For most people, their child is the pride and joy of their life so looking after them from birth onwards is their main priority. Most of the time this means making sure they are clothed, fed, and not trying to injure themselves with some new wacky scheme or game. Sometimes, however, your child will need to see a pediatrician, and it is important you know just when these visits should occur. Here are a few things to keep in mind for booking trips to the pediatricians so that you know your child is always in relatively good health, and if they aren't, what you can do to help cure them.
Toddlers
In their first few years of life, children experience some of the most rapid changes that they will undergo ever, so it makes sense that they need to see the doctor more frequently. A good idea is to have a plan in place with your pediatrician before the child is born for when their check-ups should be and often this is done in line with their age in months, e.g. an 18-month visit and so on. All in all, before they are 5, your child should have had around 10 check-ups with their pediatrician that are scheduled in advance, just so they get all their correct shots, examinations, and correct any early issues they may face.
Preteens
There is a little bit of an in-between phase where your child hasn't quite hit puberty yet but they also aren't suffering any of those initial growing pains they had as a toddler. This period is the calm in the eye of the storm so to speak, so your pediatricians will really only need to see them for their yearly check-up and then for any minor complaints you may have during the year.
Teenagers
Pediatricians treat everyone under the age of 18, even if it starts getting more awkward to visit the doctor with your parents. Teenagers go through many bodily changes, albeit in a different way to toddlers. Still, more regular check-ups can be a wise idea to ensure their hormones are not causing issues with any of their development. You also get problematic side-effects of puberty such as acne, which most teenagers will want to get cleared up and your pediatrician can help with that too. Biannual visits during the middle of puberty are advisable, but depending on any specific conditions or symptoms one might get with this growth spurt, you may want to increase the frequency.
Look for a pediatrician for more information.
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