Regular visits to the doctor are very important for your child’s health. They can be stressful, especially when your child is afraid of the doctor or you have a very busy schedule. But making those appointments needs to be prioritized. Whether your child is healthy or is dealing with health problems, you need to establish a relationship with their health care provider. Here are some reasons why you need to take your child to the doctor.
Annual Checkups
Even if your child is generally in good health, it is very important that they get their annual wellness exam each year. Your child’s doctor can check them over and make sure that they are growing up as expected. They can find any small problems and take care of them before they get bigger. For example, your child might have symptoms of hypothyroidism, which is an underactive thyroid. This can cause hormonal issues that will show up during the exam.
During a wellness exam, the doctor will check your child’s entire body, as well as screen them for any mental health problems that might be occurring. Depending on your child’s age, they might do this with you in the room or have you leave for your child’s privacy. But regardless of age, annual checkups are essential to staying healthy.
Illness
While many minor illnesses will clear up without a visit to the doctor, sometimes you’ll need to bring your child in to get checked. This is especially true if your child has lingering symptoms or their illness is more severe than usual. In this situation, visiting the doctor is important. Not only will they get your child the help they need in order to recover, they can also provide a doctor’s note for the school. In general, 4.6% of children between the ages of five and 11 have missed 11 or more days of school in the past year due to illness or injury. If your child is one of these students, going to the doctor will be necessary for both their health and their academic career.
Vaccines
Your child needs to get the appropriate vaccines at the correct times in order to avoid catching certain diseases. In order to get these vaccines, you need to bring them to the doctor. Generally, your child’s doctor will line up their vaccines with their annual visits. Therefore, you won’t need to make an extra appointment. This does mean you have to get them to their checkups. Otherwise their body won’t have the vaccine it needs to fight off preventable infections.
Addressing Concerns
As a parent, you know your child better than anybody. So, if they start showing signs of health problems, you’re going to want to know how to fix them. Your child’s doctor is the best resource to help you find solutions. For example, your child might seem overly tired during the day. If you bring this concern to the doctor, they might be able to diagnose your child with sleep apnea, a condition where the patient stops breathing during the night. Some people with sleep apnea might wake up every two minutes or have over thirty breathing interruptions every hour. This makes it impossible to get a good night’s sleep. Your child’s doctor will have the solutions for you, but you need to make the appointments.
No matter how healthy your child is, you need to bring them to the doctor. So make sure you find a good pediatrician and establish a relationship with them. This will keep your child healthy throughout their childhood and provide them with a foundation for wellness as an adult.
