How Routine Check-ups Help Your Child to Stay Healthy
Children are active, which may explain why parents overlook the importance of early health screenings for them. Children’s health screenings aren’t just for a time when your child becomes sick; they are also preventive measures to safeguard your child’s healthy development.
Regular health check-ups are important to examine a child’s normal development, maintain track of immunization schedules, and assess abnormalities (if any). A test for vision and hearing health can also be requested by the doctor.
Some warning signs of vision issues in children include:
- Squint eyes
- A frequent headache
- Problems of copying from a blackboard in schools.
- Blurred vision
- Inward or outward turning of eyes.
Some warning signs related to hearing issues in children
- Lack of or inadequate response to calls and noise.
- The development of speech is not as usual.
- Speech that sounds abnormal or close to sounds.
To help avoid disease, make sure your child receives their vaccinations at the right time. Along with hearing and vision tests, nutrition is an important part of preventative care. Your child’s physical and mental growth and development will be monitored. Your doctor will go through topics like sickness prevention, diet, physical activity, social skills, and sudden health changes in your child with you.
Parenting can be overwhelmingly rewarding and also difficult. As parents, it is crucial to continue monitoring your baby’s age-appropriate check-ups, particularly during the first year, as this is a critical period in a baby’s natural growth and development. During this time, your doctor may want to keep a careful eye on the baby’s progress. The pediatrician will advise infants to have health screenings soon after birth and at regular intervals. Babies are regularly evaluated for growth and health progress during these methodically scheduled check-ups.
Your baby’s vital signs, basic newborn reflexes, attentiveness, skin tone, and hip stability may all be checked by your doctor shortly after his birth to determine that he is healthy and reacting normally.Other things that your doctor may scrutinize can include:
- Hearing Screening – Your doctor may undertake two distinct tests to establish that your baby’s hearing is normal, namely OAE (otoacoustic emission) and ABR (audiometry) (Auditory Brainstem Response). The OAE test involves inserting a microphone and a small earphone into the baby’s ear canal to assess sound reflection. The ABR test involves applying electrodes to the baby’s head to assess the hearing nerve’s reaction to sound. Both tests are capable of detecting hearing loss.
- Metabolic Screening – A blood sample is drawn from the baby’s heels and tested for sickle-cell disease, hereditary illnesses like hypothyroidism, and other metabolic abnormalities.
- Immunization – Hepatitis B immunization is administered shortly after birth.
Going for a medical checkup regularly can help you avoid a wide number of diseases and catch other diseases early on. It also serves to keep you better-advised about your health, keep your physician or other doctors apprised of your health, and basically result in a healthier life.
