Category: Well Checkups
-
Car Seat Guidelines Are Confusing on Purpose (And Your Kid Still Isn’t Ready)
As a pediatrician, I get asked all. the. time: “How big does my baby—toddler—child have to be to get out of the baby seat? The car seat? The booster? The medieval torture device known as the five-point harness?” There is no universal, magical, one-size-fits-all car seat rulebook, and yet somehow parents think I’ve memorized all…
-
Your Baby’s 4 Month Checkup: More Personality, More Drool, Same Tiny Dictator
Congratulations: your baby is now four months old, increasingly social, more alert, and probably discovering that their hands exist. This is the visit where we check growth, development, feeding, sleep, and whether your child has begun trying to eat the entire fist they just found. The 4-month checkup is also a good time to ask…
-
Your Baby’s 6 Month Checkup: Congratulations, the Baby Is Now a Safety Hazard
At six months, your baby is more alert, stronger, nosier, and increasingly determined to put every object in your home directly into their mouth. They may not be crawling yet, but do not let that innocent little potato routine fool you. Mobility is coming, and it tends to arrive approximately five minutes after you decide…
-
Your Baby’s 9 Month Checkup: The Home Is Now a Hostile Environment
At nine months, your baby has officially entered the “why is that in your mouth?” stage of life. They may be crawling, scooting, pulling up, cruising, opening drawers, yanking cords, and generally exploring your home with the confidence of someone who has never paid a bill or considered consequences. The 9-month checkup is about growth,…
-
Your Child’s 12 Month Checkup: You Kept Them Alive for a Year
Congratulations: you have successfully kept a tiny, helpless human alive for 12 months. Your baby is now a one-year-old, which means they are cuter, faster, louder, and increasingly interested in eating things they find on the floor. The 12-month checkup is part birthday celebration, part routine medical visit, and part warning that you are about…
-
Your Child’s 15 Month-Old Checkup: Walking, Climbing, and Rejecting Every Reasonable Request
At 15 months, your toddler is becoming more independent, more mobile, and more convinced they should be in charge of literally everything. The 15-month checkup is where we track growth and development, update vaccines, and discuss the exciting new phase of parenting known as: “Why is my child standing on the coffee table?” Growth: Slower,…
-
Your Child’s 18 Month Checkup: Tiny Human, Big Opinions
Ah yes, the 18-month visit—also known in some circles as the “Are They Actually Listening To Me Yet?” appointment. At this stage, your toddler has fully entered their “tiny, drunk CEO” era: walking (sort of), climbing (definitely), and making bold, irrational decisions with absolute confidence. We’ll still check the basics—weight, height, head circumference—because while growth…