Well Child Exams

Why are well child exams so important?

Far too many parents only bring their children in for medical care once an injury or illness arises. This approach fails to take advantage of the many benefits of preventive health care. Well child exams are the setting where your child receives developmental assessments and the health screenings appropriate for their age. 

Childhood is a time of rapid growth and development. Most kids move through these developmental phases with ease, but some experience developmental delays and other childhood ailments. 

Working with a skilled provider and coming in for routine well child exams are the best ways to ensure that your child is healthy in terms of not just physical health but also emotional and mental health. 

What happens during well child exams?

The initial part of a well child exam focuses on gathering data about your child’s health and development. Babies are weighed and measured, and older kids have their height and weight recorded. 

Emily also performs a brief assessment of your child’s heart rate, breathing, reflexes, skin condition, strength, and flexibility, among other markers of health and development. 

As kids get older, she interacts with them to gain a better understanding of their mental and emotional health, as well as social development. 

Necessary vaccines are administered during well child visits to help your child develop a strong and resilient immune response to common infectious diseases. 

There’s also time built into well child exams to ask questions and receive guidance on any topic of concern. Wondering about sleep schedules, nutrition, babyproofing, youth athletics, or how much screen time is healthy? These are all topics you can address during your child’s visit. 

How often do I need to bring my child in for well child exams?

Babies need to come in for more frequent well child (well baby) visits than older kids. The team at Empowered Health and Wellness performs well child exams on a schedule laid out by the nation’s top pediatric health experts, and can let you know the exact timeline that is right for your little one. 

Older kids usually only need to come in once a year for their well child exams. Of course, Emily is always here to help with sick visits or urgent care services in the event of an unexpected illness or injury. 

To book a well child visit, simply call the office during normal business hours. You can also set up an appointment using our easy online booking tool. Same day appointments are available for urgent care needs.