When should I bring my child for a check-up?

Regular check-ups are important for monitoring your child's development and protecting their health.

Regular paediatric check-ups allow early intervention. During these check-ups I examine height, weight, reflexes and general health indicators and keep you informed.

In addition to regular check-ups, contact me straight away whenever you notice any illness, discomfort or change.

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How often are check-ups planned?

The first year is the most closely followed period: a baby grows quickly and each month differs from the last. Later the intervals widen, but observation does not stop — because height, weight and development are meaningful as a **curve**, not as single readings.

The table shows the general direction; the rhythm for an individual child is set according to their condition (see sources).

When should you not wait for the next appointment?

Difficulty breathing, a change in consciousness or difficulty waking the child, persistent vomiting, a sharp drop in urine output, fever in a baby under 3 months, pale or bluish skin, a rash with bruising — in these situations the planned date is not waited for.

The list is not exhaustive. Parental observation is a clinical signal in itself: if your child is behaving unusually and it worries you, that is reason enough to come in.

What makes an appointment useful?

The most valuable information is gathered at home: how many feeds, how many nappies, the sleep pattern, when the temperature was taken, when the symptom began. A short note kept over a day or two says more than half an hour of conversation at the appointment.

Bring previous measurements, the vaccination card and any test results. What happens during the visit is described on the routine check-ups page; for preparation there is a separate article.

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How long does an appointment take, and who should come?

It is most useful when the child is brought by whoever handles their daily care — that is where the questions arise. If a grandparent or relative brings them, send a short note about feeding, sleep and medicines; an «I don't know» costs half the appointment.

A first appointment usually takes longer, because the health history is built from scratch. Follow-up visits are shorter. Avoiding the child's nap time, feeding beforehand and allowing 10–15 minutes for waiting makes the process easier for everyone.

Two children can be seen on the same day, but each needs their own slot — examining two children in one appointment is unfair to both.

How to keep the documents

One folder is enough: birth documents, the vaccination card, test results, previous examination summaries. Keeping a photo archive on your phone is practical in case the paper copy is lost — at the appointment it is found quickly by date.

Write height and weight measurements in one place. A single figure says little; consistent records build the growth curve, and that is what decisions rest on.

How to record what you observe

"How many days has it been like this?" is one of the questions most often asked at an appointment, and the answer is frequently vague. A simple note solves it: when the symptom started, how it changes over the day, the figure and time if temperature was measured, and the name and timing of any medicine given.

The note need not be long — a few lines on your phone are enough. Precise observation is far more useful than an estimate, and it shortens the path the examination has to take.

Why not to skip the follow-up

A follow-up after an illness is often skipped on the grounds that "the child is fine anyway". Yet it is precisely that visit which shows whether recovery is complete and makes it possible to plan the next step — resuming the vaccination schedule, for example.

For how to book and what to bring, see the paediatric consultation page.