4 Healthcare Providers Your Child Should be Seeing Regularly

A child’s health is the primary concern for every responsible parent. Children need quality healthcare services as they grow up. Some of the illnesses that affect children at a later age are avoidable as long as they are detected early enough. The following are five important healthcare providers that parents should make sure their children visit at least once per year.

1.  Pediatrician

Pediatricians are medical practitioners in charge of your child’s overall physical, mental, and behavioral care. As a parent, you should identify an experienced pediatrician even before the child is born. Once the child is born, the pediatrician diagnoses the majority of the childhood illness, be it minor or complicated.

A pediatrician does a physical examination on your child, recommends and administers immunizations, and treats any infection, injuries, and illnesses. Secondly, the pediatrician analyses and advice on your child’s developmental milestone in terms of behavior, growth, and skills. It is also the responsibility of your pediatrician to advise you concerning your child’s nutrition and fitness needs.

From birth to age 5, your family pediatrician should attend to your child severally per year. However, from age 5, the pediatrician sees the child once per year. However, you may take your child to the pediatrician if you notice any behavioral or physical abnormality in your child. The pediatrician will also collaborate and recommend you to other child specialists when the need arises.

Apart from the recommended pediatrician visit, you should take your child to the family pediatrician anytime you notice the following:

• Rash and skin infections.
• Weight loss and poor eating habits.
• Fever.
• Frequent diarrhea and vomiting.
• Prolonged cough and wheezing.
• Localized pains.
• Change in sleeping pattern.
• Reduced growth, especially height.

2.  Dentist

Dentists are medical practitioners in charge of your child’s oral health. Although visits to dental specialists are feared, you should never fail to avail your child of regular dental check-ups to prevent common dental ailments. Oral health should be a concern from the time a child develops milk teeth.

Dental services offered by dentists to children include:

• Oral health examination through digital dental imaging.
• Preventive dental care service, e.g., mouth cleaning and diet recommendation.
• Habit counseling.
• Early and preventive dental treatment services, e.g., teeth straightening.
• Tooth repair due to cavities and defects, e.g., root canal treatment and teeth extraction.
• Gum disease management.
• Dental injury care.
• Pulp therapy.
• Cosmetic dentistry.

Since its common for children to get accidental dental injuries especially playing, parents should establish an experienced dentist. If you are looking for dentists in Westerville, Ohio, or whatever location you are near make sure to see if they will offer you emergency and same-day dental services if needed.

3.  Optometrist and Ophthalmologist

Both optometrists and ophthalmologists are eye doctors. However, unlike the optometrist, an ophthalmologist can perform eye surgery. The first eye examination on your child is in the delivery room. During the regular clinical visits, the pediatrician administers eyes tests. In case of an eye problem, the pediatrician recommends you to an optometrist for further check-up and treatment of possible eye disorders and illnesses.

However, you may take your child to see an optometrist even without a recommendation from your pediatrician. You should have your child undergo the first regular vision screening at six months old. When there are no indicators of eye problems, the second visit should be at three years old. From age 5, the child should have a regular eye examination once per year, even when there are no eye complications.

Commonly diagnosed eye problems in children include double vision, developmental abnormalities, farsightedness, nearsightedness, tearing, cortical visual impairment, drooping eyelid, glaucoma, strabismus, and pediatric cataracts. An optometrist visit is vital whenever you notice the following on your child:

• Frequent headaches.
• Light sensitivity.
• Eye covering when watching TV or reading.
• Squinting.

4.  Child Psychologist

A child psychologist is another crucial medical practitioner you can’t ignore today. A psychologist deals with the diagnosis of effects of a traumatic event, changes in family life, and the death of loved ones. Children’s mental health issues can’t be ignored since they are rising due to COVID-19 impacts. Kids, therefore, require psychological support and diagnosis from child psychologists.

Children undergoing mental and emotional challenges should regularly visit mental health professionals. Upon analyzing the mental health issues of your child, the psychologist can adequately and effectively give advice, therapy, or medications to diagnose the mental problem.

Conclusion

A visit to the above five healthcare providers assures that your child will grow up to adulthood in good health. However, you don’t need to visit the health providers only when the child portrays illness symptoms. Even when the child seems to be in good health, the child should regularly visit the above medical practitioners for a check-up at least once per year. Lastly, ensure you visit qualified, experienced, and board-certified healthcare providers to get the best services possible.