CHILDREN & ADOLESCENT HEALTH
Once you have your baby, your selected pediatrician will see them within the first few days of birth. After their first visit to the pediatrician, it is recommended for the child to have at least 6 visits with their pediatrician during the first 15 months of life.
During these appointment, the pediatrician will assess physical, emotional, and social development of your child. The doctor will track your baby’s growth and development during these appointment and ensure your baby is meeting their developmental milestones. They will also be addressing prevention which means your baby will be scheduled to receive their infant immunizations during these visits.
The American Academy of Pediatrics recommend visits to be scheduled when they are:
2 Months
- Begins to smile
- Coos, makes gurgling sound
- Pays attention to faces
4 Months
- Begins to babble
- Smiles spontaneously, especially at people
- Responds to affection
- Holds head steady, unsupported
6 Months
- Knows familiar faces
- Responds to own name
- Brings things to mouth
9 Months
- May be afraid of strangers
- Uses finger to point at things
- Plays peek-a-boo
- Pays attention to faces
- Stands, holding on
- Crawls
12 Months
- May have temper tantrums
- Uses simple gestures, like shaking head “no” or waving “bye-bye”
- Bangs two things together
- Pays attention to faces
- May take a few steps without holding on to furniture
15 Months
- May have temper tantrums
- Walks Alone
- Eats with spoon
18 Months
- Explores alone but with parents close by
- Says several single words
- Points to get attention of others
- May walk up steps and run
While your baby has reached many developmental milestones during their first few visits with their pediatrician, your baby will still need regular visits. During this age, toddlers are starting to move around more which help develop their coordination and strengthen their body. Their appetite may change, and can drop because their grow rate has slowed down. The American Academy of Pediatrics recommend visits to be scheduled when they are:
24 Months
- Likes to hand things to others to play
- Play pretend
- Says several single words
30 Months
- Gets excited when with other children
- Repeats words overheard in conversation
- Kicks a ball
- Might use one hand more than the other
36 Months
- Shows concern for a crying friend
- Carries a conversation using 2 or 3 sentences
- Does puzzles with 3 or 4 pieces
- Climbs well
- Pedals a tricycle
During the preschooler age, skills such as kicking a ball, understanding “mine” and “his/hers”, and completing puzzles. Prevention is also important during these ages. In this age group, your child’s pediatrician will be checking for language, cognitive, and social and emotional milestones. Our summers months (June – August) are busier than other months which can cause a delay in your child’s required immunizations to start school. If your child will be starting kindergarten at 5, be sure to schedule their Well Child Exam with time and before the school paperwork is due. The American Academy of Pediatrics recommend visits to be scheduled when they are:
4 Years Old
- Is more and more creative with make-believe play
- Tells stories
- Starts to understand time
- Pours, cuts with supervision, and mashed own food
- Draws a person with 2 to 4 body parts
5 Years Old
- Speaks very clearly
- Likes to sing, dance, and act
- Counts 10 or more things
- Hops; maybe be able to skip
- Swings and climbs
On the grade school age, children should be encourage to engage in physical activity. Because of their rapid growth during this time, you may notice your child consume more calories – this is normal, but always make sure they have a well-balanced diet. Your child will also go through puberty and there will be changes to their bodies, for further information on nutrition, puberty, fitness, and school, visit HealthyChildren.org. To see the immunization schedule for your teen, click here.
6-8 Years Old
- Show more independence from parents and family
- Start to think about the future
- Want to be like and accepted by friends
- Learn better ways to describe experience and talk about thoughts and feelings
- Show rapid development of mental skills
9-11 Years Old
- Start to form stronger, more complex friendships and peer relationships. It becomes more emotionally important to have friend, especially of the same sex
- Experience more peer pressure
- Become more aware of body changes due to puberty
- Face more academic challenges at school
- Become more independent from the family
The HealthyChildren.org, the official parenting website of the American Academy of Pediatrics, recommends talking to your teenager about dating and sex, fitness, nutrition, driving safely, school, and substance use. Annual visits are still recommended every year for teenagers to continue with prevention,
12-14 Years Old
- Show more concern about body image, looks, and clothes
- Experience more moodiness
- Express less affection toward parents; sometimes might seem rude or short-tempered
- Have more ability for complex thought
- Be better to express feelings through talking
- Develop a stronger sense of right and wrong
15-17 Years Old
- Have more interest in romantic relationship and sexuality
- Spend less time with parents and more time with friends
- Learn more defined work habits
- Show more concern about future school and work plans
- Be able to give better reason for their own choices, including about what is right and wrong
Most young adults over the age of 18 will complete the process of physical maturation, move into adult responsibilities and may learn a trade, work, and/or pursue higher education, develop new skills, hobbies, and adult interests, move into adult relationships with their parents, establish their body image, and enter into intimate sexual and emotional relationships.