As a parent, you want your child to get the best possible start in life and grow into a healthy, thriving adult. One of the best ways to do that is to ensure your child attends their well-child visits at Valencia Pediatrics in Victorville, California.
Board-certified pediatrician Rainilda Valencia, MD, Micaela Marin-Tucker, PA-C, and Megan Reynolds, C-PNP, recommend you bring your child in for regular well-child visits throughout their infancy, childhood, and adolescence. Here are seven of the benefits your child receives from getting a well-child visit every year.
Combined with developmental screenings in their youngest years, a well-child visit tells you how your child is developing. This includes tracking your child’s height, weight, and physical development, as well as giving a global look at how they’re doing cognitively, emotionally, and socially.
It’s exciting to watch your child grow and develop at these annual visits. In addition, it gives you a benchmark of how your child’s development compares to their peers.
By seeing your child at least once a year, our team practices preventive medicine, which means they can identify potential health problems before they begin. By following our team’s treatment plan and advice, your child can often avoid developing a problem altogether.
When your child is younger, our team advises you on making healthy choices that reduce their risk of illnesses and other problems. As your child gets older, we involve them in this process.
When our team does identify medical issues, we’re able to start treatment as quickly as possible by catching them at an early stage. This gives your child a better prognosis, meaning we can either treat the issue entirely or immediately implement changes in your child’s life that make it easier for them to live with the condition.
Getting vaccinations on schedule is one of the best ways to ensure your child doesn’t get sick. These vaccinations are also critical for your child to continue to attend school, participate in sports, and take advantage of other opportunities.
Our team can often administer vaccines right at your child’s well-child visit, so you don’t have to come back for another appointment.
As a parent, you often have many questions about your child as they grow up. Our team always leaves ample time for you to have your questions answered. If you have any concerns about your child’s development, a well-child visit is also an easy time to raise them.
To participate in most sports, your child needs to have a sports physical as well as be up-to-date on well-child exams. To complete a sports physical and ensure your child is healthy enough to play, our team needs the information provided in your child’s well-child exam.
Well-child visits make it easy for you and your child to get to know your team, and our team to get to know you. This makes it easier for us to help if your child develops an illness or health issue.
By knowing your child well, our team can easily make recommendations on how to best treat any sickness or other problems that arise. Knowing us well also helps you and your child be more comfortable communicating with us during stressful times.
If your child is due for a well-child visit, call our office to schedule their appointment today.
