Doctor Visits for Newborns to 5-Year-Old Children

At Twickenham Pediatrics, the health and well-being of your young children remain our utmost priority. Our team of dedicated physicians conducts thorough monitoring of your child’s growth and development, ensuring that each milestone is met with attention and care.


Whether your child requires a routine checkup or is visiting due to illness, Drs. DeSimone, Dawson, and Stringer are committed to providing comprehensive medical care tailored to your child’s individual needs. In addition to evaluating physical development, our physicians offer guidance on nutritional requirements, immunizations, and behavioral changes, empowering families to make informed decisions at every stage of childhood.


Our practice emphasizes the importance of regular health assessments, as these visits offer invaluable opportunities to address parental concerns, discuss anticipated changes, and cultivate an ongoing partnership between families and healthcare providers. Through this proactive approach, we strive not only to safeguard your child’s current health but also to lay the foundation for lifelong wellness.


Twickenham Pediatrics stands ready to support your family, offering expertise and compassionate care designed to navigate the complexities of early childhood with confidence and reassurance.

Guidance on Behavioral and Safety Changes

In addition to safeguarding the health of your children, well child visits serve as a valuable resource for parents. These appointments provide an important opportunity for caregivers to engage directly with our medical team, receiving not only expert medical assessments but also comprehensive educational support.


During each scheduled checkup, our physicians will equip you with detailed informational materials and evidence-based guidance tailored to your child’s stage of development. You will receive resources outlining anticipated behavioral changes, developmental milestones, and practical steps to enhance your child’s safety and overall well being as they progress through childhood.


By fostering open communication and addressing any parental questions or concerns, we aim to empower families with the confidence and knowledge needed to support their children’s growth. Our commitment is to ensure each visit is not merely a clinical evaluation, but a collaborative experience designed to guide you through the evolving landscape of early childhood with clarity and assurance.

The Importance of Well-Child Visits

Comprehensive Care for Growing Children

Why Are Well-Child Visits Critical?

Childhood is characterized by remarkable and rapid growth, both physically and developmentally. During a child’s earliest years, developmental changes occur at an accelerated rate, necessitating frequent well-child visits to monitor and support optimal health. These scheduled appointments serve as a crucial foundation for early detection of potential health concerns, guidance on preventive care, and fostering a partnership between families and healthcare professionals.


To ensure each visit is as productive and beneficial as possible, parents are encouraged to prepare by documenting any questions or concerns in advance. This thoughtful approach enables our clinical team to offer tailored advice and address specific issues relevant to your child’s unique circumstances.

What Does a Well-Child Visit Entail?

Every well-child visit involves a comprehensive physical examination, conducted with meticulous attention to your child’s health status and developmental progress. Physicians will assess growth parameters, including height, weight, and head circumference, recording these measurements on a growth chart that forms part of your child’s permanent medical record. This documentation serves not only as a valuable tool for charting progress but also as a basis for discussing your child’s overall well-being.


Depending on the child’s age, additional screening assessments—such as hearing and vision tests—may be incorporated to ensure a thorough evaluation. These screenings are designed to identify concerns early, facilitating timely intervention and support.


Even in periods of robust health, well-child visits provide a dedicated opportunity to emphasize wellness, preventive care, and strategies for supporting continued growth. During each appointment, our physicians offer evidence-based recommendations on a variety of topics, including:

  • Sleep habits and routines
  • Health and safety tips
  • Prevention and management of childhood diseases
  • Anticipated developmental milestones


We also address broader aspects of your child’s life and well being, including family dynamics, educational challenges, and access to community resources. Should your child wish to participate in sports, extracurricular activities, or summer camps, an annual physical examination may be required by these programs. The well-child visit ensures all necessary documentation is completed for such participation, supporting your child’s engagement in healthy activities.

Recommended Schedule for Well-Child Visits


Following the birth of your child, it is advised that the first postnatal evaluation occurs between two to three days after returning home, or when your infant is aged two to four days—particularly for newborns discharged from hospital before two days of age. This visit is essential for assessing your newborn’s transition to home life and ensuring early support is in place.


Subsequent well-child visits are scheduled at intervals reflecting the pace of childhood development, providing ongoing opportunities for assessment and guidance at every stage. It is advisable to schedule these visits according to the intervals specified below.

  • 2 weeks
  • 2 months
  • 4 months
  • 6 months
  • 9 months
  • 12 months
  • 15 months
  • 18 months
  • 2 years
  • 3 years
  • 4 years
  • 5 years
  • Each year after that until age 18


Conclusion


At Twickenham Pediatrics, our unwavering commitment is to nurture the health and well being of your children, providing comprehensive and compassionate care throughout their formative years. Well-child visits are more than routine appointments—they are a collaborative journey toward lifelong wellness, empowering families with knowledge, resources, and expert medical guidance.

The Importance of Vaccination

Why We Need Vaccines

Vaccination plays a vital role in safeguarding children’s health by equipping their immune systems with the tools necessary to defend against infectious diseases. Through a carefully controlled process, vaccines introduce the body to a minute, safe portion of a virus or bacterium that has been either weakened or inactivated. This process enables the immune system to learn to recognize and effectively combat these invaders should it encounter them in the future.


As a result of this immune training, individuals who have been vaccinated are far less likely to develop serious illness when exposed to the actual pathogen. In many cases, they may remain completely healthy or experience only mild symptoms. Vaccination, therefore, represents a natural and effective strategy for disease prevention.


It is important to note that while newborns initially possess some immunity—transferred from their mothers through the placenta—this protection is temporary and diminishes in the weeks following birth. Immunizations are crucial to replenishing and strengthening this defense as children grow.


Vaccines have dramatically reduced the prevalence of numerous diseases that once posed significant threats to public health. Illnesses such as tetanus, diphtheria, mumps, measles, pertussis (whooping cough), meningitis, and polio previously caused widespread suffering and, in many cases, resulted in lifelong complications or death. Thanks to routine immunization, these conditions have become rare, transforming the landscape of pediatric healthcare and ensuring a safer future for children everywhere.

For a few weeks after birth, babies have some protection from germs that cause diseases. This protection is passed from their mother through the placenta before birth. After birth, this natural protection goes away.


Vaccines help protect against many diseases that used to be much more common. Examples include tetanus, diphtheria, mumps, measles, pertussis (whooping cough), meningitis, and polio. Many of these infections can cause serious or life-threatening illnesses and may lead to life-long health problems. Because of vaccines, many of these illnesses are now rare.

Overview of Well Child Visits and Immunizations

This immunization schedule is recommended by the CDC and the Advisory Committee on Immunization Practices.


  • Birth - In hospital: 1st PKU and Hep B #1 (hospital may use one of several brands)
  • 3-5 days -1st Well Child Check
  • 2 weeks - Well Child Check, 2nd PKU and RECOMBIVAX HB (Hep B #1) if not given at birth
  • 2 month - Well Child Check, Vaxelis (DTaP, IPV, HIB, and Hep B), Vaxneuvance (PCV-15), Rotateq 
  • 4 month - Well Child Check, Vaxelis (DTaP, IPV, HIB, and Hep B), Vaxneuvance (PCV-15), Rotateq
  • 6 month - Well Child Check, Vaxelis (DTaP, IPV, HIB, and Hep B), Vaxneuvance (PCV-15), Rotateq 
  • 9 month - Well Child Check and Hemoglobin Level (checking for Anemia)
  • 12 month - Weld Child Check, MMR, VARIVAX (Chickenpox), VAQTA ( Hep A #1) and Lead Level
  • 15 month - Well Child Check, DAPTACEL (DTaP), PedvaxHIB) (HIB #4), Vaxneuvance (PCV-15)
  • 18 month - Well Child Check, VAQTA (Hep A #2) and Autism and developmental screening
  • 2 years - Well Child Check and Lead Level
  • 3 years - Well Child Check
  • 4 years - Well Child Check, ProQuad (MMRV) and Quadracel (DTaP, IPV)
  • 5 to 10 years - Well Child Check
  • 11 years - Well Child Check, Adacel (Tdap), Gardasil 9 (HPV #2), MenQuadfi # 1
  • 11 1/2 years - Gardasil 9 (HPV #2), MenQuadfi #1 (if not given at 11 years) 
  • 12 -15 years - Well Child Check - Gardasil 9 (HPV) series if not completed
  • if Gardasil 9 started prior to age 15 years it is a 2-dose schedule​
  • if Gardasil 9 started at 15 years or older 3-dose schedule is required
  • 16 years - Well Child Check - Gardasil 9 (HPV) series if not completed, Bexsero # 1 - second dose will be 1 month later
  • if Gardasil 9 started prior to age 15 years it is a 2-dose schedule​
  • if Gardasil 9 started at 15 years or older 3-dose schedule is required
  • 17 -18 years - Well Child Check - Gardasil 9 (HPV) series if not completed, MenQuadfi # 2 if not given at 16, Bexsero series if not previously given
  • if Gardasil 9 started prior to age 15 years it is a 2-dose schedule​
  • if Gardasil 9 started at 15 years or older 3-dose schedule is required

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* A Well Child Check is recommended every year after age 2.

** Annual Flu Vaccination is recommended for ages 6-months and up. Children up to age 8 receiving the flu vaccine for the first time must have 2 doses spaced at least 28 days apart. Flu vaccine brand may vary.