Be Educated on Preventative Care for Your Children
Be Educated on Preventative Care for Your Children
The last thing you want to happen is to take your child to the doctor for a cold, and find out something worse has been going on for months. That’s why preventative care is so crucial in pediatric health. The American Acadamy of Pediatrics just updated a suggested schedule of checkups for your kids based on age and other factors. To help your children plan a healthy 2016, review the following tips.
Vision
Vision is tested when your child is born, but it should be formally tested when they turn 4. Until age 6, they should have yearly exams, after which they can switch to every 2 years. After age 18, there won’t be too many concerns unless your child had specific flags that came up.
A Healthy Mouth
It’s so exciting when your child gets their first tooth, and the AAP recommends commemorating with a trip to the dentist for a checkup. Fluoride varnishes on an annual basis can also reduce cavities, and are recommended.
Newborns
The AAP suggests checking for heart disease during the time in the hospital, or during the first 5 days of a newborn baby’s life.
Growth and Nutrition
How is your child growing? Your pediatrician should be teaching you. Paying attention to weight, potential iron deficiencies, and sufficient vitamin D are all important parts.
Cholestrol
It is recommended to have a blood test for children between age 9 and 11. This can help treat heart disease, especially if you family has a history of such problems.
Development and Autism
These checkups are customary at all wellness visits, and will happen formally at 18 months and 2 years.
Depression
The heartbreaking truth is, suicide is a real, big issue among adolescents, and that doesn’t exclude your child. Having your child screened for depression can stop them from getting to that point.
Drugs and Alcohol
The AAP uses a tool called CRAFFT to screen adolescents for drug and alcohol use. So often, these issues continue because they are not talked about, and if you can help your child while they are young, you have helped them for a lifetime.
HIV
opens in a new window60% of all youth with HIV do not know they are infected, and 1 in 4 infections occur in youth ages 13 to 24. Because of this, the AAP recommends screening of children from 16-18.
These are all health concerns that you, as a parent or loved one of a child or adolescent, can help prevent with preventative care. For more information, opens in a new windowcontact us.
