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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
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)
- Immunizations and Developmental Milestones for Your Child from Birth Through 6 Years Old (Centers for Disease Control and Prevention) - PDF 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
-
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
(National Institute of Child Health and Human Development) Also in Spanish
- Questions and Answers: Runny Nose (with Green or Yellow Mucus) (Centers for Disease Control and Prevention)
- 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
(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 Muscle, Bone, 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