Nerdy Millennial

Top Menu

  • About
  • Contact
  • Write For Us

Main Menu

  • Career
    • Entrepreneurship
    • Blogging
      • Social Media
      • SEO and Keyword Research
  • College
  • Arts & Culture
  • Technology
  • Health and Fitness
    • Nutrition
    • Recipes
      • Baked Goods
      • Breakfast
      • Condiments
      • Dessert
      • Fermented Foods
      • Main Dishes
      • Side Dishes
      • Snacks
      • Soup
    • Keto
    • Vegan
  • Relationships
    • Dating
    • Friendship
    • Parenting
    • Pregnancy & Birth
  • About
  • Contact
  • Write For Us

Nerdy Millennial

Nerdy Millennial

  • Career
    • Entrepreneurship
    • Blogging
      • Social Media
      • SEO and Keyword Research
  • College
  • Arts & Culture
  • Technology
  • Health and Fitness
    • Nutrition
    • Recipes
      • Baked Goods
      • Breakfast
      • Condiments
      • Dessert
      • Fermented Foods
      • Main Dishes
      • Side Dishes
      • Snacks
      • Soup
    • Keto
    • Vegan
  • Relationships
    • Dating
    • Friendship
    • Parenting
    • Pregnancy & Birth
ParentingPregnancy & Birth
Home›Relationships›Parenting›How to Choose a Pediatrician

How to Choose a Pediatrician

By Vanessa Pruitt, PLMHP, MS
August 14, 2018
954
0

Ideally, you should begin your search for a pediatrician in your final months of pregnancy and choose one before your baby is born. Your pediatrician will visit your baby in the hospital and see your baby frequently in his or her first days, weeks, and months of life.

It is beneficial to have the same pediatrician from your baby's birth through early childhood to provide continuity of care. The pediatrician that you choose will hopefully come to know you and your child and be able to identify when something is out of the ordinary for them.

Asking Around

Don't leave your experience with a pediatrician up to chance. Do some research and make an informed decision about who will be caring for your child.

You can start by asking other parents that you know about their experiences with different pediatricians and doctors. If they are similar in parenting philosophy to you, ask them for recommendations and ask if there are any that they would not recommend. You can ask for more specific details, but remember their opinion is not everything there is to know about a certain pediatrician. You may just find that you like the very doctor that they dislike.

Narrowing Down Choices

If you live in a large town or city, you're going to have to narrow down your choices before you do any interviews. Ask yourself specific questions about each pediatrician you are considering. Do you prefer a male or a female doctor? Younger or older? Does this practice have multiple offices? If so, it may be more convenient for you to be seen at an office other than the main one.

You can also call and ask the staff a few questions beforehand. For example, how long is the normal wait time for an appointment? Is it easy to be seen in an emergency? If so, is there a backup that you can see in an emergency? Some practices may be too overbooked. If so, look for a smaller practice.

Interviewing Pediatricians

Once you have a few good candidates, you should call and schedule an interview with your prospective doctors. Write down all of your questions beforehand to take with you so that you don't forget to address any questions or concerns.

Start first by looking around the office and waiting room when you get there. Is the staff friendly? Observe how they interact with patients and children. Is there a play area? This comes in handy when you have a restless toddler waiting for an appointment. Does the play area look clean? Measures should be taken to prevent sick kids from spreading germs to healthy kids who are there for their regular checkup. Ask the staff how often the play area is cleaned.

When you meet with the pediatrician, ask several questions to get a feel for their personal philosophy and determine if they are a good fit for your family. What are their thoughts on vaccines, circumcision, breastfeeding, and natural remedies? Discuss any special requests or wishes for your baby in the hospital. Even if they do disagree with you, a good pediatrician will be able to respect your choices and make suggestions without making you feel like bad parents.

During your interview, observe their personality as well. Most parents desire a doctor who is caring and compassionate, that kids would be comfortable around, and that has similar views as their own. Even the best pediatrician in the world will not work for your family if your personalities clash.

Other Professionals

Not all families choose to go with a doctor that specializes in pediatric medicine. If you are open to the idea, you may also want to look into family physicians as well as nurse practitioners. Many of these doctors have smaller practices and a homier feel. They will also see your entire family which gives you a more personal relationship with your doctor.

  • Author
  • Recent Posts
Vanessa Pruitt, PLMHP, MS
Vanessa Pruitt, PLMHP, MS
Vanessa is a Provisionally Licensed Mental Health Practitioner in Nebraska and holds an MS in Clinical Psychology. She is a certified trauma professional with a special interest in helping people heal from trauma and complex trauma.
Vanessa Pruitt, PLMHP, MS
Latest posts by Vanessa Pruitt, PLMHP, MS (see all)
  • 7 Tips for Taking Better Cell Phone Photos - May 21, 2022
  • Must-Haves for a Modern Website - February 3, 2022
  • 3 Ways to Take Time for Yourself During Pregnancy - January 31, 2022

Related posts:

  1. Foremilk vs Hindmilk: What’s The Difference?
  2. What is a Blessingway Ceremony and How to Plan One
  3. When Baby Bites: How to Prevent Biting While Breastfeeding
  4. Preparing to Breastfeed Your Baby

You Might Also Like...

  • FeaturedHealth and Fitness

    How to Make a Bread Poultice

  • 5 Steps to Eat Sustainable Local Food All Year Long
    FeaturedGreen LivingNutrition

    5 Steps to Eat Sustainable Local Food All Year Long

  • How to Get Into Ketosis in 24 Hours
    FeaturedKeto

    How to Get Into Ketosis in 24 Hours: 6 Methods that Actually Work

  • The Benefits of Naked Yoga: True Naked Yoga Co-Founder Thomas Severini Explains
    FeaturedHealth and Fitness

    The Benefits of Naked Yoga: True Naked Yoga Co-Founder Thomas Severini Explains

About Nerdy Millennial

This blog all about millennials sharing their passion, ideas, and expertise about blogging, healthy living, self-improvement, education, parenting, and more!

Interested in contributing? Contact us to pitch your idea or submit an article.

Featured Posts

FeaturedHealth and FitnessHomesteading

The 5 Benefits Of Fishing From A Kayak

Any excuse to get outdoors is a valid way to live a healthy lifestyle as it will give you fresh air, a great mental break from everyday stresses, and it ...
  • Treating PCOS-Related Infertility With Weight Loss Surgery

    Treating PCOS-Related Infertility With Weight Loss Surgery

    By Dr. Laura July
    April 15, 2022
  • DIY Wall String Art for Beginners

    DIY Wall String Art for Beginners

    By Ian Walsh
    April 8, 2022
  • How to Practice Gratitude in 2022

    How to Practice Gratitude in 2022

    By Dr. Krishna Bhatta
    April 8, 2022
  • 10 Ways Women Can Advance the Gender Equality Movement — Today

    By Contributing Author
    April 7, 2022
  • Are Cheat Meals or Cheat Days Allowed on Keto?

    Are Cheat Meals or Cheat Days Allowed on Keto?

    By Ian Walsh
    April 2, 2022
  • Why You Should Thoroughly Embrace Your Geeky Interests

    Why You Should Thoroughly Embrace Your Geeky Interests

    By Contributing Author
    March 9, 2022
  • Soaked Grain Recipes

    24 Super Simple Soaked Grain Recipes

    By Vanessa Pruitt, PLMHP, MS
    January 31, 2022
  • Mini French Bread Pizza Recipe

    By Vanessa Pruitt, PLMHP, MS
    January 31, 2022
  • 10 best fitness tracking websites to help you stay in shape

    10 Best Fitness Tracking Websites to Help You Stay in Shape

    By Vanessa Pruitt, PLMHP, MS
    January 31, 2022

Join Us on Facebook

Search

  • Home
  • About
  • Contact Us
  • Write For Us
  • Comment Policy
  • Privacy Policy
  • Terms of Use
Manage Cookie Consent
We use cookies to optimize our website and our service.
Functional cookies Always active
The technical storage or access is strictly necessary for the legitimate purpose of enabling the use of a specific service explicitly requested by the subscriber or user, or for the sole purpose of carrying out the transmission of a communication over an electronic communications network.
Preferences
The technical storage or access is necessary for the legitimate purpose of storing preferences that are not requested by the subscriber or user.
Statistics
The technical storage or access that is used exclusively for statistical purposes. The technical storage or access that is used exclusively for anonymous statistical purposes. Without a subpoena, voluntary compliance on the part of your Internet Service Provider, or additional records from a third party, information stored or retrieved for this purpose alone cannot usually be used to identify you.
Marketing
The technical storage or access is required to create user profiles to send advertising, or to track the user on a website or across several websites for similar marketing purposes.
Manage options Manage services Manage vendors Read more about these purposes
View preferences
{title} {title} {title}