Pediatrics

Pediatricians help keep children healthy from birth to young adulthood. They’re here to guide you and your child through all the milestones from first tooth through final exams. Pediatricians are your partners in parenthood.

Prevention and wellness

A healthy, happy childhood starts with well-care. Regular well-child visits help to monitor your child’s growth and development physically, mentally, emotionally and socially. Your pediatrician is here to answer questions and help you come up with a healthy plan for daily activities such as nutrition, sleep and toilet training. They can also work with you to address any concerns you have about your child’s health, development, behavior, growth and learning.

Your pediatrician is a trusted source of knowledge, reassurance and guidance that can’t be found in parenting books alone.

Depending on your child's age, here are some things you can expect to be monitored during wellness visits:

• Growth patterns
• Age-specific screenings for safety, behavior and development
• Vaccines / immunizations
• Sleep habits, home routines and school performance
• Vision and hearing screenings
• Oral health
• Blood pressure
• Nutrition counseling
• Evaluation for attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD)
• School and sports physicals
• Sexual health and substance use or dependence

Childhood Exam and Screening Schedule

Infants and toddlers grow and develop so quickly. That’s why frequent well-checks are so important during the first two years of life. Starting at age three, well-visits are typically recommended once a year. Your doctor will tailor each visit to your child’s age, development, and medical history and may recommend more frequent visits if needed.

The American Academy of Pediatrics recommends the following routine well-child visits:

• The first week of life (3 to 5 days old)
• 1 month old
• 2 months old
• 4 months old
• 6 months old
• 9 months old
• 12 months old
• 15 months old
• 18 months old
• 2 years old (24 months)
• 2 ½ years old (30 months)
• Yearly visits ages 3 to 21

Ask your pediatrician for a detailed schedule of exams and screenings, and what you can expect at each age.

Vaccinations

Orlando Health follows the routine vaccine schedule recommended by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), American Academy of Pediatrics (AAP) and other experts. Vaccines help keep your child healthy and safe from serious diseases. They also help protect your family and keep your neighborhood and community healthier for everyone. This is especially true for the frailest among us, such as babies, sick kids and adults, and the elderly.

Because diseases that used to be common are rare now, some people may think it’s safe to skip vaccines. But we must stay vigilant to keep these diseases from making a comeback.

Regular vaccinations have been found to be safe and are highly recommended, especially for young children. These include immunizations for:

• Chickenpox
• Diphtheria, tetanus and pertussis (DTaP)
• Hepatitis A & B
• Haemophilus influenzae type B (Hib)
• Human papillomavirus (HPV)
• Influenza
• Measles, mumps and rubella
• Meningococcus A and B
• Pneumonia
• Polio
• Rotavirus