You know your child needs to see a pediatrician when they get sick, but did you know it’s just as important for them to have regular medical visits when they’re healthy? Understand how often your child should get a pediatric well-child exam.
Your baby’s first step, chuckle, and word are events you’ll always cherish. The amazing transformations that accompany each phase of your child’s growth are thrilling to experience for both you and your child.
Consider the fact that an infant enters the world typically weighing less than 10 pounds and completely dependent on you. Within a few years, your child grows into a running, jumping toddler with a distinct personality and fully formed sense of humor. And remember, this happens in just three short years!
Since your child’s growth is multi-faceted and quite rapid, it’s important that you and your pediatrician follow and evaluate their development to watch for a physical or intellectual developmental delay. If one emerges, then you can address it immediately.
Dr. Rainilda Valencia and her sensitive, highly skilled practice care team at Valencia Pediatrics are versed in evaluating your child’s intellectual growth, physical advancement, and emotional development, no matter their age or stage.
Child development can be broken up into four broad areas:
Put more simply, milestones reflect how a child is growing and interacting with the world.
A child moves with more ease and speed over time as they develop fine and gross motor skills. Fine motor skills allow them to do things that require precision, like drawing and feeding themselves, while walking, running, and jumping are examples of gross motor skills.
Social and emotional developmental stages are defined by behaviors that are common in children of the same age, like when they experience separation anxiety if a parent leaves the room or drops them at preschool, or when they hug a peer or cuddle a pet.
Your child’s cognitive growth involves learning new skills and working on problem-solving skills. They’re growing cognitively when they work a puzzle, for example, or list the names of the colors in a picture.
Finally, watching how your child acquires language skills is exciting, from enthusiastic babbling to that long-awaited first “Mama” or “Dada.”
Dr. Valencia and her team employ an array of sophisticated screening tools to assess your child’s development. They screen children at regular intervals, including annual well-child visits.
Pediatrician-led developmental screenings offer unique advantages for parents:
That said, it’s important to realize there’s great variation in what’s considered healthy development. For example, an acceptable time for a baby to take their first step is anywhere from 9-17 months; that large window of time allows for the myriad timetables “normal” babies follow to reach these landmarks.
The best things you can do to encourage your child’s growth and development are what may bring you joy as a parent already. Interacting in all ways is so healthy: Talking, reading, and singing to your baby, playing with them, and lots of cuddling, kissing, and holding will tremendously enhance your baby’s development.
If Dr. Valencia finds that your child is behind or struggling with acquiring a certain skill, she’ll connect you to interventional services that will help your child advance in a way that’s appropriate for them. The earlier a parent can access services, the better.
At Valencia Pediatrics, we take pride in creating individualized portraits of development for each of our patients and honoring the fact that each and every child has their own timetable for growth and development. It’s what we love about our work and serving the families in our care.
We also recognize that you are the person with special expertise on your baby. Call us to make an appointment, so we can partner with you on the thrilling growth of your child.
You Might Also Enjoy...
You know your child needs to see a pediatrician when they get sick, but did you know it’s just as important for them to have regular medical visits when they’re healthy? Understand how often your child should get a pediatric well-child exam.
Your child could get sick with chickenpox if they haven’t received the vaccine or experience a breakthrough infection after getting vaccinated. Learn about telltale symptoms as well as treatment and prevention options.
Emergencies can happen, and if your child has a deep cut, it might need sutures to heal. Here’s how you can know when a cut is serious and might need to get sutures, and what to do right away to keep your child safe.
Unpleasant allergies to usually harmless substances are common in children, but if the allergen trigger is identified, a treatment plan can help. Learn more about five of the most common allergens in children and how they can be treated.
One of the best ways to ensure your child gets the best start in life is to ensure they receive high-quality medical care with a pediatrician. Keep reading to learn more about pediatric care and what it can offer your child.
A small and easy-to-carry device called an EpiPen® is a lifesaving tool for many children with allergies that put them at risk for experiencing anaphylactic shock. Discover more about the EpiPen and if your child should carry one.