2 Tips For Setting Up An Appointment For Your Baby’s Routine Well-Child Visit

After having a baby, you probably already know the importance of taking your new child to their regular pediatrician appointments. However, you may be concerned about how to optimally time these visits. If so, use the following tips when you call and set up an appointment for your baby's routine well-child visit.

Check Your Own Schedule First

The first thing you want to do before you pick up the phone to make the appointment is to check your own schedule. Because the well-child visits include time-sensitive immunizations and growth progress checkups, you want to make sure your schedule is clear before setting up them up.

Knowing if you have any important meetings for work coming up can let you make your baby's appointment without having to call and reschedule later. Or, if you have a week full of work obligations that fall at the time of your baby's appointment, you may have time to reschedule the meeting or have someone take your work obligation for you.

Consider the Timing of the Appointment

Once you have checked your schedule and discovered possible dates for the appointment, the next thing you should consider is the time of day for which you should schedule the visit. If at all possible, depending on what the office has available, you should time the appointment around your baby's schedule.

Because the pediatrician will be examining how your baby reacts to stimuli and assessing their growth, you want your baby to be fully alert and awake during the appointment. However, if the visit is scheduled during their normal nap time, your baby may be too sleepy to react fully to the doctor's examination.

Another problem with scheduling the appointment during the time your baby usually takes a nap is that they may become cranky from being overly tired. Your baby may be uncooperative during the appointment, making it more difficult for the physician to examine them.

If possible, schedule the well-child visit for about an hour after your baby's usual nap time. Your child should be fully awake and alert, making the cooperative and reactive to the routine examination.  

Using the above tips can help you set up the well-child visit for a time that is convenient for both you and your baby. If you have any questions about how to prepare for the visit or what you need to bring with you, contact the office before your baby's pediatrician visit to make sure you have everything you need to ensure the checkup goes well.


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