check-ups! You can never be too safe!
Yup we do both my boy well check ups. I must admit I have been late for my youngest a couple times, but they get done.
My children have an amazing pediatrician. She was there for me in person, on the phone, and even gave me her cell phone for after hours when my daughter was in the hospital. She truly showed she cared. I always take my kids for well visits because I trust her to keep the kids healthy and that she will find anything if there is a problem.
I do not have children but it is definitely important to have the best pediatrician possible
We were just talking about annual checkups in our house this afternoon. We are getting new insurance coverage with in network doctors so it’s been a hop topic in our home for a few weeks now.
Annual check ups are so important for children and adults; I am finding that out now since I’ve put my kids well child check ups before my own. I think it’s very important to ensure your children are doing well, we don’t always know if there is something going on “underneath the surface” with our children, best to let the docs check them at least once a year!
I do think well check ups are really important. My kids are a little older and we haven’t gone to the doctor in a while. I think I need to scheduele an appointment.
I took them to well baby check-ups when they were younger. Now we just go for the before-school year physicals.
Regular checkups are important at any age! These are great tips for moms.
Absolutely!! Check ups are super important! Great article!
Building relationships is huge for me. We’ve been seeing our pediatrician for 9 years next month, but there was a short stint where she left the practice we started with her at and the practice wouldn’t give us any forwarding info for her. I finally found her, and though we have to drive 30mi round trip, it’s SO worth it!
Check ups are super important! I think the 1st few years you spend 1/2 their lives getting them checked LOL
Oh heck yeah we take them for check ups! I can’t imagine not. As adults we tend to go less and less
I used to be so good about taking the kids to well check ups. When our youngest started to get really sick, our budget was strapped and we got out of the habit. We need to start it back up again.