Why healthy kids still need well visits

Your child seems healthy. They’re growing, playing and keeping up with school or daycare. So it’s natural to wonder: Do they really need another trip to see the pediatrician?

The answer is yes. Well visits are the foundation of preventive pediatric care. Unlike a sick visit, which focuses on treating illness, well visits give your child’s doctor time to monitor growth, track development and catch concerns before they become serious.

Theresa Giannattasio, DO, a pediatrician at Atlantic Health, explains how regular pediatric office visits help support your child’s health from infancy through young adulthood.

More than just a checkup

Many parents think of well visits as the appointments for vaccines and height and weight measurements. Those are all important parts of preventive care. But they’re only part of the story. Dr. Giannattasio sees well visits as a way to “put a pulse” on things.

“We’re looking at every part of your child’s health — physical, social and emotional,” she says. “We’re also observing how your child communicates and interacts during the visit.”

During a well visit, your pediatrician may:

• Answer questions about your child’s behavior, learning or emotions
• Discuss healthy nutrition, sleep and physical activity
• Monitor growth and development
• Perform age-appropriate developmental screenings
• Review recommended vaccinations to protect against preventable diseases
• Screen for vision and hearing concerns
• Talk about safety at home, school and in the community

Most importantly, well visits create a consistent record of your child’s health over time. Every appointment builds on the last. Year after year, your pediatrician is there to continue building a relationship with you and your child, answer questions and help your family navigate each new stage of childhood.

Catching concerns early

The more your pediatrician knows about your child’s health, the easier it is to recognize when something changes.

“Knowing your child’s baseline health helps us when they do get sick,” Dr. Giannattasio says. “It helps us know what’s normal for them and what’s not.”

Maybe your child’s growth starts to slow. Maybe they aren’t meeting expected speech or developmental milestones. These concerns may signal an underlying medical condition or the need for additional evaluation, treatment or support.

“Children experience the most development during the first few years of life, when the brain is highly adaptable,” Dr. Giannattasio says. “If we intervene early, we can greatly change a child’s developmental path.”

Care that grows with your child

As your child grows, the questions you ask, the milestones you celebrate and the guidance you need will change. Naturally, conversations with your pediatrician will change, too.

Newborn well visits focus on feeding, growth and developmental milestones. As your child enters preschool and elementary school, your pediatrician may ask about learning, friendships and behavior. During the teen years, you’ll spend more time discussing mental health, independence and preparing for adulthood.

These open, honest conversations are often just as important as the physical exam. Questions about school and social life may uncover challenges your child hasn’t shared at home. For some children and teens, a routine screening is the first time they open up about feeling anxious, sad or depressed.

A pediatric partnership

Your pediatrician may only see your child once a year, but you see them every day. You play an important role between visits by encouraging healthy habits at home, watching for changes and speaking up when something doesn’t seem right.

“Most parents have a good instinct for when something is off with their child,” says Dr. Giannattasio. “If you have a concern — big or small — ask about it. We can work through it together.”