Your child goes through major growth spurts during both their younger and teenage years. Regular well-child checkups with our providers and family practitioners at Houston Family Medical Clinic, are preventive evaluations to ensure your child is developing healthfully. If your little one is due for a physical, you can quickly book an exam online. You’re also welcome to call this Houston-based clinic anytime to book your well-child exam.
Well Child Checkups Q & A
What is a well-child checkup?
A well-child checkup isn’t a sick visit — although you can certainly get treatment if your little one is sick. These regularly scheduled visits are about ensuring your child is growing healthfully. Your child goes through dramatic growth spurts before the age of four, then again during puberty.
Because their bodies are continuously growing and developing, well-child visits are designed to detect early warning signs of illness or abnormalities, and intervene to treat any issues early on. Even if your child is in good health, it’s still important for them to have well-child visits as recommended.
How often does my child need a well-child checkup?
The caring team of family practitioners at Houston Family Medical Clinic care for babies, all the way up through teens (and beyond). So the frequency of your young one’s well-child exam just depends on their age and overall health.
Generally, your little one needs a checkup every 1-3 months during their first 18 months of life. After that point, the recommendation is every six months until the age of three. As long as your child is progressing healthfully and doesn’t have any major medical concerns, you can usually schedule them for annual well-child exams after their third birthday.
What happens during a well-child checkup?
Your little one’s well-child checkup at Houston Family Medical Clinic is custom tailored to each child. In most cases though, these routine exams include:
- Height and weight check
- Vision and hearing screening
- Blood draw or urinalysis
- Vaccination updates
If your child is in school or gearing up for sports, they may need to have specialty physical evaluations during their well-child checkup. This extra testing is just to ensure your child doesn’t have any communicable diseases and is healthy enough to be able to participate in a sport.
Does my child need vaccines during a checkup?
Possibly. Many educational entities and sporting groups require that your child has certain vaccines prior to attending. The dedicated practitioners at Houston Family Medical Clinic can evaluate your child’s prior inoculation history and recent vaccination requirements to ensure they’re up-to-date.
If needed, the team can administer any essential vaccines during the well-child checkup visit. Plus, the team also recommends that all children over the age of five get an annual flu shot, which can also be administered at the same time.
Schedule your child’s well-child exam at Houston Family Medical Clinic by clicking on the online scheduler. You can also call and speak with a team member directly.