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Well-baby visits: what happens at each checkup, birth to 2

Work it out for your family: Baby milestones checker. The CDC's milestone checklists from 2 months to 2 years: tick what your child does, and know when to ask.

The short answer

  • The AAP schedule has a checkup at: birth, 3 to 5 days, 1, 2, 4, 6, 9, 12, 15, 18 and 24 months, then 30 months [1].
  • Every visit follows roughly the same order: weigh and measure, your questions, a full exam, development and safety, then any shots or tests [1][2].
  • Most health plans cover these checkups at no cost when you see an in-network provider, including the screenings and vaccines on the schedule [3].
  • You get checked too. Pediatricians are asked to screen the birthing parent for depression at the 1-, 2-, 4- and 6-month visits [4].
  • Bring three questions, written down. The visit goes fast, and the baby will cry at the worst moment.

What happens at each checkup

Practices differ a little. Some split a visit, add a weight check or give a vaccine a visit earlier or later. Shot timing is in the vaccine guide. This is the shape of the AAP’s Bright Futures schedule [1].

At every visit: weight and length (and head size up to 24 months), plotted on a growth chart [1]; a full exam; questions about feeding, sleep, pees and poops; a check on development; and safety advice for the months ahead [2].

Visit What’s usually added Worth asking
In the hospital Vitamin K shot, eye ointment, hepatitis B vaccine, the newborn blood screen (heel prick), a hearing test, a pulse-oximetry heart screen, a jaundice check [1][5][6] When is our first office visit? Who do we call tonight if something’s wrong?
3 to 5 days Weight against birth weight, jaundice, feeding [1][7] Is feeding going well? How many wet diapers should we see?
1 month Depression screen for the birthing parent [4]. Some babies get their second hepatitis B dose [8] Is weight gain on track? What does a fever mean at this age?
2 months The first big round of vaccines [8]. Depression screen [4] What’s normal after shots, and what medicine and dose can we use?
4 months Vaccines [8]. Depression screen [4] Sleep is changing. What helps? When do we talk about solids?
6 months Vaccines, and flu vaccine in season [8]. Fluoride varnish once teeth appear, then every 3 to 6 months [1][9]. Lead risk questions [1]. Depression screen [4] Starting solids and allergens. When should we book the first dentist visit? (By the first birthday, or when the first tooth appears [10].)
9 months A developmental screening questionnaire [1][11] Babyproofing for a crawler. Any milestone to watch?
12 months Blood test for anemia [1]. A lead test, or lead risk questions, depending on where you live and whether your baby has Medicaid [1]. Vaccines [8] Milk, cups and bottles. Has the first dentist visit happened? [10]
15 months Vaccines [8] Toddler eating. Words so far.
18 months Autism screening and a developmental questionnaire [1][11]. Vaccines or catch-up [8] Tantrums, sleep, screens.
24 months Autism screening [1][11]. A lead test or lead risk questions, as at 12 months [1] Toilet training readiness. Talking.
30 months A developmental questionnaire [1][11] Preschool, and anything you’re unsure about.

About those questionnaires

You’ll often get a form before or at the visit, like the Ages and Stages Questionnaire. Answer what your baby does today, not what you hope they’ll do next week. “Not yet” is an answer, not a grade. It’s how a delay gets caught early, when help works best [11].

About the depression screen

At the early visits you may get a 10-question form about your mood, often the Edinburgh scale [4]. Answer honestly. It’s there because a parent’s health is part of the baby’s health, and help is easy to start from that room. More in postpartum depression and anxiety.

How to prepare

The day before:

  1. Write your top three questions in your phone, most important first.
  2. Note feeding, sleep and diapers for the last day or two, or open your tracking app.
  3. Fill in any form the office sent.

What to bring:

  • your insurance card, and your baby’s insurance once you have it (add your baby to your plan soon after birth: job-based plans usually give you 30 days, Marketplace plans 60);
  • the vaccine record, if you’ve been anywhere else;
  • the names and doses of any medicines or vitamins, like vitamin D drops;
  • diapers, wipes, a spare outfit and a feed. Babies are undressed to be weighed;
  • the other parent, in person or on speakerphone, if they have questions too.

On shot days: ask which fever and pain medicine you can use and the dose for your baby’s weight. Ibuprofen isn’t for babies under 6 months [12].

Before you leave: book the next visit, ask for the after-visit summary, and ask the best way to reach them with a question.

Questions worth asking at any visit

  • Is my baby’s growth on track for them? (The trend matters more than the percentile [13].)
  • Is my baby eating enough?
  • Is anything about development worth watching before the next visit?
  • What should we work on before next time?
  • What would make you want to see us before the next checkup?

Between checkups: call for these

Your pediatrician’s office is the right first call for most worries, day or night. Call right away if your baby is 3 months or younger and has a rectal temperature of 100.4°F (38°C) or higher, even if they seem well otherwise [14]. For trouble breathing, blue or gray lips, or a baby who’s hard to wake, call 911.

Sources

  1. American Academy of Pediatrics, Bright Futures, “Recommendations for Preventive Pediatric Health Care” (periodicity schedule). aap.org
  2. HealthyChildren.org (AAP), “AAP Schedule of Well-Child Care Visits.” healthychildren.org
  3. HealthCare.gov, “Preventive care benefits for children.” healthcare.gov
  4. Earls MF, et al., “Incorporating Recognition and Management of Perinatal Depression Into Pediatric Practice,” Pediatrics 2019;143(1):e20183259 (AAP clinical report). doi.org
  5. Health Resources and Services Administration, “Newborn Screening Information for Families.” newbornscreening.hrsa.gov
  6. HealthyChildren.org (AAP), “What to Expect in the Delivery Room Following a Normal Vaginal Birth.” healthychildren.org
  7. HealthyChildren.org (AAP), “1st Week Checkup Checklist: 3 to 5 days old.” healthychildren.org
  8. American Academy of Pediatrics, “Recommended Child and Adolescent Immunization Schedule, United States, 2026.” aap.org
  9. US Preventive Services Task Force, “Prevention of Dental Caries in Children Younger Than 5 Years: Screening and Interventions” (2021). uspreventiveservicestaskforce.org
  10. American Academy of Pediatric Dentistry, “Periodicity of Examination, Preventive Dental Services, Anticipatory Guidance/Counseling, and Oral Treatment for Infants, Children, and Adolescents.” aapd.org
  11. Lipkin PH, Macias MM, et al., “Promoting Optimal Development: Identifying Infants and Young Children With Developmental Disorders Through Developmental Surveillance and Screening,” Pediatrics 2020;145(1):e20193449. doi.org
  12. HealthyChildren.org (AAP), “Acetaminophen Dosage Table for Fever and Pain” and “Ibuprofen Dosage Table.” healthychildren.org
  13. Grummer-Strawn LM, Reinold C, Krebs NF, “Use of World Health Organization and CDC Growth Charts for Children Aged 0–59 Months in the United States,” MMWR Recommendations and Reports 2010;59(RR-9). cdc.gov
  14. HealthyChildren.org (AAP), “Fever and Your Baby.” healthychildren.org

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