4 FAQs About the Well-Child Visit Schedule

Content medically reviewed by Lisa Kozel, MD

The early days, weeks, months and years of your child's life are filled with rapid growth and milestones. Keeping their growing bodies healthy requires regular health checkups—making a regular well-child visit schedule an essential part of their care. 

The American Academy of Pediatrics guides parents through this journey with its schedule, also known as the "periodicity schedule." It outlines recommended checkups and screenings from birth through adolescence, allowing for regular appointments to make sure your child’s growth and development are on track. We answer some frequently asked questions about the well-child visit schedule below.

Q: What Is a Well-Child Visit?

A: Well-child visits are exactly what they sound like—they’re visits with a health care provider when your child is well. While it’s certainly important to take your child to the doctor when they are sick or injured, it’s just as important to go when they’re not.

“Well-child visits are our opportunity to get a good look at how children are growing and developing,” said Dr. Lisa Kozel, pediatrician at Essentia Health. “During these appointments, we check for developmental milestones and offer age-appropriate screenings and vaccinations, allowing us to prevent many issues before they occur.”

Q: What’s Included in a Well-Child Visit?

A: Well-child visits are designed to monitor your child’s health and wellness and see if your child is staying on track with developmental milestones. These visits include a physical exam and checks of their height and weight to record and track them over time.

Your child's care provider will check their vital signs, including heart rate and blood pressure. They will listen to your child's heart and breathing, and they will examine their throat, ears, and eyes.

Additionally, they will ask you questions about your child's routines and behaviors. This is your opportunity to bring up any questions or concerns you have.

Q: How Often Does a Child Need a Well Visit?

A: The well-child visit schedule outlines the preventive appointments your child needs from birth through age 21. In the first years of life, the schedule calls for very frequent visits, gradually tapering to one visit per year when your child turns 3.

During the first three years of a child’s life, the well-child visit schedule calls for checkups at –

• 3 to 5 days old
• 1 month old
• 2 months old
• 4 months old
• 6 months old
• 9 months old
• 12 months old
• 15 months old
• 18 months old
• 2 years old
• 2 1/2 years old
• 3 years old

From age 3 on, you’ll visit your child’s care provider for well-visits once a year until age 21. This is a habit that continues into adulthood, when health experts recommend annual checkups with a primary care provider.

Wondering whether all these visits will be covered by your health insurance? Because well-child visits are recommended as part of preventive care, most insurance plans cover these appointments at no cost to you. Check with your insurance provider for the specifics of your plan.

Q: Other Than Well Visits, When Should a Child See their Provider?

A: You should feel free to see your child’s primary care provider whenever you have concerns about their health. Well-child visits provide an opportunity to keep your child healthy and prevent many health issues, while sick visits allow your child’s care provider to diagnose and treat illnesses, injuries, and chronic health conditions.

At various times during childhood, your child may also need to see your pediatrician or family medicine provider for other reasons. If your child participates in sports or certain other extracurricular activities, for example, they may be required to complete a sports physical.

A sports physical isn’t the same as a well-child visit—it’s designed to supplement regular checkups and ensure your child is healthy enough to participate in physical activity.