Essential Health Checks for Your Little Ones

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Every parent wants their children to feel their absolute best and thrive. Childhood is a time of huge changes; kids grow fast and develop quickly. So, it’s important to keep track of your child’s development and address any health concerns when they arise. Ensuring that your child attends regular health checks plays a vital role in this, but knowing which health checks your child needs and why they’re important can be confusing. Here are some of the health checks that kids don’t need to miss:

Well-Child Visits

Well-child visits are periodic health checks that all kids need. These visits should be done more often when kids are very small but can be done once a year when they’re older. During the visits, your child’s health and general development will be checked. These checkups are a great opportunity to ask any questions you might have about your child’s development. Of course, if you have any immediate concerns, it’s always best to schedule an appointment with your child’s doctor than to wait for their next well-child visit. 

Hearing Tests

Hearing tests are a crucial check that your child should have regularly. There is a strong connection between pediatric development and hearing assessments. Undiagnosed hearing loss can have a major impact on children’s development. Being unable to hear can cause communication difficulties and directly affect a child’s speech and language development. 

Regular hearing tests during childhood are an excellent way to detect hearing loss quickly. When hearing loss is diagnosed early, it’s impact on the child’s general development can be reduced through interventions.

Vision Tests

Just as it’s important to have your child’s hearing tested regularly as a baby and during childhood, it’s equally important to schedule vision tests. Eye exams can help you spot vision problems and eye conditions that if left untreated could impact children throughout their lives. Some conditions such as amblyopia, better known as a lazy eye, are treated most effectively when kids are young.

It’s always crucial to notice vision problems early to avoid having them develop into bigger issues. Problems with vision can become more of an issue if they aren’t picked up until after a child has started school. Spending all day reading, writing, and looking at a board can cause kids to suffer from headaches and eyestrain if they don’t have the correct eyeglass prescription.

Dental Checkups

Lastly, it’s essential to get your kids’ teeth checked by a dentist regularly. Making sure that they’re brushing at least twice each day and doing it correctly is also vital to protect their oral health. Getting kids used to visiting the dentist from a young age is a great way to keep their teeth and gums healthy for life. Also, it will help reduce fear of dentist visits later if they have good experiences when they’re young!

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