Babies don’t come with manuals, so well visits are a good time to ask any questions about your child’s health, development, nutrition, and behavior. So bring a list. It’ll save time and help you get answers to all your questions. The Greater Hudson Valley Family Health Center (GHVFHC) understands that every concern that you have is important, no matter how small you may think it is.

At well visits:

• We examine your baby or child;
• Check progress;
• Update immunizations; and
• Answer your questions.

Here’s an in depth overview of each well visit for children of any age:

Newborn Visit

We will visit your newborn in the hospital if you are a GHVFHC patient. If we did not deliver your newborn, please plan to bring your baby in to meet us during your first week home from the hospital (ideally at three to five days.) We have a separate waiting room for newborns and their parents, and we keep your wait time to a minimum.

Please bring your baby’s birth records and paperwork to your first visit. At the newborn visit, we will:

• Perform a physical exam;
• Check for jaundice;
• Review birth records;
• Provide breastfeeding advice (specific to the first few days);
• Give general newborn advice; and
• Make a referral to the Women, Infants, Children (WIC) Program, if needed.

1-Month Visit

At the one-month visit, we will:

• Perform physical exams;
• Monitor weight, length, and head circumference;
• Discuss appropriate diet, development, and sleeping patterns;
• Address health concerns common at this age: diaper rash, cradle cap and eczema; and
• Review developmental milestones, such as ability to lift head briefly and turn it from side to side when lying on stomach.

2-Month Visit

At the two-month visit, we will:

• Perform physical exams;
• Monitor height, weight, and head circumference;
• Discuss appropriate diet, development, behavior and sleeping patterns;
• Address health concerns common at this age: diaper rash, cradle cap, eczema, and baby acne;
• Discuss breastfeeding, travel concerns, and the transition of returning to work; and
• Review development milestones, such as improved coordination, beginning to smile, and sleeping for longer intervals.

3-Month Visit

At the three-month visit, we will:

• Perform physical exams;
• Monitor weight, length, and head circumference
• Discuss appropriate diet, development, and sleeping patterns
• Review development milestones, such as the ability to lift head while lying on back, improved hand, arm, and leg coordination, more manageable sleeping patterns

4-Month Visit

At the four-month visit, we will:

• Perform physical exams;
• Monitor weight, length, and head circumference;
• Discuss appropriate diet, development, and sleeping patterns;
• Discuss common health concerns at this age: colds and the flu;
• Answer questions about childcare options; and
• Review important development milestones, such as eating less frequently, rolling over, response to voices, facial expressions.

6-Month Visit

At the six-month visit, we will:

• Perform physical exams;
• Monitor weight, length, and head circumference;
• Discuss introduction of solid foods;
• Discuss development, behavior, and sleeping patterns;
• Education of treatment of colds and mild diarrhea common at this age; and
• Review important development milestones, such as bearing weight on feet when held up, sitting up without assistance, picking up objects, and cooing.

9-Month Visit

At the nine-month visit, we will:

• Perform physical exams;
• Monitor weight, length, and head circumference;
• Discuss appropriate diversification of solid foods, development, behavior, and sleeping patterns;
• Discuss how to treat colds, fevers, croup, diarrhea, and ear infections, which frequently occur at this age; and
• Review important developmental milestones, such as sitting, crawling or scooting around, babbling, and “separation anxiety.”

12-Month Visit

At the 12-month visit, we will:

• Perform physical exams;
• Monitor weight, length, and head circumference;
• Discuss an appropriately diversified diet, development, behavior, and sleeping patterns;
• Discuss how to properly treat colds, cuts, bumps, and falls;
• Review important developmental milestones, such as first walking steps, saying a few words, and self-feeding with a spoon; and
• Perform blood screening for anemia and lead.

15-Month Visit

At the 15-month visit, we will:

• Perform physical exams;
• Monitor weight, length, and head circumference;
• Discuss development, behavior, and sleeping patterns;
• Discuss diet, nutrition, and picky eating, a common issue at this age;
• Assess and offer advice regarding your child’s language development; and
• Monitor important milestones, such as language acquisition, walking, a sense of boundaries, and the ability to handle frustrations.

18-Month Visit

At the 18-month visit, we will:

• Perform physical exams;
• Monitor important milestones for this age, such as language progressing and fine motor coordination; and
• Advice on temper tantrums and defiant behavior.

2-Year Visit

At the two-year visit, we will:

• Perform physical exams;
• Discuss appropriate diet: how to keep good eating habits;
• Discuss development, bowel movements, behavior, and sleeping patterns; and
• Perform blood screening for anemia and lead.

2 ½ Year Visit

At the 2 ½ year visit, we will:

• Perform physical exams;
• Discuss appropriate diet, such as how to keep good eating habits; and
• Discuss development, bowel movements, behavior, and sleeping patterns.

Yearly Visits for all Children

Please note that after age three, well visit exams need to be scheduled one calendar year from the previous well visit exam in order to ensure that your health insurance covers the charges. Also, we advise parents to review their insurance policies to ensure all well visits are covered.

At yearly visits, we will:

• Perform physical exams;
• Monitor height and weight;
• Discuss appropriate nutrition;
• Perform hearing and vision exams (after three years);
• Perform annual urine screening; and
• Evaluate age-appropriate developmental milestones.

If you’d like more information on developmental stages from infancy to adolescence, visit healthychildren.org, a product of the American Academy of Pediatrics.