Well Child Care
All children need to have regular well child check-ups. Good health care helps create a good foundation for growth and development. Regardless of age, well child check-ups are important for everyone birth through age 20. Don't take good health for granted. Sometimes you can be sick and not know it. Well child care is important so problems can be found early. Even if your children appear healthy, they still need regular checkups.
Well Child Checkups may include the following:
- Head to toe unclothed physical examination
- Developmental Screening
- Vision screening
- Hearing screening
- Blood pressure screening
- Anemia screening
- Urinalysis
- Lead screening, as needed
- Immunizations
- Health education
Well Child Checkup Schedule
Your child's health care provider will let you know how often your child should come for well child checkups. The American Academy of Pediatrics recommends that children be seen at the following ages:
From birth until the first birthday:
- Newborn, 3-5 days, 1 Month, 2 Months, 4 Months, 6 Months, 9 Months, & 12 Months
After the first birthday, until kindergarten:
- 15 Months, 18 Months, 24 Months, 30 Months, 3 Years
Children and adolescents from 4 to 21 years old need a well child checkup each year.
For more information on the American Academy of Pediatrics recommendations, look at the Periodicity Schedule (recommendations for preventive pediatric health care) @ http://www.aap.org/healthtopics/commped.cfm
The Early and Periodic Screening Diagnosis and Treatment Program (EPSDT) is a well child checkup program for Medicaid eligible children, birth through 19 years of age. South Carolina provides EPSDT through the Partners for Healthy Children Program. For more information, see the SC Department of Health and Human Services web site @ http://www.dhhs.state.sc.us/dhhsnew/children.asp.