The National Family Health Survey-4 (2015-2016) revealed that 27% of new-borns in India received the primary postnatal check-up within the first 2 days after being born. The American Academy of Paediatrics recommends regular check-ups of babies at ages 3-5 days, and 1, 2, 4, 6, 9 and 12 months. Toddlers must be checked at 1.25, 1.5, 2 and 2.5 years. After that, your child must get regular paediatric check-ups till age 21 years. This helps detect early any health conditions that need treatment.
Here are the reasons to let kids be examined regularly.
Reasons for Children to Receive Regular Paediatric Check-ups
- Recording of vital signs
Your kid’s temperature, heart rate and oxygen level are checked to determine his/her health status. The paediatrician can accordingly diagnose any health conditions in your child.
- Measurements
The paediatrician will measure and weigh your child to check his/her body mass index. This helps determine whether the kid has a healthy weight and height, and a normal growth curve.
- Discussion
You can tell the paediatrician about any concerns regarding your kid’s growth or health.
The doctor may ask about your child’s temperament, level of activity and how long he/she sleeps at night. If you have a baby, you may be asked about the number of diapers he/she wets daily and whether you can breastfeed him/her without any problems.
- Head-To-Toe Physical Examination
The paediatrician will thoroughly examine your child. Areas of reported concern can be checked more carefully.
- Head: The soft spots (gaps of ongoing bone formation in the skull) on your baby’s head will be examined. The small and large spots normally close by age 2-3 months and 18 months.
- Ears: The paediatrician will check for infection or fluid in your child’s ears and observe his/her response to different sounds.
- Eyes: Your kid’s eye movements will be checked.
- Mouth: The formation of a cleft palate and signs of teething and oral thrush can be examined in your baby’s mouth.
- Skin: Rashes, birthmarks or other skin conditions of children can be identified.
- Heart and lungs: Any irregular heart rhythms or murmurs or breathing trouble of kids will be detected. If the heart murmurs are bothersome, a consultation with a child specialist in Hyderabad may be recommended.
- Abdomen: The paediatrician will see for any unusual masses, enlargements or tenderness in your child’s abdomen.
- Hips and legs: The paediatrician will inspect any concerns with the hip joints like dislocation.
- Genitalia: The doctor will examine your kid’s genitalia for signs of infection, lumps or tenderness. It’ll be ensured that the testes of boys have descended into their scrotum. If there was circumcision, recovery of the penis will be examined.
- Immunizations
Ensure that your child receives the necessary immunizations on time at a reputed children’s hospital. Vaccinations can safeguard children from diseases like polio, tuberculosis, measles, tetanus, whooping cough, and diphtheria.
A child specialist is an expert in treating paediatric health conditions. So, if the paediatrician recommends that your kid needs expert care, consider visiting the best child specialist in Hyderabad.