Well-baby visits

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Article Summary

Well-baby or health check reviews are important: they enable health professionals to monitor your baby's growth and progress at regular intervals, ensure that your baby gets the necessary immunisations on time and provide reassurance about your baby's health. These appointments are the perfect time for you to raise questions and issues about your child and your family, and to get help and information about what's ahead. Don't miss your scheduled well-baby review. You will have around 6 or so such appointments either with your GP, your health visitor or practice nurse - we use the term health professional - between the time your baby is born and they start at school.

The first of these will take place when your baby is very tiny - somewhere between birth and 14 days. You may also be visited by your GP in the first few days after the birth. When your health visitor comes for the first time, you will be given a Red Book, or Baby Book that you should always take with you so that all the observations can be recorded. It also tells you about all the immunisations scheduled for your baby. Some of these immunisations may take place at the same time as scheduled well-baby visits, or at special vaccination clinics. There may also be regular 'drop in' clinics you and your baby can attend.

The well-baby visits listed below are just a guide. In some areas the schedule of visits might be slightly different to the ones given below. For example, you may also be offered well-baby visits at 3-4 and 12 months. The article covering your baby's age stage nearest to the time of your scheduled visit will still give you some general guidance as to what you can expect.

At each well-baby visit, you can expect some routine checks. These might include:
checking your baby's weight and sometimes their height, to make sure they're     growing steadily and gaining weight normally
Does your baby have any teeth yet?
measuring your baby's head circumference to make sure it's developing     normally
giving your baby any due immunisations
sharing insights
discussing breastfeeding issues
answering any questions you may have.



Click on your baby's age for what to expect at the well-baby visit that may take place at around that time:



First few days     10-14 days     6-8 weeks     3-4 months     
 6-9 months     12 months     18 months-2 years     3-31/2 years

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