Catch-Up Vaccinations
Ensure that all school-aged children and adolescents have had 2 doses of MMR vaccine; the minimum interval between the 2 doses is 4 weeks.
Non-Vaccinator
The pediatricians at VIP Children’s Clinics have recently reviewed our approach to vaccinations in our practice. As medical professionals, we feel very strongly that vaccinating children on schedule with currently available vaccines is absolutely the right thing to do for all children and young adults. Unfortunately, in the past several years we have watched as there has been a steady increase in the number of parents choosing not to vaccinate, to follow their own schedule, and/or delay vaccination. At the same time, we have seen pockets of increased vaccine-preventable diseases in the United States. Click here to download our practice wide Vaccination-Policy.
Allergy Injections
The pediatricians at VIP Children’s Clinics are committed to providing quality healthcare to all our patients. This often includes working in concert with pediatric specialists, including allergists. For our patients who need to receive allergy injections, our providers partner with parents and allergists to provide a safe and convenient alternative to traveling to the allergist’s office to receive allergy injections. Allergy injections can be worthwhile and are very helpful in relieving allergy symptoms; however, this treatment plan is an investment of time that will require the parent to frequently bring the patient to the office for injections over an extended length of time. Substantial and long-lasting improvement from symptoms can only occur if the schedule and plan of care set forth by the allergist is followed consistently. Click here to download our allergy injections protocol.
Well Checks
As we enter into spring and summer, the season of well child visits is upon us. Though most of us are familiar with baby checkups and kindergarten, middle school, and high school physicals, we often hear parents question the need for a yearly exam for their seemingly healthy child. After all, why see a doctor if you’re not sick, right? That said, there are many reasons to make yearly physicals a part of your busy parental schedules.
First of all, children are not “little adults” and a lot can change over a year. We pay special attention to their growth and development, assessing whether they are growing according to their own distinct growth curves as well as whether they are overweight or underweight. We ask questions to determine whether they are eating a nutritious diet and can discuss common issues of picky eating and developing healthy dietary habits. We also review any concerns you may have about how your child/teen is developing and discuss school or learning problems.
In addition, during well visits, we take extra time to examine the child’s whole body, including areas not inspected during most sick visits. We may check hearing, vision, or blood tests. We look for the first signs of chronic or serious illnesses which might not otherwise be apparent. Thankfully, the majority of these visits result in a clean bill of health. However, there are times where problems have been found in their early stages resulting in easier treatment and prompt referral because of routine well child exams. Many sports programs require an up-to-date physical for participation and we agree with this recommendation. However, the “sports physicals” which may be offered at walk-in clinics and in school are typically not as thorough as those that we give and those providers lack important data such as patterns of growth and family history which we have in your child’s record. Even if a minor problem is uncovered, we can advise you on further testing or referral, as needed.
One of the biggest advantages of regular well child care is that it allows us to get to know you and your child better. This is helpful as your child grows and develops, as it allows for a strong and positive relationship through the tumultuous teen years. Also, as medicine advances, we will pass on new recommendations to keep your child healthy and happy. In the first year of life, infants should be seen at 2 weeks, 2, 4, 6, and 9 months of age. In the second and third years of life, they should be seen at 12, 15, 18, and 24 months of age, as well as at 30 and 36 months. Thereafter, they should be seen once a year for well child visits. One of the best parts of being a pediatrician is getting to watch children change and grow over the years. We appreciate your trust and confidence and it is truly an honor to care for your kids.
Other
Looking for more information about a specific child or adolescent health issue that does not appear above? Try the American Academy of Pediatrics page at www.aap.org, a resource for parents that addresses over 900 pediatric issues.
Resources By Age
If you’re expecting or new to parenthood, the What to Expect series, is useful for expecting parents and those with newborns. Also for newborns, we recommend visiting the AAP Parenting Center for up to date information regarding your newborn’s health, safety and growth.
For adolescents, we recommend visiting this website with your teenager for help on teenage issues.
Your community pediatricians in Gallatin, Hendersonville, Lafayette, Pleasant View, Portland, Springfield, Station Camp, and White House.
