Staying prepared can help you get the most out of your child’s appointments
Your child will have health appointments throughout their life. Knowing what they might include and what types of questions to ask before, during and after them can help you support your child’s health and wellbeing through every stage of their development.
Reviewed by: Alisha Summers, Patient Safety Pharmacist
Published: August 2025
Last review: August 2028
From the time your child is born, healthcare professionals will want and need to have check-ups with them. This is to monitor their development, support you with taking care of their health needs and address any concerns that you might have about your child’s health.
Although the number of appointments or check-ups may decrease the older your child gets, it’s important to know how to prepare ahead of them.
Find out what you’ll need to bring to your child’s appointments, questions you can ask to understand their medical needs better and how to advocate for your child.
During the first two years of your child’s life, you will be offered check-ups with a health visitor. They are intended to assess your child’s development. Your health visitor might also ask you questions about your own wellbeing.1
You’ll be given a red book. This is used to record your baby’s development. Your health visitor will note your child’s height, weight, vaccination history and other important pieces of information in it. You can review their notes to learn how your child is progressing.1 However, they will discuss your child’s health and wellbeing with you during your meeting.
You can also add information to it. This will help your health visitor understand important changes in your child’s life. For example, you might want to record any illnesses your baby has had or any medication you’ve given them.1
Where do health visits take place?
Health visits can take place:
- In your home
- In your local GP surgery
- At baby and child clinics
You can talk to your health visitor about the location of your appointments ahead of their scheduled dates.1
What might happen during my child’s check-ups?
Shortly after your child is born, they will be weighed. This will happen again a week later. This will help you and your medical team understand whether your baby is putting on weight as expected.1
Your baby’s eyes, heart, hips and testicles will all be checked in the hospital too.1
If you choose to breastfeed, a midwife can show you how to get your baby to latch on (attach to your breast so that they can feed properly). You can ask them about managing the process at home, using breastmilk alternatives, and about conditions that might affect breastfeeding, like tongue ties (skin connecting your baby’s tongue to the bottom of their mouth).1
Other tests that your baby will need include:
You should also discuss vaccination with your midwife. Having your child vaccinated can help protect them against a variety of illnesses. Your midwife can let you know when you will need to arrange them.1
You will have your first check-in with a health visitor. They usually schedule these between days 10 and 14 post-birth.1
During this appointment, you can talk to your health visitor about:
- Your breastfeeding concerns
- Vaccinations
- Safe sleeping
- Your baby’s development
You should also discuss how you’re adjusting to life as a parent. It’s useful if both you and your partner can be present. This will allow the health visitor to support you both, but this will not always be possible.1
Similar to when your baby was first born, they will need to have a physical examination. This usually happens at your GP surgery and involves a check of your baby’s eyes, heart, hips and testicles.1
Your doctor will also measure your baby’s:
- Weight
- Head circumference
- Length.1
During your appointment, your GP will also discuss vaccinations with you. You should ask any questions you have about them during this time. It might be useful to write a list of questions you have before your appointment so you don’t miss anything out.
Your health visitor will arrange a check-up with you to assess your child’s development in several key areas, including:
- Diet
- Behaviour
- Language and learning skills.1
They may ask you to fill in a questionnaire before your scheduled appointment. This will help them understand how your baby is progressing.
If you have any concerns about your child’s developmental milestones (this might include their speech, hearing or growth), you should let your health visitor know. Talking about your observations can help them find the right medical support for you and your child.1
However, talking about your child’s progress is a sensitive subject. If it helps you, you can ask a friend or family member to be there as you discuss it with the health visitor. Writing down some notes beforehand or keeping a diary of things you’ve noticed can help you explain your concerns.
You’ll be asked to fill out a questionnaire that covers several areas related to your child’s development.1
Think about:
If you have any concerns, your health visitor can help you find the right support.
It doesn’t matter if your child has regular appointments with healthcare professionals or needs less frequent support, going to the doctor can be challenging. Your child might be unfamiliar with the environment, worry about feeling pain or fear being separated from you during their appointment. 3
Reassuring them before and during their appointment can help ease some of the anxiety they might feel. 3
Most GP appointments last for 10 minutes.4 During this time, your doctor will ask you about your child’s health concerns and suggest treatment or follow-up appointments. They’ll ask for permission to examine your child, too. You can request a double appointment, however, they may not always be available.4
Try to stay calm during the appointment, especially if your child is getting a vaccination or injectable medication. If you appear relaxed, it will help your child manage their anxiousness.
If your child has a disability, you can try to arrange appointments at the start of the day to reduce waiting times. You can also request to see the same GP each time you go to the surgery. This can help limit the number of times you have to explain your child’s health condition.5
Pharmacies across England offer a service called Pharmacy First. It is there to help you skip waiting times at GP surgeries.
Your child can get treatment for:
In Scotland, you can access Pharmacy First Scotland and in Wales you can access the Common Ailment Service.
If your child has a hospital appointment, you should explain:
- When the appointment will happen
- How long it might take
- What procedures are expected to take place (e.g. scan or physiotherapy session).
If you don’t know what will happen during your child’s appointment, you can contact the hospital for more detail. You should also let them know if your child has additional needs. This can help make your time there more comfortable.
If your child finds certain actions, behaviours or environments stressful, you should let the hospital team know. You can write them down if you’d prefer not to talk about them in public settings like receptions. 5
You can also ask if your hospital provides “hospital passports”. These are documents that you can fill out before your appointment with details on your child’s:
- Name, age and address
- Spoken languages
- Emergency contacts
- Allergies
- Medical interventions
- Medications
- Pain management. 6
If your child lives with a health condition, it’s important that they understand what it is and how it will impact their everyday life. Some young people will need to use a medical device, medication, or follow instructions provided by healthcare professionals, like a physiotherapist. 7
As they get older, they will likely want to feel independent. Giving them space to manage their health can help. Talk to them about their responsibilities and decide between you how you can offer support. This might change as they develop more confidence in managing their health condition. 7
For example, if your child uses daily injections, they might want to start using them on their own. Initially, they might want you to supervise them as they administer (take) their medication, but as they get used to doing it, they might ask to do it alone.
If you have attended GP or hospital appointments with your child in the past, you may want to give them more time speaking for themselves or spending time alone with healthcare professionals. This can help as they transition into adult care.7
You can decide between you whether your child wants you there to advocate for them or ask questions that have been missed.
If your child has just been diagnosed with a health condition or has lived with one for a while, it’s important to give them time to express their feelings about it. They may have concerns that are related to their treatments, their relationships or their sense of independence. If you have open conversations about these areas of concern, you can work together with your child to find solutions.7
This can be useful, especially if they express feelings about their appointments or medical treatment.
Although children under 16 usually attend doctors’ appointments with their parents. From the age of 13, your child can register with their own GP and attend appointments alone. As a parent, you may want to support your child when speaking to medical professionals, but they have the right to visit and discuss their health in private with a GP. 8
There are many reasons why your child might want to go to their medical appointemnt without you, so it’s important that you don’t make assumptions if you find out that they have.
The GP or nurse at their practice may ask why they have chosen not to involve you or their carer. In some cases, they may encourage your child to let you know about their health, but they don’t have to.8
You will not be given information about your child’s appointments, unless they have asked for it to be shared with you.8
Everything your child shares with a health professional is confidential. This means that the personal information is kept private. Healthcare professionals won’t share your child’s medical history or current health status with anyone who isn’t relevant to their care. They may share information with a specialist so that your child can get appropriate treatment, but they won’t share it with people who have no role to play in your child’s health and wellbeing.8
- Your baby’s health and development reviews. nhs.uk. December 7, 2020. Accessed August 13, 2025. https://www.nhs.uk/baby/babys-development/height-weight-and-reviews/baby-reviews/
- A Rough Guide to Development: Accessed August 13, 2025. https://www.buckshealthcare.nhs.uk/cyp/wp-content/uploads/sites/6/2021/08/Development-guide-from-18-months-to-3-years.pdf
- Gupta RC, MD. Preparing Your Child for Visits to the Doctor. Accessed August 13, 2025. https://kidshealth.org/en/parents/dr-visits.html
- GP surgery appointments - NHS App help and support. nhs.uk. June 22, 2021. Accessed August 13, 2025. https://www.nhs.uk/nhs-app/nhs-app-help-and-support/appointments-and-online-consultations-in-the-nhs-app/gp-surgery-appointments/
- Appointment tips. Contact. Accessed August 13, 2025. https://contact.org.uk/help-for-families/information-advice-services/health-medical-information/appointment-top-tips/
- Mencap. Getting help with your health. Mencap. Accessed August 13, 2025. https://www.mencap.org.uk/advice-and-support/health-coronavirus/health-guides
- Helping your teenager to independence in healthcare. Cambridge University Hospitals. Accessed August 13, 2025. https://www.cuh.nhs.uk/patient-information/helping-your-teenager-to-independence-in-healthcare/
- Guide to Accessing GP Services for Young People - Park View Medical Practice. Accessed August 13, 2025. https://www.parkviewmedicalpractice.co.uk/pages/Guide-to-Accessing-GP-Services-for-Young-People