Choosing The Right Doctor For Your First Child
by Atomic Mommy Editors
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Once you’ve had your first child, you’ll go through a lot of emotions. The vast majority of these will be overwhelmingly positive. There’ll be a certain amount of worry involved in raising a child. That’s natural and expected.
One of the more notable aspects you’ll worry about is making sure they’re healthy and growing properly. You can do most of that yourself by making sure they have a healthy diet and exercise regularly, when appropriate.
You’ll also need to consider a doctor for them. There’s a lot more involved in choosing the right ones for your children than you’d expect. Regardless if it’s the first pediatrician you bring your child to or a new one for whatever the reason, you’ll need to keep a few things in mind.
How To Pick The Right Doctor Or Dentist For Your Child
Is Their Office In A Convenient Location?
With the sheer volume of pediatricians you can choose from, you’ll need to narrow things down. Doing so by location will be the best way. Since you’ll need to visit them regularly, you wouldn’t want to be too far of a drive or walk away.
Close to your home will be preferred, although you should consider how close to work they are as well. If you don’t have a car, then you’ll also need to consider what public transport you’ll need to use to get there.
Check to see if public transportation, like buses or trains, have routes near the doctor’s office you do choose so you know you’ll always have access to your child’s doctors.
Do They Come Recommended?
The key to finding the best pediatricians is determining whether or not they’re recommended. You can figure this out in a few ways. The easiest method of finding this out would be to ask friends or family, that have young children, which doctor they use. You can then ask how satisfied they are with the care their child receives.
With this approach, you should be able to trust what they tell you. They wouldn’t steer you in a bad direction, after all. You could also look up online reviews of the doctors you’re considering. That can give you a more upfront view of the kind of service they offer.
Will They Perform Your Baby’s First Check-Up?
One of the first aspects of knowing how to choose the right doctor for your child is by speaking with them. By doing so, you can make a much more informed decision. You’ll need to ask them multiple questions when you’re doing so.
One of the more notable, although overlooked, will be whether or not they’ll perform your child’s first checkup. Before you ask this, you’ll need to know which hospital you plan on having your baby in. Your doctor will need to be affiliated with it to perform any checkups.
That’s something you’ll need to know before your baby is born. If they’re not, but you want to choose them anyway, then you’ll need to get a hospital-affiliated doctor to perform this check-up. You should then visit your preferred doctor as soon as possible afterward.
What Are Their Credentials?
You’ll find that pediatricians will have much of the same credentials. That always includes finishing medical school, completing a residency program, and getting their state licensing. That will be the bare minimum, although they could get more accreditation.
Typically, the more they have, the better of an option they’ll be. When doing so, you should look for board certification. While many pediatricians will have this, obtaining it is a voluntary process. As a result, not all of your options will have them.
You should pick one that does. Should a doctor have this, then it’s a sign that they’ve demonstrated detailed medical knowledge, a high degree of professionalism, and high-quality patient care.
Pediatricians with board certification typically also show great communications and other softer skills. That should make them a much better-recommended option than you would expect. It will also make sure that they avoid any mistakes when treating your child.
The Takeaway
Figuring out how to find the right doctor for your child can be difficult. You’ll be trusting them with your child’s health, so you’ll need to make sure you pick the right one. Knowing the answer to each of the above questions will help you make your decision.
It’s worth spending time researching different options before your child is born. That way, you can set appointments with them for the weeks following your baby’s birth. In doing so, you’ll avoid the need to look for one following the big day.
It will also let you plan out your post-birth schedule, which will typically include checkups, among other appointments.
