Well-child check-up includes a series of checkup tests that show how often your kids should visit a doctor even when they are not sick. This helps the doctor in diagnosing any condition that your child may be on the verge of developing or treating an existing condition. 

What Happens During a Well-child Check-up? 

During a well-child check-up, your doctor will: 

• Perform a physical examination. 

• Give necessary immunization or vaccination shots to your child. 

• Track how your child is developing and enquire about his behaviour. 

• Talk about illness prevention, nutrition, and physical fitness. 

• Talk about how to handle emergencies. 

How Do You Know if Your Child is Developing Normally? 

Your paediatrician will look at your child’s growth and development at each well-child visit. The specific milestones that he will check are: 

• At 6 months: your child should be able to respond to his name and have good hand-eye coordination. 

• At 1 year: the child should be able to take a few steps and say simple words. 

• At 2 years: the child should be able to say 2-4 word phrases and begin to run. 

• At 4 years: the child should be social with other children, and copy some letters and numbers.

The childhood immunization schedule or vaccine schedule ensures to protection of your child from getting several infections or diseases. 

How Many Vaccines Do Children Get? 

By the age of 15 months, your baby may receive up to 10 different types of vaccines.  

What Are the Different Types of Vaccines? 

The following vaccines can help protect your child from serious infection or disease: 

• Hepatitis B: 

Hepatitis B protects your child from Hepatitis B. Your child will receive the first dose of this vaccine within 12 hours of birth and receive the second dose at 1-2 months of age and the third dose between 6-18 months. 

• Rotavirus: 

Rotavirus helps protect your child from rotavirus. Rotavirus refers to a viral infection that can cause fever, vomiting, and diarrhoea in your child. At most, your child will receive 2 or 3 doses starting from the age of 2 months. 

• Diphtheria, Tetanus, and Acellular Pertussis (DTaP): 

The DTaP vaccine protects your child from harmful diphtheria, tetanus, and pertussis. Baby vaccines include five doses of DTaP combination vaccine. At most, your baby will receive his first dose at 2 months of age and second at 4 months of age. Followed by a third dose at 6 months, and 4th dose between 15-18 months of age. 

• Haemophilus Influenza Type B (Hib): 

Hib vaccine protects your child against the common type of Haemophilus influenzae bacteria. Your child will receive 3-4 doses of the Hib vaccine starting from the first dose at 2 months and the second at 4 months of age. 

• Pneumococcal Conjugate (PCV13): 

The PCV13 helps protect your child against pneumococcus bacterial infections. Your child will receive 4 doses of the PCV13 vaccine starting with the first dose at 2 months of age and 2nd dose at 4 months of age. 

• Inactivated Poliovirus (IPV): 

The IPV vaccine protects your child against polio infections. Your child will receive the first dose at 2 months followed by 2nd dose at 4 months and 3rd dose between 6 to 18 months of age. 

• Influenza: 

The influenza virus vaccine protects your child against flu or influenza. Your child may receive this vaccine each year in one or two doses. 

• Measles, Mumps, and Rubella (MMR): 

The MMR vaccine helps protect your child from measles, mumps, and rubella. Your child will receive a combination of these vaccines from 12-15 months of age and the second dose between 4-6 years of age. 

• Varicella (VAR): 

Chickenpox vaccine or varicella protects your child from chickenpox. Your child will receive 2 doses of this vaccine starting from 12-15 months of age and the second dose between 4-6 years of age. 

• Hepatitis A: 

The hepatitis A vaccine protects your child from Hepatitis A. Your child will receive this vaccine as a two-dose series starting from 12-13 months of age. 

• Human Papillomavirus (HPV): 

HPV vaccine protects your child from cervical cancer, genital warts, penile cancer, and head and neck cancer. If your child is above 15 years, make sure that he starts getting this vaccine. 

Growth in a child refers to an increase in the physical size of the body while development refers to improvement in the function and skills of a child.  

Growth and development monitoring is important and starts right from when your child is born. Being a parent you should: 

• Attend regular growth monitoring sessions to ensure that your baby is growing correctly. 

• Take your baby for growth monitoring every month during the first year of life. 

• A healthy child with proper growth should gain weight every month. If your child is not gaining weight or is losing weight, he might have some problem and need to be taken to the nearest hospital for diagnosis and treatment. 

• Attend nutrition sessions to ensure that you provide proper nutrition to your child. 

• Ask questions whenever necessary. 

When you visit your paediatrician, share your child’s height and weight details along with any changes that you observed. Based on it, your paediatrician will tweak their diet and include certain vitamins and minerals for overall growth and development. 

As a parent, you might always find yourself worrying about your child’s health. Children tend to get sicker than adults because of their yet-to-be-developed immune system. On average, a child will have about 5-8 acute illnesses per year. These would be mild, harmless, and resolved by itself without any treatment. 

Although your child may suffer from acute and harmless illness, you should keep a check on their symptoms, mainly: 

• Alertness and orientation: check if your child is aware of what’s going on around him. 

• Good fluid intake: check if your child is drinking enough fluids although his appetite for solids may be poor. 

• No difficulty breathing: check if your child can breathe properly despite of cough. 

• Absence of pain: check if there is no localized pain in the abdomen, ear, throat, neck, or so forth. 

• Responsiveness: check if your child responds to fever management. 

• Prompt resolution: check if the symptoms improve within 3-4 days and are completely gone within 6-7 days. 

If you notice any change from the above, there is high chance of your child having a viral infection. Mostly, you may not require any treatment, but if the symptoms worsen, consult your paediatrician immediately.

A chronic disease refers to a condition that may last for more than 3 months and can compromise the long-term health of your child.  

When Does Your Child Need Chronic Disease Management? 

The common chronic paediatric diseases that require medical management include: 

• Diabetes. 

• Asthma. 

• Allergies. 

• Anaemia. 

• Juvenile arthritis. 

How Does Chronic Disease Management Work? 

Children will undergo a thorough evaluation to assess your child’s physical, emotional, and psychological status. It includes: 

1. Behavioural approach 

The behavioural approach includes: 

• Direct instruction to develop new skills. 

• Appropriate behaviour shaping. 

• Use of visual tools. 

• Medical education. 

• Nutritional counselling and instructions. 

• Psychological counselling. 

Medical interventions: 

This includes: 

• Diabetes education. 

• Nutrition support. 

• Occupational therapy. 

• Physical therapy. 

• Child life support. 

• Patient care coordination

If your child is between the age of 11-21 years, he may benefit from an adolescent health specialist. 

What Types of Treatment are Included in Adolescent Medicine? 

An adolescent health specialist provides adolescents and young adults with comprehensive care and treatment for conditions including: 

• Growth and developmental issues. 

• Physical evaluation. 

• Sports medicine including orthopaedic problems. 

• Headaches, chest pain, and other aches. 

• Acute or chronic illness, ranging from sore throat to asthma or cerebral palsy. 

• Nutrition, obesity, and eating disorders. 

• Drug, alcohol, and tobacco use prevention. 

• Psychological problems include depression, anxiety, and low self-esteem. 

• Acne and other skin conditions. 

Asthma is a chronic lung disease that affects your airways. Airways refer to tubes that carry air in and out of your lungs. In the case of asthma, you are unable to get air inside the lungs due to swelling or narrowing of airways. 

Asthma can start at any age but it often starts during childhood when the immune system is compromised and is still developing. A lot of children have their first asthma symptom by the age of 5 years.  

Why Are More Children Getting Asthma? 

Children are more prone to asthma due to; 

• Exposure to allergens including dust, and smoke. 

• Not enough exposure to childhood illness and development of immune system. 

• Lower rate of breastfeeding. 

What Are the Symptoms of Asthma in Children? 

The symptoms of asthma may vary for every child. In general, the symptoms may include: 

• Frequent coughing. 

• Less energy to play. 

• Rapid breathing or shortness of breath. 

• Wheezing sound while breathing. 

• Retractions when your child tries to exhale. 

• Constant weakness and irritability. 

• Trouble feeding. 

When your child gets an asthma attack, these symptoms may worsen quickly and turn into a life-threatening situation. In such cases, your child needs medical help urgently. The symptoms include: 

• Severe coughing. 

• Rapid shortness of breath. 

• Severe breathing problems. 

• Increase in respiratory rate at rest. 

• Turning pale or bluish on the face, lips, and fingernails. 

• Trouble speaking. 

How is Childhood Asthma Treated? 

Childhood asthma includes a “management plan” to take care of your child’s symptoms. The plan includes: 

• When and how your child should use asthma medication. 

• What to do when the asthma gets worse. 

• When to seek emergency help. 

Make sure that you understand this plan with your paediatrician first and let your child also understand the importance of it. 

Medications: 

Your paediatrician will prescribe certain medications such as inhalations to control asthma symptoms. Make sure that you always keep the inhaler of your child with them. Show your child how to use one and which medicines to take when things get worse. 

What Are the Risks of Asthma Treatment? 

Some children may not show any complications to asthma treatment while others may show potential side effects, including: 

• Oral thrush. 
• Rash or swelling. 
• Increased heart rate. 
• Nervousness. 
• Headache. 
• Weight gain. 

Children can develop allergies at any age. The sooner you recognize these symptoms, the better diagnosis and treatment. 

Which Are the Common Allergic Symptoms in Children? 

If your child has an allergy, he may show the following symptoms: 

• Trouble breathing. 

• Skin rashes. 

• Coughing. 

• Sneezing, runny nose, and congestion. 

• Itchy eyes. 

• Upset stomach. 

When Should You Go For an Allergy Test? 

Allergies are common in children, however, if the symptoms begin to interfere with their sleep, school, diet, and health, make sure to visit a paediatrician at the earliest. 

Which Are the Allergy Tests? 

Your child’s allergy test will include: 

• Skin Prick Test: 

During this test, a small drop of allergen will placed on your child’s skin and pricked with a needle. If your child has an allergy to the substance, a reddish swollen bump will appear. 

• Intradermal Test: 

During this test, the doctor will inject a small amount of allergen into your child’s arm. If your child is allergic, a reaction will occur. 

• Blood Test: 

Your doctor may also conduct multiple blood tests to measure the amount of antibodies in the blood.  

• Patch Test: 

This test is similar to the skin prick test. During this, allergens will be placed on patches and put on the skin. This will be allowed to be worn for 48 hours.  

• Food Challenge Test: 

To diagnose a food allergy, your doctor will give an increased amount of a food item and monitor closely for any reaction. 

Dermatology is the branch of medicine that deals with skin diseases, diseases of hair, and nails. Paediatric dermatology specifically deals with skin problems in children. 

What are the Common Skin Conditions in Children? 

The common skin conditions that your child may develop include: 

• Birthmarks. 

• Rashes. 

• Contact dermatitis. 

• Atopic dermatitis. 

• Moles and warts. 

• Genodermatoses. 

• Collagen vascular disorders. 

• Psoriasis. 

• Acneiform eruptions. 

Paediatric Dermatology Treatments 

When you visit a paediatric dermatologist, he will provide treatment with: 

• Accurate diagnosis of various skin conditions in children. 

• Prescription treatment for conditions. 

• Surgical treatments include biopsies or removal of lesions. 

• Laser treatment for birthmarks.