The Importance of Annual Physicals for Children

Most parents in the United States, bring their kiddos to visit the doctor when sickness or symptoms suddenly arrive. Our focus, as parents, is the health of our child and every sneeze, cough, or abnormality is likely to be reported to their health care provider. Although these visits are vital, we tend to lose sight of the importance of regular visits to their pediatrician for an annual physical.

Pediatric Associates of Northern Colorado advocates for yearly physicals for children 3 years and up.  Under 3 years the visits are more often. Their practice is the only independent privately owned small pediatric practice in the city of Fort Collins and their team of physicians, nurses and staff cultivate relationships with their patients each year they visit for their checkup.

So why is an annual physical vital to the ongoing health of your child?

Establishes a relationship with your provider.

A regularly scheduled physical will allow the physicians at Pediatric Associates to approach the child as a whole and look at everything from nutrition, growth, mental and emotional health, as well as checking blood pressure, heart and lung health and making sure the child is up to date on any vaccines for their age. Seeing the child year after year and in between sick visits, gives our physicians an opportunity to connect with them personally and watch for any changes in development over the years.

Opportunity for age appropriate screenings.

From autism screenings performed between 18-24 months, developmental and anemia screening at every visit, cholesterol screenings beginning at age 9, to depression and sports screenings for all teenage patients, pediatricians are looking for abnormalities in a variety of screenings and assessments to prevent and/or diagnose a number of illnesses.

A helpful safety resource for parents.

Aside from looking at the internal health of your child, Pediatric Associates educates each family on the importance of safety precautions and best practices for everyday living. These topics include sunscreen usage, car seat and seatbelt requirements, helmet and bike safety, screen time limits and daily activity for obesity prevention.

What parents may miss; a pediatrician may catch.

Although you, the parent, know your child better than anyone, it is our hope that as your child’s physician we can bridge the gap to talk to your kids – even diving into tough conversations. Annual physicals present an opportunity for pre-teens and teens, to speak with their physician privately (mom and/or dad outside) about any of their personal concerns in a trusted and comfortable environment. In a judgement free zone, our team can provide comfort and an additional support system for their worries in our ever-changing world.  In addition, physicians may discover an important physical finding (scoliosis, high blood pressure, abnormal moles, heart murmurs, etc…) that may not have been noted previously.

The benefits of scheduling your child’s annual physical are exponential. Setting them on the path to lifelong wellness is Pediatric Associates’ goal. Our team would love to meet your family and schedule your next well-check at our Fort Collins office.