What to Ask at Your Child’s Checkup

Questions you’ll want to discuss with health care providers for newborns to teens

By Stacey Feintuch

Checkups at the pediatrician and dentist are crucial to ensuring that your child is healthy, hitting developmental milestones, and getting the proper vaccinations. These well visits are an ideal opportunity to pepper your doctor with questions about your child’s health. Since your time with your pediatrician and pediatric dentist is limited and precious, bring a list of what you want to ask on a notepad, smartphone, or tablet. This will ensure you won’t forget anything. List the most pressing questions at the top. That way, if you run out of time, at least you got the important questions answered fi rst. Record answers so you can remember them later, too. Here are a few questions to ask at your child’s pediatric well visit, grouped by age.

AGES 1-4

• When and how do I wean off bottles? • What should I be doing to keep my child safe? • How do I maintain consistent nap, nighttime, and bedtime routines? • What foods should my child be eating? • Which behaviors are typical and which require a doctor’s visit? • Which vaccinations are given when? • What milestones should I be looking for and when? • How can I prepare my child for day care or school? • Do you have any potty-training tips? • When should I turn my child’s car seat around? When should I switch to a booster seat?

NEWBORN TO 1

• How long should it take for the umbilical cord stump to fall off? How should we be treating the umbilical cord? • How much and how often should baby be feeding? How long should a feeding take? • Do you have any tips to get baby to burp? • What should baby’s sleep schedule look like? Where should baby sleep? What’s the best way to soothe a baby to sleep?

What measures should I be taking in regard to safe sleeping practices? • How often and where should we bathe baby? • What milestones should I be looking for and when? • How many wet and soiled diapers should baby have? • What vaccinations are given and when? • When and how do I introduce solids? Milk? • What safety measures should I take for baby proofi ng? • How do I get my child to stop sucking their thumb or using a pacifi er? • When should my child’s baby teeth come in? When should they start to fall out?

AGES 5-10

Kids these ages go for a checkup once a year. Ask about: • A health condition your child may have (like allergies or asthma) • Changes in mood or behavior • Problems in school, either academically or socially • Is my child up to date on vaccines? • How should I discipline? • How much physical activity should my child be getting? • Is my child’s weight healthy? • How can I help my child eat a healthy diet? How do I help a picky eater?

• How should I talk to my child about bullying? How can I tell if my child is being bullied? • How much screen time is acceptable? • How can I teach my child to safely use the Internet? • How can I help my child know what to expect about puberty?

AGES 11-13

• Should my child get the HPV vaccine? Should my child get the COVID vaccine? • What do I need to know about puberty when it comes to my child? • Do you have any advice on discussing issues like sex, drugs, or smoking with my child? • What hygiene habits are important for children at this age?

AGES 14-18

• What can I do to help my child cope with stress? • How much sleep should my child be getting? • What resources are available to teens if they need them? • Can you answer any questions my teen has? (You may step out of the room for these answers.)

DENTAL CHECKUPS

Oral health is important at any age. After all, it impacts overall health. Here are some questions you can ask at your child’s fi rst dental visit and beyond: • How is my child’s overall dental health? • What toothpaste and how much of it should my child be using? When should my child start to use a fl uoride toothpaste and mouth wash? • When should my child begin fl ossing? • When should my child get his fi rst X-ray? • When should my child get sealants? • Does my child have enough space for adult teeth? • Do I need to see an orthodontist for a consultation?

Stacey Feintuch is a freelance writer for print and online publications based in Bergen County, NJ. A mom to two boys, you’ll fi nd her at the baseball diamond on the weekends.

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