As a parent, you want to do all you can to help your child grow, learn, and enjoy their childhood years. Ensuring they stay healthy is one of the most important things you can do for your child — now and as they grow into adulthood.
As a leading healthcare provider in San Pedro, California, Harbor Community Health Centers offers state-of-the-art pediatric care at our 425 South Pacific Avenue location for patients from birth through their teen years. Here are five essential ways regular pediatric care can benefit your child.
Everyone thinks of seeing the doctor when they’re sick, but well visits are crucial, too — for kids as well as adults. It’s during your child’s annual physical that our doctors perform vital tests and exams aimed at identifying potential medical problems early on.
Well visits are also when your child receives vaccines that can help them ward off potentially life-threatening illnesses. They’re also the ideal time to talk about concerns, ask questions, and get tips on healthy nutrition and exercise to keep your child healthy. And of course, we offer sports physicals and school physicals, too.
Kids respond to illnesses and diseases differently than adults — and that means their medical care needs to be different, too. One of the most important benefits of seeing a pediatrics doctor is making sure your child’s care is truly customized to their unique needs as they grow and develop.
Our pediatric healthcare providers have the experience and expertise to ensure kids of all ages get the appropriate care for their health and wellness, from the initial exam to necessary lab tests to prescribing medicines or other treatments that can help your child feel better fast.
Keeping records of your child’s health and medical treatments might not sound like such a big deal. But having an ongoing medical record can play a crucial role in future treatments by keeping track of medications and other therapies your child has had, along with how they’ve responded to those treatments. Plus, an ongoing medical record includes a history of immunizations and other key health data that can be important through the adult years, too.
In addition to maintaining records of medical treatments and illnesses, a pediatric doctor keeps careful records of your child’s physical growth and intellectual and emotional development, charting their progress against standard milestones. This comparison can help identify areas where your child might need additional help and provide early clues to potential health issues that can benefit from early detection.
Navigating childhood and adolescence can be challenging for parents, for sure. But it can also be very challenging for kids.
Regular physicals and office visits provide an excellent opportunity for you and your child to talk to the doctor about concerns or problems. As your child grows, our team can provide helpful tips on nutrition, exercise, and sleep and study habits, as well as help your child deal with social issues and peer pressure.
Children model the behaviors they see during their early years of growth and development. By bringing your child to our office for routine pediatric visits, you’re setting the stage for proactive health behaviors that can help your child maintain better health throughout their adult years, too.
If you need to schedule a well visit for your child or if you’d like to learn about other pediatric services our team offers, call the office at 425 South Pacific Avenue in San Pedro, or use our online form and book an appointment today.
