Annual well-child visits are an important part of your child’s overall health and development. While the first years of life are full of many doctor visits, it is important for older children to continue seeing their medical provider throughout adolescence. Well visits are a great opportunity to annually check your child’s overall health and wellbeing and are beneficial for both kids and teens.

Well visits will include screenings such as vision and hearing screenings, evaluate social and emotional development, monitor for specific health conditions/risks, and ensure your child is up to date on immunizations. For older children and teens, they provide a great opportunity to address concerns such as birth control, STDs, and mental health issues such as substance use, eating disorders, anxiety, or depression.

Sports physicals

Some parents take advantage of free or discounted sports physicals for their children, which are convenient, but it is important to remember that sports physicals are not a substitute for your child’s annual wellness visit! Sports Physicals are designed specifically for clearing an athlete for sport participation but are not a comprehensive exam.

Staying on track

Life is busy and it is easy to get off track with routine wellness visits for your child. Children ages 0 – 3 will be seen frequently during their first years of life, seeing their doctor 12 times for well-child visits alone. Children should then be seen annually when they are 3 – 18 years of age. The American Academy of Pediatrics (AAP) has a complete well-visit schedule available on the healthychildren.org website.

Tips to stay on track with your child’s visits.

• Remember annual visits are important for adolescents of ALL ages. (Ages 0 -18 years)
• Schedule infant – toddler next visits while you are still at the clinic. Your provider or their nurse will let you know when your child is due. Schedule online or stop at the front desk and schedule before you leave.
• For older kids, set a repeating annual reminder to schedule for the same month each year.
• Create easy access to your child’s record of appointments and immunizations with Lakeview’s Patient Portal (for children under 13).
• Consider your child’s school and activity schedule.
• If needed, have your child’s sports physical done during their well-visit to eliminate extra appointments.
• In addition to annual well visits, we recommend annual eye exams beginning at age 3. Good vision and ocular motility are vital to your child’s success.

Childhood Immunizations

No one enjoys getting shots, so it is easy to understand why this can cause anxiety in our children. It is helpful to remember that even many adults have a mild to severe fear of needles. Don’t dismiss your child’s concerns but be honest that it might hurt a little, like a pinch or scratch, and that it is very quick. Let your child know that there is a possibility of receiving an injection at any of their visits, but don’t dwell on it too much. Every child is different. Some children do better if they have time to mentally prepare, but for some it simply increases their worry and stress over the upcoming visit. In the end there is no perfect way to ensure shots cause no anxiety at all for our children.

It is important to remember that receiving vaccines is an important part of keeping your child and others healthy and safe. If you know your child has a heightened fear of needles, it is helpful to let their medical provider know in advance. Click here for the CDC’s complete adolescent immunization schedule.  If you need to access your child’s immunization records, click here for instructions. Your child’s care team is also a great resource and is happy to help you stay on track with well visits and immunizations. You can contact them via Lakeview Clinic’s Follow My Health Patient Portal, or by calling (952) 442-4461.