Summer Health Checklist

Summer is the time when doctors’ offices book up quickly, because parents try to get their kids in for checkups while school is out. I called my kids’ pediatrician the other day to set up their well visits and was given an appointment about 6 weeks from now. This is a good time to be sure that your kids are up-to-date on all of their medical appointments. Here’s a checklist to go through to make sure you’re not forgetting anything:

Well Visits Most doctors want to see kids every year to make sure that they’re growing and developing as expected, and so that any potential problems are caught early. If your child has any health conditions, you may be seen more often, of course, but if he’s generally healthy, summer is a good time to bring him in for a once-over. Your child’s doctor can answer any questions that you have, and will also let you know if he’s due for any vaccinations; he may need an updated immunization form for school, depending on what grade he’s going into.

Specialist Visits My daughter needs to see her allergist each year, and many other specialists want to see their patients at least yearly. Does your child need to see a cardiologist, dermatologist or other specialist? Since these doctors book up very quickly at all times of the year, call right now to see if you can get in before the summer ends.

Dental Check-ups Your child should see the dentist twice yearly. Summer vacation and winter break will book up very quickly, so if you don’t already have your appointments set up, do that now. Booking early in the summer will leave you enough time to make appointments for any fillings that your child needs before school starts.

Vision Screenings If your child wears glasses or you think he might need them, call and schedule a vision screening with your family eye doctor. If he’s new to wearing glasses or contact lenses, summer is a good time for him to get used to them and be sure the prescription is correct before school starts.

Catching up on all of these appointments during the summer months may seem like a lot of running around condensed into a short period of time, but you’ll be thankful when the school year starts that you won’t have to schedule routine dental and medical appointments that cause your child to miss school. Calling early in the season will let you work around planned vacations and your work schedule, so don’t put this off.