Pediatrics is different from adult medicine. The smaller body of a child is substantially different physiologically from that of an adult. So treating children is not like treating a miniature adult. Congenital defects, genetic variance, and developmental issues are of greater concern to pediatricians than physicians treating adults.
What Does Your Pediatrician Do?
Your pediatrician will see your baby many times from birth to age 2 and annually from age 2 to age 5 for “well-child visits.” After age 5, your pediatrician will likely see your child every year for annual checkups. Your pediatrician is also the first person to call whenever your child is sick. In caring for your child, our pediatric services will:
- Do physical exams
- Give recommended immunizations
- Make sure your child is meeting developmental milestones in growth, behavior, and skills.
- Diagnose and treat your child’s illnesses, infections, injuries, and other health problems
- Give you information about your child’s health, safety, nutrition, and fitness needs.
- Answer your questions about your child’s growth and development
- Refer to and collaborate with a specialist should your child become ill and need care beyond the pediatrician’s expertise
Why Do You Need a Pediatrician?
Here are some reasons to consider choosing a pediatrician:
- Pediatricians have specialized training in the physical, emotional, and behavioral needs of children.
- Pediatricians only see children, so they often have a broader experience recognizing and treating childhood illnesses.
- If your baby was born early or has a health condition that needs close monitoring, a pediatrician may offer more specialized care.
Our Pediatric Services
- Well-child Checks
- Regular well-child checks with your pediatrician are essential to understanding your child’s health and assessing their growth and development.
- Regular well-child visits allow you to build a relationship with a trusted pediatrician and discuss concerns about your child’s sleeping patterns, educational and social development, growth and nutrition, and overall health.
- Well-checks also show the pediatrician what is “normal” for your child so changes can be monitored.
- We want to ensure that your child is developing at a healthy pace and hitting key growth milestones. Therefore, at each well-visit, we will record key metrics to track your child’s growth.
- Sick Visits
- When you have a sick child, they may need to see the doctor. Sick visits are used to diagnose and treat your child so that they can recover as quickly as possible.
- The most common examples of childhood illnesses including:
- Stomach flu (including vomiting/diarrhea)
- Common cold/viral upper respiratory infection
- Strep throat
- Ear infection
- Bladder infection
- Flu virus
- Infant Care
- During this first year of life, our pediatricians will note important metrics of your baby, including their length, weight, and head circumference. In addition, infant wellness checks are great times to bring up any concerns or questions you may have, such as your baby’s sleeping and eating habits.
- During your baby’s infant wellness checks, we will also ensure that they are up-to-date on their immunization schedule. Immunizations begin at 2 months for babies and continue throughout childhood. Vaccinations are essential for protecting your child against a wide variety of diseases, such as measles, polio, tetanus, diphtheria, and pertussis (whooping cough).
- Prenatal Consultation
- The American Academy of Pediatrics (AAP) encourages all expectant families to visit a pediatrician during the third trimester of pregnancy as an important first step in establishing a supportive and comfortable medical home for their child.
- We encourage you to schedule a prenatal consultation with our pediatrician to ensure you have all of the pediatric resources you need.
- Prenatal consultation is particularly valuable for first pregnancies, parents who are new to the practice or new to the area, single parents and families with high-risk pregnancies, pregnancy complications, or multiple gestations.
- Physicals
- We offer both school and sports physicals to children and teens.
- A school physical allows children to enroll in public or private schools. These physicals include an up-to-date immunization record and medical instructions for children with severe, life-threatening allergies or special medical conditions.
- Sports physicals are medical examinations that help determine whether it is safe for your child to participate in a sport, activity, or camp. Most high school sports require that teens have an up-to-date sports physical before participating in their competitive seasons.
- Immunizations
- Vaccinations are essential for protecting your child against a wide variety of diseases, such as measles, chickenpox, tetanus, diphtheria, flu and pertussis (whooping cough).
- Many of these diseases are experiencing all-time-low infection rates due to the presence of vaccines.
- With immunizations, children can now become immune to the disease without having to be sick first.
- We will help you to ensure that your child is up-to-date on their immunization schedule.
Beach Kids Pediatrics is here for all of your child’s needs in pediatric services. To schedule an appointment, visit our website or call us at (757) 806-8880
