Why Regular Checkups Are Essential for Your Child

During regular pediatric exams, doctors check several important milestones to make sure that kids are growing in healthy ways. Here’s what they look at, broken down in a way that’s easy to understand:

Physical Growth:

Doctors measure your height and weight to make sure you’re growing as expected. They also check your body mass index (BMI) to see how your body fat compares to other kids your age and gender.

Vision and Hearing:

To protect you from certain diseases, doctors will check your vaccination records and give you any shots you might need based on your age and health guidelines.

Learning and Social Skills:

Doctors ask about school and your activities. They want to know how you’re doing with learning, making friends, and handling emotions. This helps them understand if you need any extra support.

General Health Check:

Doctors check your heart, lungs, stomach, and other parts of your body to ensure everything works fine. They’ll listen to your heart and lungs with a stethoscope, and sometimes they might press on your stomach to feel for anything unusual.

Regular check-ups are like your body’s scheduled maintenance—making sure everything’s running smoothly as you grow!

Regular exams allow our expert pediatricians to identify potential health issues early on, making them easier to manage or treat. Such checkups provide a comprehensive overview of your child’s health, tracking changes over time, considering genetic risk factors, discussing lifestyle habits, and conducting thorough physical examinations.

Our pediatricians conduct comprehensive physical examinations that allow them to assess the overall health of your child. They detect any abnormalities or changes in vital signs such as blood pressure, heart rate, and respiratory rate, which may indicate underlying health concerns. Moreover, these checkups may involve imaging studies like X-rays, ultrasounds, and MRI scans to visualize the internal structures of your child’s body and reveal any abnormalities.

Our regular checkups also provide an opportunity for our healthcare providers to track your child’s health progress over time and discuss lifestyle habits. By addressing behaviors like poor diet and lack of exercise, our pediatricians can provide guidance and resources to help your child maintain a healthier lifestyle.

Moreover, our regular checkups take into account your child’s family history and genetic risk factors. We conduct appropriate screening tests to catch diseases that your child may have a higher risk of developing.

Routine checkups, also known as general physical examinations, play a vital role in this process. Our dedicated team of healthcare professionals takes the opportunity during these checkups to conduct comprehensive assessments and identify any potential health risks before they progress into more serious issues.

Growing children can face a host of different health conditions. One of the most common conditions identified during routine checkups in children is hypertension or high blood pressure. Routine blood pressure measurements can expose this “silent killer” that often goes unnoticed without symptoms in children.

Another condition frequently detected during regular checkups is diabetes. Children and adolescents can be affected by both Type 1 and Type 2 diabetes. A simple blood sugar test can indicate excessive glucose levels, which are indicative of diabetes. Early detection can help manage the disease and avoid consequences.

Mental health conditions such as depression or anxiety can also be recognized during these checkups. At Kids Health Pediatrics, we understand the importance of early intervention and treatment in children suffering from mental health conditions.

Children and adolescents can also face issues such as anemia, characterized by low red blood cell count or hemoglobin levels, which can cause fatigue and other symptoms. Additionally, eye and hearing issues can also be detected during these checkups.

At KidsHealth Pediatrics, we believe in the importance of regular checkups for your child’s well-being. From birth to adolescence, these checkups are crucial for monitoring your child’s health, growth, and overall development.

In line with the American Academy of Pediatrics (AAP) recommendations, we advise the following schedule for routine checkups:

• Newborn (birth to 3 days)
• 2-4 days old
• 1 month old
• 2 months old
• 4 months old
• 6 months old
• 9 months old
• 12 months old
• 15 months old
• 18 months old
• 2 years old
• 2.5 years old
• 3 years old
• 4 years old
• 5 years old
• 6 years old

During these appointments our healthcare professionals assess your child’s physical, cognitive, behavioral, and emotional progress, enabling early identification of any delays or concerns.

At KidsHealth Pediatrics, we think regular checkups are critical for helping children realize their greatest potential. We encourage parents to adhere to the recommended checkup schedule and share any concerns they have with our healthcare professionals to ensure the best possible outcomes for their child. For more information, please contact us or book an appointment online. We Have 2 Pediatric Clinics in Scottsdale, AZ & Glendale, AZ. We serve patients from Glendale AZ, Peoria AZ, Sun City AZ, Scottsdale AZ, North Scottsdale AZ, Grayhawk AZ, and surrounding areas of Phoenix AZ.