You will be making less frequent visits to your Pediatrician now.

Age specific topics that should be discussed at well child visits include toilet training (eighteen months to three years), school readiness in preschool age children, and school performance in school age children. Remember that by the middle childhood years, it is important to talk about avoiding drugs and alcohol and to begin sexuality education.

In general, you can expect the following topics to be covered at each visit:

• Examination of your child's growth and development.
• Review of feeding and sleep schedules.
• Screening height, weight, head circumference (up to age three) and/or blood pressure (usually routine after age three years).
• Counseling for effective discipline, injury prevention, dental health (first visit to the dentist by age three unless high risk), and diet.
• Immunizations: MMR, DTaP and IPV boosters at the four to six year checkup.
• Screening test: vision (formal test by three years), hearing (formal test by four years), blood level to check for anemia (at two years), screening questionnaire for lead poisoning risk (routinely at nine months and two years), tuberculosis test if high risk.

Remember to write down any questions you may have for your doctor before you child's checkups.

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