Children's Health

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Summary

Your child's health includes physical, mental and social well-being. Most parents know the basics of keeping children healthy, like offering them healthy foods, making sure they get enough sleep and exercise and insuring their safety.

It is also important for children to get regular checkups with their health care provider. These visits are a chance to check your child's development. They are also a good time to catch or prevent problems.

Other than checkups, school-age children should be seen for

Significant weight gain or loss
Sleep problems or change in behavior
Fever higher than 102
Rashes or skin infections
Frequent sore throats
Breathing problems

Start Here

Child Nutrition: MedlinePlus Health Topic (National Library of Medicine) Also in Spanish
Children: General Health (Nemours Foundation)

Diagnosis and Tests

Chest Pain in Infants and Children (American Academy of Family Physicians) Also in Spanish
Elimination Problems in Infants and Children (American Academy of Family Physicians) Also in Spanish
Fever in Infants and Children (American Academy of Family Physicians) Also in Spanish
Mouth Problems in Infants and Children (American Academy of Family Physicians) Also in Spanish
Nausea and Vomiting in Infants and Children (American Academy of Family Physicians) Also in Spanish
Thermometers: Understand the Options (Mayo Foundation for Medical Education and Research) Also in Spanish
Vomiting and Diarrhea (American Academy of Family Physicians) Also in Spanish

Prevention and Risk Factors

Hearing Evaluation in Children (For Parents) (Nemours Foundation) Also in Spanish
Help Stop the Spread of COVID-19 in Children (Centers for Disease Control and Prevention) Also in Spanish

Treatments and Therapies

7 Things to Know about Mind and Body Practices for Children and Teens (National Center for Complementary and Integrative Health)
Children and the Use of Complementary Health Approaches (National Center for Complementary and Integrative Health)
How to Give Your Child Medicine (American Academy of Family Physicians) Also in Spanish

Related Issues

How Often Do Children Need to Take a Bath? (American Academy of Dermatology)
How to Prepare Your Child for a Lab Test (National Library of Medicine) Also in Spanish
Passing Healthy Habits on to Your Children (American Academy of Family Physicians) Also in Spanish
Preparing Your Child for Anesthesia (Nemours Foundation)
Talking to Your Child's Doctor (Nemours Foundation)
Well-Child-Care - A Check-Up for Success (American Academy of Pediatrics) Also in Spanish

Specifics

All about Sleep (For Parents) (Nemours Foundation) Also in Spanish
Are Antibiotics Needed for My Child's Runny Nose? Q & A Guide for Parents (Centers for Disease Control and Prevention) - PDF
Constipation in Children (National Institute of Diabetes and Digestive and Kidney Diseases) Also in Spanish
Coughing (For Parents) (Nemours Foundation) Also in Spanish
Ear Infections (American Academy of Family Physicians) Also in Spanish
Fever and Taking Your Child's Temperature (Nemours Foundation) Also in Spanish
Growing Pains (For Parents) (Nemours Foundation) Also in Spanish
Pediatric Injury (Eunice Kennedy Shriver National Institute of Child Health and Human Development) Also in Spanish
Repeated Infections in Children (American Academy of Family Physicians) Also in Spanish
Sleep Terrors (Night Terrors) (Mayo Foundation for Medical Education and Research) Also in Spanish
Your Child's Vision (Nemours Foundation) Also in Spanish

Health Check Tools

Body Mass Index: Calculator for Child and Teen (Centers for Disease Control and Prevention) Also in Spanish

Statistics and Research

America's Children in Brief: Key National Indicators of Well-Being (Federal Interagency Forum on Child and Family Statistics)
FastStats: Child Health (National Center for Health Statistics)
Youth Risk Behavior Surveillance System (Centers for Disease Control and Prevention)

Clinical Trials

ClinicalTrials.gov: Child Health (National Institutes of Health)

Journal Articles References and abstracts from MEDLINE/PubMed (National Library of Medicine)

Reference Desk

Growth Charts (For Parents) (Nemours Foundation) Also in Spanish

Find an Expert

Eunice Kennedy Shriver National Institute of Child Health and Human Development Also in Spanish
Find a Pediatrician or Pediatric Specialist (American Academy of Pediatrics) Also in Spanish
KidsHealth (Nemours Foundation)

Children

How the Body Works (For Kids) (Nemours Foundation)
NIAMS Kids Pages on Bone, Joint, Muscle, and Skin Health (National Institute of Arthritis and Musculoskeletal and Skin Diseases)

Patient Handouts

The day of surgery for your child (Medical Encyclopedia) Also in Spanish
Well-child visits (Medical Encyclopedia) Also in Spanish
When to use the emergency room - child (Medical Encyclopedia) Also in Spanish