Child Medical Care: HSA Eligibility

What is a child medical care visit?

It is recommended that you bring your child in for regular visits to help keep your child healthy. During these well-child visits, the physician will check on your child's growth and development, test hearing and vision, as well as give any needed vaccinations.

Vaccines protect your child by immunizing him or her against certain diseases, some for life. Some vaccines are given as one shot and some as a series of shot. For your child to be completely immunized against a disease, he or she must get all the recommended doses.

Other than vaccinations, why get a well-child visit?

Childhood is a time of rapid growth and change and particularly in the early years, these visits will help to ensure that your child's development is going smoothly. These physical exams will check on a child's growth and development in order to find or prevent problems. The physician will also maintain records of your child's height, weight, and other important information.

Even if your child is healthy, you can get information on topics like sleep, safety, common childhood diseases, and what to expect as your child grows. Questions like what is the appropriate body mass index (BMI) curve, a most important tool for identifying and preventing obesity, would be helpful to ask during these visits. You could even discuss other wellness topics such as family relationship issues, school, and access to community services. Regular visits create strong, trustworthy relationships among pediatrician, parent and child.

When and how often should you visit a physician?

Even before a baby is born, you can visit a physician in preparation, especially if you are a first-time parent or parent with a high-risk pregnancy. Once the baby is born, you should bring the baby to the hospital 3-4 days after bringing the baby home. Then after that, it's generally good to pay a visit every 2-3 months. More detailed timelines can be found online (The Bump).