Kids Health Watch is Sponsored by Children’s Medical Group
Summer is almost here, and it’s time to schedule your child’s annual check-up!
Check-ups are a great time to make sure your child is on track to excel in the next year. The American Academy of Pediatrics recommends an annual check-up for all children starting at three years of age, especially through elementary, middle, and high school ages. These routine visits to the pediatrician are not merely formalities but invaluable opportunities to monitor a child’s health, address concerns, and provide crucial guidance to parents.
When your child is younger, check-ups are important for keeping vaccines up to date and keeping a close eye on developmental milestones. As your child ages, it’s good to have an annual check-up so that he or she can have a full physical exam, including vital signs, vision, and hearing screening, and check in on their growth chart.
The growth chart can arguably be the most important part of your child’s annual check-up. It is an important indicator of your child’s overall wellbeing, and is a great tool for your pediatrician to make sure that your child’s nutrition, hormones, and brain are all healthy and working well together.
As puberty nears, many changes in the body need to be tracked to ensure all the hormones are working properly, and the check-up is a great time to discuss those changes. A thorough check-up can also help determine your child’s timeline for puberty.
Check-ups are also a great time to get all your questions answered that didn’t necessitate a dedicated doctor’s appointment in the previous year. Even seemingly minor details can make a big difference in your child’s health and well-being. You can also get a head start on completing those sports physicals for next year’s season, so you’ll already be ready for the school (and sports) year.
Your medical “home” (a steady primary care pediatrician) is incredibly important to your child’s overall well-being. It’s been shown that a medical home cultivates healthy habits, is more effective at providing care, and is more cost-effective for your family in the long run—and this is why establishing and continuing care with your pediatrician is important for your child’s healthy growth.
Dr. Savannah Browning grew up in Fayette, AL. She moved to Mobile to attend Medical School at the University of South Alabama in 2009, and has been a proud Mobilian ever since. She joined Children’s Medical Group in 2016, and her office is at the Airport Boulevard location. She lives in Mobile with her husband, Andrew, and their three children: Jude, Luke, and Annie.
Author: Savannah Browning
Dr. Savannah Browning grew up in Fayette, AL. She moved to Mobile to attend Medical School at the University of South Alabama in 2009, and has been a proud Mobilian ever since. She joined Children’s Medical Group in 2016, and her office is at the Airport Boulevard location. She lives in Mobile with her husband, Andrew, and their three children: Jude, Luke, and Annie.
