Your four year old should have their checkup and you are about to get in touch with their doctor and schedule one. At times, you might worry a bit about those checkups, but that is all normal for you and for your kid. However, it may take an edge off if you and your child know what is about to happen and what to expect on this checkup. Here is how a regular appointment looks like for a four year old:
Senses
Your doctor will have to check your child’s hearing and their vision. The hearing is checked in many ways, but the most common one is to use headphone through which the doctor will play sounds of different frequencies. The child should respond as agreed once they hear a sound. In this way, the hearing threshold will be determined. Vision will be checked with the vision charts and the doctor will see if your kid’s eyes respond adequately.
Body Checkup
All the things that should be checked are the blood pressure and the heart rate which are checked with the appliances that we all are familiar with. Also, your kid will be measured for height and weight and their BMI will be calculated. This checkup is done while your kid is in their underwear so that the doctor can see the development of the spine and the feet as well. Don’t be alarmed if your kid is sent for a more thorough checkup at children’s podiatrist. Flat feet and irregular foot position should be registered as soon as possible. If they are not corrected in time, they can cause issues with joints and even spine later on. Also, the podiatrist will make sure that the skin of the feet is all right and free of fungus and other issues. These checkups are painless and they are not unpleasant. A parent is present at all times.
Speech Check
While the doctor is doing the checkup, they will ask your kid to answer some simple questions about themselves, their family and friends and about their favorite song or game. In that way, they will be able to make sure that the speech is developing correctly, as well as all the other mental functions. At the age of 4, your child should be able to understand the gender, to draw a basic human figure with all the limbs, to catch the ball thrown at them in most cases. They should be able to tell a simple story and they should be able to participate in games with their peers.
Immunization
Besides the checkup, the doctor will conduct the immunization of your kid. You will be informed about all the vaccinations needed and about their order and schedule as these tend to vary.
Things to Notify the Doctor About
You should talk with your kid’s doctor if your child is losing too much sleep, has frequent pains, rashes or any other sign that something isn’t quite right. Also, you will be required to talk about the sleeping, eating and toilet habits of your child. Don’t be concerned if your kid is still having some toilet accidents, because that is perfectly normal.
Having regular checkups is very important for the health of your child and for the prevention of the health risks that may happen in the future. These are not scary and they are not painful or unpleasant. Therefore, use them to create a positive attitude toward health preservation with your child.