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Comprehensive Guide to Children's Preventative Care

February 8, 2020A thru Z Pediatrics

When it comes to the health of your precious little one, let there be no compromises. As a parent, it’s your duty to prioritize their health and do everything it takes to keep them safe from infections and allergies. This is why you should be particular about their doctor appointments and should make sure their vaccination schedule is followed religiously. Let’s learn more about preventative healthcare for children:

What is preventative health care?

Preventative healthcare is a medical service that keeps a child safe against health emergencies. These include routinely scheduled doctor visits, allergy tests, vaccinations, and consultation for various conditions. The goal is to help those children remain healthy, to keep healthcare costs low, and to detect illnesses before they get serious. Currently, healthcare costs are the number 1 cause of bankruptcy in the US and almost one-third of these costs are associated with emergency room visits. Hence, preventative healthcare is not just important for your child’s health but for you as well.

What does preventative healthcare for children include?

Here are some of the services you can expect from a pediatric clinic during a preventative healthcare visit:
  1. Advice on the right kind of nutrition and diet to be followed, according to the child’s body mass index and weight.
  2. Autism screening if the child is between 18 to 24 months.
  3. Important immunizations, including flu shots.
  4. Testing for adequate vision and hearing.
  5. Behavioral and developmental assessment.
  6. Lead exposure tests
  7. Screening for iron deficiency and sickle cell anemia, if there’s a family history.
Do these visits include vaccinations? Yes, vaccinations are an important component of these visits. These vaccinations not only need to be carried out at their due time but it’s also important that the child receives a complete dosage of each vaccine. Some of the most important vaccinations are as listed below:
  1. Hep B:Protects against Hepatitis B and must be administered at birth, 2 months after the first dose, and then 6-18 months after the second dose.
  2. IPV:Protects against polio and must be administered at 2 months, 4 months, 6 months, 8 months, and at the age of 4 to 6 years.
  3. MMR:Protects against measles and mumps and must be administered when the child is 12 to 15 months old.
  4. Varicella:Protects against chickenpox and must be administered when the child is 12 to 15 months old.
  5. Influenza shots:Protects against flu and administered annually, after the child turns 6 months old.
  6. Other vaccinations include those for Hepatitis A, Rotavirus, Diphtheria, Tetanus and Pertussis.
Well-child visits San Antonio and Stone Oak are one of the most sought-after visits at A thru Z Pediatrics. We are a pediatric clinic based in Stone Oak and San Antonio that caters to all aspects of your child’s health. To learn more about pediatric medical center, visit our services page.

This article is general information, not medical advice. If you have concerns about your child's health, call your A thru Z Pediatrics office.