Medical professionals recommend that you bring your child in once a year around his birthday for a regular visit to keep him healthy. You can choose a primary care physician (family doctor) or a pediatrician.
Your doctor will communicate more with your child at this age and bring him into the conversation about safety and his daily routine. The doctor will ask questions about what your child likes to do, his favorite color, and how old he is. If your child is shy, try taking the lead on asking the questions after the doctor to see if your child is more comfortable telling you.
Expectations:
- Your doctor will check your child’s vision with a vision test, which will focus more on sight than eye development.
- Your doctor will give your child a hearing exam.
- Your doctor will talk about your child’s social and communication skills and ask him questions to hear how he answers. If your child is shy, tell your doctor so that you can ask your child the questions.
- Test your child’s balance by having him walk heel to toe in a straight line and balance on one leg. * Talk about your child’s eating habits and physical movement.
- Your doctor will give any vaccines that are due. Vaccines protect your child by immunizing him against certain diseases. Many of these vaccines protect your child for life. Some are given as one shot or a series of shots. When possible your doctor will combine them.
Growing Pains
Growing pains are common among children ages four to six and again between eight and 12 years of age. Growing pains are cramping, achy muscle pains that some children feel in both legs and that keep your child awake at night because the pain usually occurs in the late afternoon or evenings.
Growing pains usually affect the muscles of your child’s thighs, calves, and behind the knees. Pain varies from child to child, and most children do not have pain every day. Growing pains are not associated with bone growth but occur more of ten after your child has an active day of jumping or running.
Did you know that despite the name “growing pains,” there is no evidence that growing pains are linked to growth spurts. In fact they simply may be due to intense childhood activities that wear out your child’s muscles.
Growing Pains versus Other Pain
Growing pains are different than other medical pain because children respond differently to growing pains. They are more willing to let their parents hold them and massage the parts of their body that hurt when it comes to growing pains.
Help your child by:
- massaging the areas that hurt,
- stretching,
- placing a heating pad on areas that hurt,
- giving the proper dose of children’s ibuprofen or acetaminophen.
