While you may take your children to your local Jacksonville children’s clinic when they fall sick, it may also help to go on wellness visits as part of their preventive healthcare. By partnering with your pediatrician, you can help the doctor monitor your child’s health and ensure that he or she is developing normally. If there are any health issues, it will be possible to catch them early on and take appropriate measures to ensure your child remains healthy.

So, when do you need to visit a children’s clinic?

According to the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, parents should take their children for at least seven wellness visits between one to four years of age. From the age of five and onward, an annual wellness visit will be sufficient for most healthy children.

As per the comprehensive health guidelines created by the American Academy of Pediatrics (AAP), the recommendation is to take your child for his or her first wellness visit to a children’s clinic when he or she is three to five days old. You can follow this with wellness visits when your child is one month old, two months old, four months old, six months old, nine months old, one-year-old, one year and three months old, and one year and six months old. Thereafter, you can follow a yearly visitation schedule for wellness checkups.

Please note that these are general guidelines. It is up to you to decide on arranging for wellness visits to your local Jacksonville children’s clinic more frequently or less frequently as per his or her health.

Why is it important to visit a children’s clinic?

It is important to visit a children’s clinic for the following reasons:

Maintenance of good health: Rather than seeing the doctor after your child falls sick and then attempting to find a solution, it may be better to visit while the child is healthy and get recommendations to maintain his or her good health. The main benefit of wellness visits is that the pediatrician can regularly assess your child’s health and attempt to prevent any serious health issues before they arise.

For instance, if your child tends to develop a runny nose at certain times in a year, it could be an indication of an allergy. The doctor can then suggest preventive steps to keep the allergy under control.

Monitoring your child’s development: By taking your child on regular wellness visits to your local Jacksonville children’s clinic, the pediatrician will be able to monitor his or her mental and physical development. It will be possible to ascertain that your child is developing in a normal way for his or her age. If not, the doctor may be able to prescribe an appropriate diet, exercises, lifestyle changes, and medications.

Raising health-related concerns: As a parent, you may notice certain health-related issues about your child. You can present these concerns to the pediatrician and get expert medical advice on dealing with them.

What to expect when you visit a children’s clinic?

When you visit a children’s clinic, you can expect the following:

• The pediatrician or the pediatric nurse will check your child’s temperature, blood pressure, heartbeat, and oxygen level.

• The pediatrician or the pediatric nurse will measure your child’s height, weight, and head circumference and check if these measurements align with what is normal for that specific age.

• The pediatrician will examine your child’s vision and hearing ability, reflexes, muscle tone, and muscle strength.

• The pediatrician may inquire about and record your child’s eating habits and inform you about the nutrition requirements for staying healthy.

• The pediatrician may inquire about and offer advice regarding your child’s sleep routine, hygiene habits, and dental care.

• The pediatrician may inquire about and make suggestions to improve your child’s social, intellectual, and behavioral development at school, with friends, and at home.

The pediatrician will maintain a record of their examination. It is a good idea to compile a list of questions to ask the pediatrician before you and your child visit your local Jacksonville children’s clinic. That way, you will not forget anything essential. Most pediatricians are happy to respond to parental concerns and partner with them to ensure their children remain healthy.