Child Health

Advising you as parents concerning illness and injury prevention for your child is an important part of our role as your health care provider. We are providing these preventive health guidelines to assist you in keeping your child healthy. Please feel free to discuss these recommendations with your child’s physician or medical provider.

We suggest periodic health exams (well child checks) for children:

  • Infants at 5-7 days, 2 weeks and at 2, 4, 6, 9, 12, and 18 months of age
  • Ages two to five – every year
  • Ages six to eighteen – every two years

Screening tests:

  • No screening tests are recommended by the American Academy of Family Practice for all school age children. However, certain screening tests may be appropriate for selected children:
  • Blood lead levels for preschoolers who live in, or spend significant time in homes that were built before 1950
  • Red blood cell counts for children who are at risk for iron deficiency anemia. These might include children with low dietary iron (vegetarians or kids that don’t like to eat much meat), and menstruating adolescent girls
  • TB skin testing for children who live with a family member who has an undiagnosed cough, or who are recent immigrants from countries where tuberculosis is common
  • Cholesterol blood testing starting at age three for children with a strong family history of high cholesterol
  • A one-time urinalysis at age five
  • Pap smear and chlamydia screening for sexually active adolescent girls

Lifestyle recommendations:

  • Avoid having your children exposed to second hand smoke in any form. If either parent is a smoker, it helps to keep all smoking outside the house and the car. However, be aware that even the smoke that clings to a parents clothing can have measurable effects on children’s health.
  • Make sure your kids get plenty of active play. Limit screen time (TV, computer, Game-Boy, etc.) to 1-2 hours per day and encourage them to take part in active games (bike riding, tag, sports) for at least an hour a day.
  • Provide your child with a diet rich in fruits, vegetables, and whole grains, limit the amount of foods rich in fats and sugars. School age children should get three servings of dairy products a day, adolescents need four servings (a serving is an eight ounce glass of milk). Limit sugary beverages (soda, fruit drinks) to no more that twelve ounces a day. Because tap water contains flouride it is preferred over bottled water.
  • Make sure your child wears a helmet (that fits!) for bicycling and rollerblading, and make sure they always wear their seatbelts when riding in a vehicle.
  • Always use a sunblock with SPF 15 or greater if your child will be exposed to the sun.
  • Make sure your child brushes and flosses his/her teeth daily and sees a dentist regularly.