Summer is a great time for families to schedule well child visits as kids
are out of school, generally allowing for a more flexible schedule. Every
child under 21 years of age should be getting regular wellness exams as
instructed by the primary care provider.
Wellness exams for children ensure that they are developing appropriately
(both mentally and physically), growing well, receiving appropriate age
related education, allowing for the provider to diagnose and monitor any
chronic medical or mental health illnesses, allowing providers to do a
full exam for disease detection and prevention, and also ensures that
each child is up-to-date on immunizations. These appointments can also
be helpful for parents to learn how to deal with certain behaviors as
well as learn certain milestones to be sure their child is developing
appropriately. This should be a comprehensive appointment to really cover
your child’s whole health.
Well child exams differ from a sports physical as those appointments typically
do not allow enough time to discuss all of the same information. Therefore,
even if your older child has a sports physical every year, they should
still get a well child check as well. A lot of times, these two appointments
can be combined into one visit. If you are not sure if your child’s
provider will do this, you should call their office and ask for more information.
Overall, the main goal of well child visits is to be sure that your child
is mentally and physically healthy so that they have the best chance to
grow, learn, and develop appropriately into their adult years. Listed
below is a timeline for all well child visits:
- 48-72 hours after discharge
- 1 month
- 2 months
- 4 months
- 6 months
- 9 months
- 12 months
- 15 months
- 18 months
- 24 months
- 30 months
- 36 months
- Annually after 3 years old
Valerie Amstadt is a Physician Assistant at the Campbell County Medical Group Kid Clinic,
a school-based pediatric clinic offering medical care and counseling services
for Campbell County students in pre-kindergarten through 12th grade and
their siblings ages 2 weeks and up. It is located at 800 Butler Spaeth
Rd., across from St. Matthew’s Catholic Church. The Kid Clinic is
open Monday-Friday from 8 am-5 pm. For more information, call 307-688-8700 or visit
www.cchwyo.org/kidclinic. The Kid Clinic is a collaborative effort between Campbell County Health and
Campbell County School District.