You and Your Child's Doctor

When your baby is born, you will start taking him to see a primary care provider (a health professional who provides day-to-day health care and advice) for his health care. Your primary care provider can be a paediatrician, family doctor, nurse or midwife. As your child grows and develops, you'll likely turn to your child's primary care provider with questions or concerns.

What will my child's doctor do?

• Keep track of your child's health, growth and development.
• Diagnose, explain and treat minor to more serious illnesses.
• Provide information and answer questions.
• Refer you to other health professionals when an illness or condition may need specialised expertise or services.

When should I take my child for a first doctor's visit?

Babies are usually checked by a health care provider within the first week of going home from the hospital. At this first visit your health care provider will weigh your baby and measure his length and head circumference, check for signs of jaundice, check on how feeding is going, do a general physical exam, ask how the family is adjusting, and complete any screening tests that were not done at the hospital.

This first visit doesn't have to be with your regular paediatrician or family doctor — it can be done by a doctor at the hospital where you gave birth, your midwife or a public health nurse, at home, in the office or in a hospital clinic. If your baby doesn't see her regular doctor at this visit, it will happen soon after.

What can I expect from a visit to my child's doctor?

"Well-baby" or "well-child" visits are a lot like an adult's annual check-ups, but focus on your child's age and stage of development. Your baby should have regular visits at 2, 4, 6, 9, 12 and 18 months, 2 years, and then once every year until 5 years of age. From 5 years old, your child should see her doctor every 1 or 2 years until she is 18.

A well-baby/child visit usually lasts 10 to 20 minutes. Your doctor and staff will:

• Check your child's weight, height and head circumference.
• Discuss eating habits and answer any questions about nutrition and physical activity.
• Provide advice about safety and other age-related issues, such as when to switch to a forward-facing car seat.
• Ask about milestones, such as self-feeding or toilet learning.
• Ask about social and emotional development, and — as your child gets older — any learning, social or emotional issues at school or at home.
• Do a physical exam, such as looking at eyes and ears and listening to the heart.
• Give any recommended vaccines.
• See older children and adolescents alone, without a parent or guardian, for part of the visit.

If you have questions or concerns that could take longer than a regular visit, let your doctor's staff know when you schedule the appointment, so enough time can be set aside.

What do I do between visits?

If you have any questions about your child's health between regular office visits, call your doctor's office — the receptionist or nurse can help with minor problems and decide if you need to see the doctor.

How can I make the visit easier for my child?

• Schedule visits at a time when your child isn't usually napping.
• Use a toy doctor's kit to teach your young child about the visit, or bring along a favourite "buddy" who gets an exam too.
• Bring a couple of books, a favourite toy and a snack to keep your child busy and happy in the waiting room.
• Explain, in simple language, why she is visiting — and be honest about what to expect from the exam.
• Tell an older child or adolescent that he can see the doctor without you in the room, if he'd be more comfortable talking privately.

How can I make the most of our visit to the doctor?

• Keep a running list of any concerns you have and bring it with you.
• Record any symptoms your child may be having — all symptoms are worth mentioning.
• Bring a list of your child's current medications.
• Bring your child's immunisation record.

Involve your child in the visit, both before and during. Talk to him about it beforehand so he knows what to expect, and if he's old enough, ask him to tell you and the doctor how he's feeling.