Children need regular check-ups and shots. Most health plans cover these visits, known as well-baby and well-child visits. Ask your child’s health care provider for a schedule for check-ups and shots.
About Regular Check-Ups
Regular check-ups help you learn about your child’s development, health and safety, and what to expect in the months to come. They also help you keep track of vaccines and health checks, like hearing tests. They also give the doctor a chance to spot problems early.
If your child has an ongoing medical problem, like asthma or anemia, regular check-ups help you make sure your child is getting the right treatments and is staying as healthy as possible. At each visit, the doctor will check your child’s height, weight, vision, hearing and teeth. Other tests may be done if needed, such as tests for lead, anemia and tuberculosis (TB).
Learn more about children’s check-ups at the American Academy of Pediatrics website.
The schedule for shots can change from year to year. Your child’s doctor will tell you when to bring your child in for his next vaccine.
Why Immunize?
Vaccines help protect you and your children from diseases such as whooping cough, measles and hepatitis B. Many studies have shown that vaccines are safe.
Vaccines protect your child and the children around them in child care, Head Start and school.
Visit the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention to learn about how vaccines prevent diseases. More information is also available from The Arizona Partnership for Immunizations.
THINGS YOU CAN DO
Be Prepared for Your Child’s Check-Ups
For every visit, bring these things:
- A list of your questions.
- A list of all medicines your child takes, including over-the-counter medicines, vitamins and herbal supplements.
- Your child’s vaccine card.
- Medical records if your child got care from another provider or hospital.
The First Things First Parent Kit was developed in partnership with Health Research for Action/UC Berkeley. © 2018 The Regents of the University of California. Additional video, graphic and other content © 2018 First Things First. All rights reserved.
