If you’re preparing for your child’s first visit, there are a few things you’ll need. Please provide the following information when you arrive for your visit:
Yes, in fact we strongly encourage parents-to-be to visit our office for a prenatal appointment. This is a great way to get acquainted with our office and our doctors. During this visit, we will answer any questions that you have about our practice or your new child. Visit our expectant parent’s page for more information.
Your child should not only see the pediatrician for an illness. It is also important to schedule well-child-care exams regularly, beginning in infancy. Also called well-care visits or checkups, these routine examinations provide the best opportunity for the doctor to observe the progress of your child’s physical and mental growth and development; to counsel and teach parents; to detect problems through screening tests; to provide immunizations, and to get to know one another. Well-care visits are strongly recommended as part of preventive pediatric care.
Immunizations are a series of shots given to children at different ages to help ward off serious, and potentially fatal, childhood diseases. Making sure your child receives immunizations when scheduled is the best way to help protect your child from potentially fatal diseases. According to the American Academy of Pediatrics, vaccinations have reduced the number of infections from vaccine-preventable diseases by more than 90%. If you’re apprehensive about vaccinations, please do not hesitate to contact our office.
Well-child visits are also a good time for parents to raise questions and concerns about a child’s development, behavior, nutrition, safety and overall well-being.
The American Academy of Pediatrics recommends this schedule for routine well-care visits:
A pediatrician is a medical doctor that specializes in the care of children. Pediatricians have undergone special training in the health and illnesses of infants, teens and young adults, and the majority of pediatricians are certified by the American Board of Pediatrics after passing a comprehensive exam.
Pediatricians provide preventive health care for children in good health and medical care for children who are acutely or chronically ill. They also provide parents with support and advice with issues such as growth and development, safety and prevention, nutrition, and emotional wellness to foster a lifetime of good health.
The issue of children hitting others may be a result of children not yet being able to properly express their own desires. What’s shocking is that these children are often replicating adults’ actions, including those they’ve seen on TV or in unsuitable video games. If parents discover that their child is hitting others, they must first halt any form of violence at home, including hitting the child or punishing them severely. If parents witness their child looking like they are about to hit another child, they should quickly grab them by both arms and look them in the face while sternly saying “stop” or “do not hit people.” It is important to teach them gradually not to steal others’ possessions by encouraging them to share objects and consistently informing them that it is unacceptable to ever use violence.
Should there be a delay in parents hearing about their child hitting someone, it is vital that parents deal with the situation as soon as possible by sternly telling the child to “stop hitting people” after they have taken them away from the situation and helped to calm them down. Crucially, parents must avoid punishing their child too severely or through the use of violence as this could lead to children seeing violence as an acceptable response to various situations.
Between the ages of 1–3 is when children find it difficult to control their emotions, and when they can also have difficulty in communicating or expressing themselves adequately. This can lead to displays of unwanted emotion such as crying or hurting themselves, especially when they do not get their own way. Unfortunately, parents often look to solve these problems by giving into their child’s demands but this only reinforces these negative behaviors as children view them as an effective and necessary step to getting what they want. The best way to deal with children’s unwanted behavior is by refusing to give in, attempting instead to better understand them and identify what is at the root of their unhappiness, before gradually training the child to communicate their desires in an appropriate manner. For example, if a child is screaming and shouting, parents should stand waiting at a distance, only entering into conversation with them once their cries have died down, as this will help to teach them how to better manage and control their own emotions.
For children who attempt to cause damage to themselves, others, or their food when angry, parents should try to hug their child until they calm down. It may be necessary to grab them gently when they’re facing the other way to prevent them from turning their violence against the parents. It is natural for children to writhe around and push parents away while doing this, so parents must be ready to hug them tightly and be patient while the child’s temper subsides. If parents behave in this manner consistently each time the child loses his or her temper, the child will eventually learn that these unwanted behaviors are not the way to get what they want. The result will be a reduction of such behavior before cutting it out completely.
It is important that parents do not lose their own temper, or try to teach a child who is still angry, as this could further inflame the situation. Instead, they should wait until the child has calmed down sufficiently to listen to what is being said while not having given in to the demands. This will help children understand that losing their temper will result in adults becoming more strict in not meeting their demands. However, if parents react by losing their temper, hitting the child or shouting at them, that child will eventually begin to copy and replicate these behaviors. It is vital that parents remain calm, approachable and patient until the child grows up and shows an attitude improvement.
This is a common problem, whether it is related to infants who don’t speak at all, infants who develop speaking skills slowly, or children who speak their own special language.
Parents can assist their child in developing their language and communication skills by reading them books and fairy tales, or by speaking with them regularly. In addition to language development, such techniques can also develop familial bonds.
To not feeling hungry, a low appetite may reflect a child’s attitude towards food resulting from the anxiety that some adults feel towards their child’s development. This can lead to the child lacking interest in consuming a healthy diet. Therefore, parents must be strict when it comes to not keeping unhealthy snacks or treats in the home, and stay strong in the face of their child’s displeasure until the point that the child is hungry enough to eat something healthy. Parents should ensure that they have nutritional, tasty foods around the home in suitable amounts, and encourage their child to eat their whole meal or until they feel full. Each meal should last no more than 30 minutes, although parents must exercise restraint and ensure they are neither too strict nor too forceful when reinforcing these positive behaviors.