The 1 month well child check is the second well visit of a child’s life.  

Child development.

At one month old they are still not doing a lot developmentally.  They still are unable to hold their head up without support, but can move it side to side while on their belly.  They are able to hear, and may turn toward familiar voices and sounds. Their vision is about 8-12 inches away, and prefer the human face or high contrast patterns.  They also may still cross their eyes on occasion.

Child growth.

As at every well child visit we will plot your child’s height, weight, and head circumference (until 2yo) on a scale.  This not only helps us to see your child in relation to other children, but also to follow how your child grows from check to check.   

General health.

We will examine your baby from head to toe and note anything that we find unusual or concerning.  Just because something is odd doesn’t mean it’s bad. This is the time to point out rashes or other things you’ve noticed that you have questions about.  

Health history.

We ask how the baby’s been since the last visit.  This is the time to mention if you took your baby to an urgent care or emergency department.  These places will sometimes send the notes to your pediatrician, but not consistently, so they may not know about it.

Family history.

We go through the family history on the chart to make sure nothing’s changed.

Social history.

We go through the social history to see if anything’s changed.  Often children are being started in daycare in the first few months, so we’ll ask about that.

Safety issues.

Make sure your baby is sleeping on their back in the crib with no extra things in it.  Even though your child doesn’t move well, they can still move, so make sure to watch them if they’re on a table or couch where they can fall off.  Keep your baby in the back seat of the car facing backwards in their carseat while traveling. Make sure hanging cords or strings are kept away from the baby, and don’t let them wear necklaces or bracelets.  

Caregiver questions and concerns.

This is your time to bring up any questions you have that haven’t already been addressed.  It’s okay to ask questions, and don’t worry about sounding uninformed. It’s our job to inform and educate you.

Vaccines.

There are no vaccines at this visit.  We may ask you if you got the second newborn screen done at two weeks old.  The next shot coming up depends on the practice. Some have the babies come in at 6 weeks for shots only, and others just have them come in at the 2 month WCC.   

Links.

Development at healthychildren.org.