Well Child

Checking In and Checking Up for Your Child's Health: Tips for Helpful Checkups

You are an important part of your child's health care team. What you know about your child can help your doctor keep an eye on your child's health. Parents often are the first to know about problems with their children.

Check with your clinic about how to schedule checkups.

Bring your questions and concerns when your child has a checkup. For example:

  • When should my child be able to move out of a car seat or booster seat?
  • My baby is not sleeping through the night yet.
  • I don't think my child is eating enough.
  • My baby does not turn toward loud sounds like a barking dog or ringing telephone.
  • My child seems uncoordinated and is always walking into things.

Remember to tell your doctor if your child has been sick. Try to be calm and positive when you bring your child in for a checkup. If you are nervous, your child will be nervous. Cheerful attitudes can help make the doctor visit easier on your child.

Resources

Bike helmet program

At Community Health Plan, we care about your health and safety. We're proud to provide eligible members a free bike helmet or helpful health book when your child is current on immunizations.

When to get checkups

We know… we know! There are a million things to remember to do for your children, from the day they are born until the day they move out. Getting regular health checkups is one of them. Regular checkups allow your doctor to identify any health problems and provide early treatment.

If your child has a chronic medical problem, check with your doctor. Your doctor may need to see your child more often.

What to expect at well child physical exams

There are different things your doctor will do at a checkup, depending on the age of your baby, child or teen. In general, your doctor will check growth (height, weight), any needed immunizations (shots), make sure your child is developing properly and give you information about what to expect next. At certain ages, the doctor will check your child's hearing and vision. The doctor also will discuss things like normal development, feeding and nutrition, accident prevention, growth, family and social relations.

Questions & Answers About Childhood Immunization

Why should my child be immunized?

Children need immunizations (shots) to protect them from dangerous childhood diseases. These diseases have serious complications and can even kill children. Newborn babies have antibodies from their mothers which protect them from many diseases. However, this protection, or immunity, does not last and quickly wears off in the first year of life. By immunizing children at the recommended times, you give their immune systems the protection to help fight against disease and illness. Children who are not immunized run the risk of being exposed to germs too strong for them to fight.

Are the vaccines safe?

Yes, very safe. But like any medicine, they occasionally can cause mild reactions — for example, a slight fever, a sore arm or a mild rash — that do not last long. Serious reactions are rare, but they can happen. Overall, vaccines are among our safest and most effective medicines. Most medical experts agree that for almost all children, the benefits of complete immunization far outweigh the risks. There are rare circumstances under which a child should not receive certain vaccines, or should have vaccinations delayed. Your doctor will discuss these circumstances with you before giving the shots.

Are these diseases very serious?

Today, we may not think of these diseases as being very serious since, thanks to vaccines, we don't see them as often as we used to. However, these diseases still exist and may lead to pneumonia, choking, brain damage, heart problems, blindness and death in children who are not protected.

Can my child receive many vaccinations at the same time?

Vaccines are as useful when combined with other vaccines as they are when given individually. Combined immunizations carry no greater risk for harmful side effects. There are two reasons for giving children multiple vaccinations during the same visit. First, we want to immunize children early in life to protect them at a time when they are more likely to become sick. Second, giving several vaccinations at one time means fewer trips to your doctor, and may be less traumatic for your child.

What diseases do vaccines prevent?

  • Immunizations protect children against:
  • Diphtheria
  • Tetanus (lockjaw)
  • Polio
  • Pertussis (whooping cough)
  • Measles
  • Mumps
  • Rubella (German measles)
  • Haemophilus influenzae type B (HIB)
  • Hepatitis A and B
  • Varicella (chickenpox)

What will happen if my child doesn't get the shots?

Maybe nothing, if your child is never exposed to diseases. But children are often exposed to diseases. All but one of these diseases (tetanus) are spread easily from person to person. If your child has not had shots and is around someone who has measles, whooping cough or one of the other childhood diseases, he or she will probably get sick, too. In Washington State, you must show proof that your child is up-to-date on immunizations to attend school or go to a licensed daycare.

What do I do if my child has a serious reaction?

If you think your child is experiencing a persistent or severe reaction, call your doctor or get your child to a doctor right away. Write down what happened and the date and time it happened. Ask your doctor, nurse or health department to file a Vaccine Adverse Event Report form or call 1-800-338-2382.

Is it important to keep a record of my child's immunizations?

An immunization record helps you and your doctor keep your child on schedule by reminding you when the next immunizations are due. A record should be started when your child gets the first shot and updated each time he or she receives an immunization. This information will be helpful if you move or change doctors, and will be needed when your child starts daycare or school. Your child's immunization record should be treated like a birth certificate or any other important paper and stored in a safe place where you can find it easily.

What if my child didn't get the shots on time or is behind schedule?

Although it is important to immunize on time, it is never too late to start getting immunizations. If your child has had some shots, but has fallen behind schedule, your child doesn't have to start over. The shots already given will count. Simply continue the schedule where your doctor left off.

Why can't I wait until school to have my child immunized?

Immunizations need to begin at birth, and most vaccinations are completed by age 2. By immunizing on time, you can protect your child from being infected and prevent the infection of others at school or at daycare centers. Children under 5 years of age are especially susceptible to disease because their immune systems have not built up the necessary defenses to fight infection.

Can my child be immunized if he or she is sick?

Even if your child has a slight fever, cold or runny nose, upset stomach, ear infection or is taking antibiotics, he or she can still be immunized safely. Immunization during a minor illness will not make the illness worse or increase the risk of harmful events. However, if a fever or other symptoms suggest a moderate or serious illness, your child should not be vaccinated until the symptoms improve.

Hot link

Washington State Department of Health immunization information

Bike helmet program

At Community Health Plan, we care about your health and safety. We're proud to provide eligible members a free bike helmet or helpful health book when your child gets immunized. Call 1-800-440-1561 for more information!

Immunize on Time! Protect Your Children From Disease

Why immunize?

Immunizations are shots that protect your child from diseases like polio, measles, mumps, diphtheria, pertussis (whooping cough), and hepatitis A and B.

They save LIVES!

Immunizations are so important that your child must show proof that he or she is up-to-date on immunizations to attend school or go to a licensed child care center. If your child needs to catch up on missed immunizations, please talk to your child's doctor.

Make it easy

Take your child to the doctor to get immunizations. An easy way to remember immunizations is to combine getting shots with regular well-child physical exams. Regular checkups are another way to keep your child healthy. Some Community Health Plan clinics have extended hours to fit your schedule, and may be open in the evening or on Saturdays.

When it comes time for those "close encounters" with needles, stay calm. When you look and feel relaxed, it helps your child stay calm and relaxed.

Immunization schedules can change. Please check with your doctor about the right immunization schedule for your child. If you are not sure your child has had the right immunizations, bring the shot record to your next visit.

Immunization schedule

For information about which shots to get for your child and when to get them, see the Washington State Department of Health web site or the Seattle-King County Public Health web site.

Resources

Bike helmet program

At Community Health Plan, we care about your health and safety. We're proud to provide eligible members a free bike helmet or helpful health book when your child is current on immunizations.