What Happens at a 6-month Well Baby Checkup?

Your Baby and Pediatrician Should be Friends

By six months your baby should have been to the pediatrician several times already. The six month baby visit is exactly how it sounds. At six months of age, the pediatrician will check to ensure your baby is on track and within healthy measures and ultimately “well”. Here is a rundown of what will happen.

• Stats
• At this appointment your baby will be weighed and the nurse will measure length and head circumference.   Most doctors will discuss these results in a percentile score. Try not to worry if your baby is not where you had expected. All babies are different and grow at different speeds. Your doctor will let you know if there is anything to worry about. At six months it is fun to look back and compare your baby’s stats for the first few months of his life. It is amazing the growth that take place during this time!

• Exam
• At six months prepare to undress your baby completely. This is so the doctor can examine your infant thoroughly from head to toe. Checking for anything out of the ordinary, the pediatrician will perform a variety of movements to check for proper physical development. The doctor will also check their eyesight and hearing.

• Questions
• Be prepared to answer some basic questions in regards to your baby’s development. For instance, your health care professional may ask about how your baby is sleeping, if he is teething, whether or not they can roll over and sit up. Certain developmental milestones occur by 6 months of age such as turning towards sound, imitating sounds and rolling over. As always babies meet these milestones when they are ready. If you have any concerns over whether you baby is on track, this is your chance to ask.

• Immunizations
• At six month well baby checkup, the American Academy of Pediatrics recommends several vaccinations such as hepatitis B, DTaP, polio, pneumococcal, rotavirus and Hib. Feel free to ask any questions regarding this immunization list with your doctor.  These immunizations keep your baby from getting sick from serious illnesses. For more information on immunizations check out the Center for Disease Control and Prevention and learn how vaccines protect your baby.

Prepare yourself ahead of time and create a list. For the week or so before the 6 month well baby checkup, jot down questions when they arise. This way your list will have everything you may forget when standing in front of the doctor!