Well-child visits: More than just vaccinations

A yearly well-child visit is your child's opportunity to be screened for conditions and checked for meeting milestones

Author: Kim Huston

Published: December 10, 2020 | Updated: June 6, 2023

Well-child visits are often associated with the vaccinations that children need early in life and for school. But well-child visits are crucial to a child’s overall well-being. These visits are an opportunity to screen your child’s physical and mental health, check for conditions and get your pediatrician to answer any questions you may have.

Norton Children’s Medical Group

Pediatrician offices located throughout the Louisville and Southern Indiana area.

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What conditions do pediatricians screen for during well child visits?

Children need routine health checks at every age to make sure they are healthy, happy and on target for milestones. These health checks give pediatricians the opportunity to screen for:

  • Attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD)
  • Anemia
  • Asthma
  • Behavioral issues
  • Cholesterol and diabetes issues
  • Constipation
  • Development and growth issues
  • High blood pressure
  • Ongoing skin issues
  • Oral health
  • Proper nutrition
  • Reflux
  • Signs of abuse
  • Sleep issues
  • Vision and hearing issues

Talking to your pediatrician about any issues your child encounters, from trouble with certain milestones or regressing after learning skills such as potty training, can help parents get the answers they need to help their kids.

Pediatricians are there to help you be the best parent you can be. A well-child visit helps your child stay healthy and is a chance to get the support your family needs and help ease the burden parents can feel.

Pediatricians offer families help to keep children and families thriving

Additionally, a well-child visit is an opportunity to talk to a pediatrician about other issues. A pediatrician can help families with:

  • Breastfeeding
  • Car seat safety
  • Childproofing questions/concerns
  • Healthy lifestyle choices
  • Poisoning prevention
  • Potty training
  • Safe sleeping methods
  • Vaccinations
  • Questions and concerns about vaccinations

Being able to talk to your child’s pediatrician can help families solve issues that can affect a child’s health. At Norton Children’s Medical Group, affiliated with the UofL School of Medicine, we understand the lifelong implications of child hunger as well as the barriers and challenges families face. That is why we expanded our prescriptive food pantry model to select Norton Children’s Medical Group pediatricians’ offices and Norton Community Medical Associates family practice offices.

As part of well-child visits, providers screen patients for signs of hunger and food insecurity. Providers then are able to use the prescriptive pantry to provide families with nutritionally sound food as well as information on how to get the best nutrition with limited resources. The prescriptive pantries are made possible through generous grants supported by the Norton Children’s Hospital Foundation and the Community Foundation of Louisville – One Louisville: COVID-19 Response Fund, and powered through Dare to Care Food Bank.

“Our job is to treat the whole family supporting that child, and food and proper nutrition are a big part of physical and mental health,” Dr. Price said.