Your Child's Check-Ups

Children need regular check-ups and shots. Most health plans cover these visits, known as well-baby and well-child visits. Ask your child’s health care provider for a schedule for check-ups and shots.

About Regular Check-Ups

Regular check-ups help you learn about your child’s development, health and safety, and what to expect in the months to come. They also help you keep track of vaccines and health checks, like hearing tests. They also give the doctor a chance to spot problems early.

If your child has an ongoing medical problem, like asthma or anemia, regular check-ups help you make sure your child is getting the right treatments and is staying as healthy as possible.

At each visit, the doctor will check your child’s height, weight, vision, hearing and teeth. Other tests may be done if needed, such as tests for lead, anemia and tuberculosis (TB).

Learn more about children’s check-ups at the American Academy of Pediatrics website.

The schedule for shots can change from year to year. Your child’s doctor will tell you when to bring your child in for his next vaccine. Learn more at The Arizona Partnership for Immunizations.

What to Expect at Your Child’s Check-Up Visits

Age at Check-Up	Vaccine	Tests
Birth to 5 days	Yes	Newborn blood and hearing tests
By 1 month	Maybe
2 months	Yes
4 months	Yes
6 months	Yes
9 months
12 months	Maybe	Blood test (for anemia)
15 months	Maybe
18 months	Maybe
24 months	Maybe
30 months	Maybe
3 Years	Maybe	Vision test
4 Years	Maybe	Vision and hearing tests
5 Years	Maybe	Vision and hearing tests

Things You Can Do

Be Prepared for Your Child’s Check-Ups

For every visit, bring these things:

A list of your questions.
A list of all medicines your child takes, including over-the-counter medicines, vitamins and herbal supplements.
Your child’s vaccine card.
Medical records if your child got care from another provider or hospital.

The First Things First Parent Kit was developed in partnership with Health Research for Action/UC Berkeley. © 2016 The Regents of the University of California. Additional video, graphic and other content © 2017 First Things First. All rights reserved.