Well-being visits

Be sure your child has a checkup at birth and when he or she is:¹

• 3–5 days old for newborns discharged less than 48 hours after delivery
• 1 month old
• 2 months old
• 4 months old
• 6 months old
• 9 months old
• 12 months old
• 15 months old
• 18 months old
• 24 months old
• 30 months old
• Once every year for ages 3–20

These visits help your child’s doctor detect, diagnose, and treat health problems as early as possible.

Well-being visits can include:

• Preventive and comprehensive services
• Physical exams
• Growth measurements
• Immunizations and vaccines, PDF opens in new window
• Vision and hearing screenings
• Dental screenings
• Other important tests and services
• Referrals for diagnosis and treatment, if necessary

Things change—and the medicine a child takes may need to change, too

During a well visit, a doctor will ask:

• About any medicine that a child takes
• Why the child takes the medicine
• If the child responds well or not to the medicine

You and your child’s doctor will decide together when your child should start or stop taking a specific medicine. This is called deprescribing.

To help make sure your child takes the right medicine at the right time:

• Talk to your child’s doctor
• Keep track of your child’s medicine
• Make sure your child takes medicine as prescribed

Get more information about medicine use in youth

Need help finding a doctor for your child? Use our online Find a Doctor service. You also can call us at 800-444-9137 (TTY: 711).

Remember to:

• Make and keep appointments with your child’s doctor when your child is well, not just when your child is sick
• Talk to your child’s doctor about any concerns you have

Be sure to call your child’s doctor today to set up the next well-being visit.

1. “Early and Periodic Screening, Diagnostic, and Treatment,” Medicaid.gov, last accessed June 23, 2021, https://www.medicaid.gov/medicaid/benefits/early-and-periodic-screening-diagnostic-and-treatment/index.html.