What to bring to a well-child visit

Why these visits matter

Bright Futures and the American Academy of Pediatrics publish the "periodicity schedule": the screenings and assessments recommended at each well-child visit from infancy through adolescence. ^1,2 The visits are for prevention (immunizations, safety and nutrition questions), for tracking growth and development over time, and for raising concerns. ¹ They are also the moment your child's growth and milestones are looked at together, which is why it pays to arrive with good information.

The visit schedule, birth to 5

The visit ages are from AAP's schedule; the screening ages are AAP's recommendations as published by CDC. ^1,3 CDC's milestone checklists exist for exactly the visits from 2 months to 5 years. ⁴ If a visit is missed, or a screening isn't done at the recommended age, CDC says it should be completed at the next visit, and a screening can be done at any age if you or the doctor have a concern. ³

The checklist: what to bring

Growth

• Every measurement since the last visit, with its date and where it was taken (home scale, pharmacy, another clinic). Units matter: 7.25 kg or 15 lb 15.7 oz, not "about 16 pounds".
• For babies born early, the gestational age at birth (for example 33+4) and the due date, so corrected age can be used for the first 2 years.
• A chart of the history, if you have one. One page showing every measurement on the same reference curves answers "is this a trend?" quickly. Under 2 that should be the WHO chart; CDC recommends it for US children of that age. ⁵

Development

• The CDC checklist for this age, answered at home where your child is relaxed. Mark each item Yes, Not yet or Not sure. Checklists are not a substitute for formal screening, but they make the conversation specific. ⁴
• Anything your child has stopped doing. CDC asks parents to mention any skills a child once had and has lost. ⁴

Questions

• Your top three to five questions, written down. AAP suggests bringing them and raising them at the start of the visit, so they don't get squeezed at the end. ¹
• Questions from other caregivers. A partner, grandparent or child care provider may have noticed something.

Practical

• Insurance card, any forms (child care, school, WIC), the names and doses of any medicines or supplements as written on the label, and your immunization record if it is kept outside the clinic.
• For babies: a spare diaper and clothes, and something to feed them; undressing for the weight is easier with spare layers.

Making the questions count

Questions get better answers when they are specific. Compare:

• "Is she growing OK?" with "Her weight went from the 50th to the 20th percentile between 4 and 9 months on the WHO chart. Is that something to watch?"
• "Should he be talking more?" with "At 18 months he says two words. The CDC checklist says most children try to say three or more. Should we do a screening, and should we call early intervention?"

childow's milestone checklists turn every "Not yet" into a question like the second one, automatically, and add the screening AAP recommends at that visit.

During the visit

• Ask which chart was used for growth, and whether a weight was weight-for-age or weight-for-length. Under 2 they are different charts.
• Ask for the numbers, not only "fine". Write down the weight, length and head circumference, so your history stays complete.
• Ask about screening if it is a 9-, 18-, 24- or 30-month visit and no questionnaire was offered. ³
• Ask what to watch for before the next visit, and when to call sooner.

After the visit

Add the clinic's measurements to your record with "doctor's office" as the source; they are the most consistent numbers you will get. Note any follow-up: a referral, a recheck, or an early intervention call. If you were told to call your state's early intervention program, our directory has the number for every state and territory.

The one-page checkup report

childow's checkup report puts all of this on a single printable page: growth charts with the percentile history on the right standard, the milestone answers for this visit grouped by Yes, Not yet and Not sure, and your own questions. It is generated from what you entered, and it carries its sources. It does not diagnose anything; it helps you and your child's clinician use the visit well.