From the first week of his birth, your child will have to become used to the presence of the white blouses around him. Doctors check the growth and the development of children and diagnose when necessary. You have a role in the efficiency of the doctor evaluation work, how can you prepare?

Before the consultation

You can choose for your child to be followed by a family doctor or a pediatrician. The first can see him without any restriction, while the second is limited to the age of maturity of 18 years old. It is a completely personal choice who will not harm your child.  Anyway, if a more thorough consultation is needed, you will be referred to a specialist or redirected to the E.R.

After you have chosen your specialist and you have obtain an appointment, you can list the questions you have. Those can be regarding the health, the alimentation and the development of your child. You can prepare him by being franc with him on how a consultation goes. Use simple words that will be easy to understand. To reassure him, he can carry with him a blankie or a doll.

When he is older, ask him to speak himself with the doctor and remind him that your presence is not necessary. It will make him feel more at ease to speak with the professional. Above all, to be well prepared for an appointment with the doctor, there is a list of items that you should not forget to bring with you.

During the consultation

The professional has the task of measuring the development and the growth of children. Once in his presence, ask all the questions you have listed prior to the appointment to be sure you maximize the meeting. Make your child participate by asking him directly questions and by letting him answer himself to the doctor so they can create a trust bond. For the smaller ones, don’t be abrupt with them and be reassuring.

The pediatrician and the family doctor do not only take care of the physical health of children. They also evaluate their affective and cognitive development and their alimentation. This makes the consultation the perfect time to discuss with professionals about everything that concerns your child.

Between appointments

After the first year of life of your child, he will see his health professional at least once a year. If you have questions between those consultation, you can always call info-santé/info-social to get the needed info.