The first year of a person’s life is always one of their most important. This is the start of their development, making it have an impact on them throughout the rest of their lives. Of course, most new parents are well aware of this and will work hard to make sure that they are giving their children what they need to develop healthily. This process involves seeing a range of medical professionals, but who exactly should your baby be seeing in their first year on Earth? Let’s take a look.
Pediatrician
Pediatrics is a field of medicine that involves working with infants, toddlers, and young children. Doctors in this field are experts on infant development, making them a great place to go when you want to make sure that your baby is growing well. Seeing a doctor like this within the first 6 months of your baby’s life is a good idea, with at least one follow-up visit by the time they are one year old. Of course, your baby should also see a doctor like this if they seem to be unwell, but this is something that you will easily be able to see once you have had your baby at home for a week or two.
Doctor of Audiology
Hearing is one of the hardest senses to measure, especially when it comes to babies. Many of the most accurate audiology testing methods involve the patient giving responses, and it can be hard to tell whether or not a baby is reacting to sounds. Seeing a doctor of audiology within the first year of a baby’s life can be a good way to ensure that they don’t have any hearing problems that could stunt their development of language. Many regular doctors can perform basic hearing tests, but they will refer you to a specialist if they feel that your baby needs a closer look from an expert.
Dentist
Babies aren’t born with teeth, with a liquid diet sustaining them for their first few months. Their first set of teeth will start to emerge between the age of 6-months and a year, making this a good time to see a dentist. Teething can be a painful process, but this will be much more painful if there are additional problems in your baby’s mouth, and it can be hard to tell if these problems exist without an expert’s view. Taking a baby to this sort of appointment can be hard, but you can be there to comfort them as the doctor looks at their teeth. Thankfully, many dental issues can be solved entirely when they are caught nice and early.
Ensuring that your child develops as well as they can is easier than ever before. Not only do you have access to loads of different medical professionals, but you can also learn a lot around the web when you are trying to find new ways to approach this. There will still be more work to do once the first year is through, but this will only get easier for you.
