Choosing a pediatrician is an important decision that you’ll make for your baby. They will be part of your baby’s health team and an important part of their childhood.
Your baby’s pediatrician will manage their overall health, including diagnosing and treating illnesses from infancy through adolescence. This will be the doctor you go to for anything health-related from routine check-ups to any more serious ailments.
And you’ll want to make this decision before your little one is born so that your pediatrician will be lined up and ready to meet your baby within a day or two after birth.
And trust me, if you’re a first-time mom, this will be the doctor you call at 3 a.m. when your child has a fever, and you’re not sure what to do; this will also be the doctor you confide in and trust to recommend specialists if needed. And if you choose well, it will probably be the doctor you send Christmas cards to because your pediatrician will become an important part of your child’s life!
When you begin your search for a pediatrician, you’ll probably find there are many smart and caring doctors out there. And you’ll also find some whose style you just don’t like. Just like finding the right OB, selecting a pediatrician for your baby is also about finding a good fit.
What Does a Pediatrician Do?
A pediatrician will manage every aspect of your child’s health. Beginning as a newborn, your baby will have routine (and frequent) well-visits to assess your little one’s growth and development. Following infancy and toddlerhood, your child will continue to see their pediatrician, but those routine visits will begin to space out and eventually become annual appointments for routine check-ups. And, of course, there will always be the inevitable sick visits interspersed throughout the year.
During your baby’s routine well-visits, your pediatrician will evaluate many facets of your child’s health and advise you on the best course of action for their development, growth, and prevention.
Growth and Development
Your child’s pediatrician will do a physical exam at each well-visit. During this time, your baby will be weighed, measured, and examined to make sure that they are tracking along the growth curve. This is also when your pediatrician will assess your little one’s nutrition and developmental milestones. At this appointment, you can bring up and discuss any concerns you may have about your child’s behavior, any learning issues you’ve noticed, or nutritional deficiencies.
Sick Visits
Of course, these are the visits every parent dreads. Your kiddo will get sick at some point, and no parent likes to see their little one sniffling, crying, and suffering. The good news is your pediatrician will typically take same-day sick visit appointments to help you manage their symptoms and get your kiddo on track for a quick recovery.
Types of Pediatricians
You might think that a pediatrician is a pediatrician. And while that is true to an extent, it’s good to know that there is some differentiation between types of doctors your baby/child may see as their primary care doctor. There are two key types of primary care doctors you can send your child to for routine medical care:
- Pediatrician: A general pediatrician is a primary care doctor who is board-certified and will have completed a medical degree and as well as a residency. During residency, they will have received clinical training specifically tailored to care for children and adolescents. Once finished with training, pediatricians typically work within a pediatric practice solely dedicated to the medical care of children and adolescents.
- Family Doctor: A family doctor will be board certified and have completed a medical degree and residency. Typically, a family doctor’s training encompasses all ages from birth through adulthood. As the title indicates, family doctors include the entire family. Some parents prefer going to a family doctor because of its convenience. It’s also good to keep in mind that your family doctor will be educated on your family’s health and aware of any medical issues that run in your family and could impact your child.
- Integrative Pediatrician: A smaller group of pediatricians are now practicing what is called integrative pediatrics. Integrative medicine in general tends to look at the body as a whole, taking a more balanced approach to healthcare. I prefer to see integrative or functional doctors whenever possible, but be prepared for these doctors to charge a concierge fee or not take insurance at all.
The Search Is On! Make a List of Potential Pediatricians
So, if you’re in your third trimester of pregnancy and beginning to search for your pediatrician or if you’re simply looking to make a switch to a new pediatrician, here is how to begin your search for a pediatrician.
Step 1: Ask for Referrals.
Word-of-mouth is always a good way to go. Ask your family, friends, coworkers, and neighbors who they send their kids to for pediatric care. Ask in local Facebook mom groups for recommendations. You can also ask your OB; they refer their patients to pediatricians all the time!
If people are happy with their child’s medical care, they’re likely to recommend him/her and tell you all about how wonderful their experiences have been. And if someone hasn’t had great luck with a specific doctor or practice, parents tend to be pretty vocal and are happy to offer their cautionary tales.
Step 2: Check With Your Insurance.
There’s no point in interviewing a doctor if they are out of network and you don’t want to deal with out-of-network premiums. Go to your insurance company’s website and get a list of doctors near you that are in-network. Check to see if the doctors that your friends and family recommended are in-network. If you aren’t sure, you can always call their office and ask.
Note: don’t give up on a doctor you really like simply because they aren’t showing up in your insurance company’s directory. Call and make sure before crossing them off of your list.
For example, the pediatrician I chose was listed with my insurance company under her maiden name. If I had relied on that search I would have never interviewed her.
Step 3: Check Their Credentials.
Check the doctor’s qualifications. Find out where they went to medical school and where they did their residency.
Important: Make sure they are board-certified.
Board certification is an important part of staying relevant in pediatrics or family medicine. After medical school and residency, a doctor will continue their commitment to their field by becoming board-certified through a series of rigorous tests designed to verify that the doctor is competent in all facets of their specialty.
Once board-certified, doctors will typically renew their certification every 10 years. However, while the initial board certification is required for practicing medicine, the renewal is not required to continue practicing medicine. So, definitely check on the doctor’s latest credentials!
Note: If you see “FAAP” after the doctor’s name, this indicates that the doctor is part of the American Academy of Pediatrics and is board certified.
Step 4: Learn More About The Doctor.
Start by reading the pediatrician’s biography, which is usually on their website. (If they don’t have a website, that can tell you that they aren’t as tech-friendly as other doctors might be.)
Consider how long they have been in practice as well as any subspecialties or medical interests listed. For example, a doctor may list adolescents as a subspecialty. Most bios will also display their personal interests (like golfing or gourmet cooking) as well as their own family dynamic (like he/she has three children and a dog). I like to take the time to learn about who is behind the white coat… after all, this is someone who you and your child will likely be seeing repeatedly for years and whose medical guidance you will want to trust.
Step 5: Call and Schedule an Interview.
I strongly advise that you set up interviews with prospective pediatricians to gauge their views on childcare, understand their medical philosophies, and review their policies. It’s also a really easy way to see if their personality is a good match (this is so important!). This is also beneficial because it gives you a chance to interact with the office staff and get a feel for what an office visit may be like.
Setting up an interview is easy. Narrow down your choice of doctors and simply call and ask to make an appointment to meet with the doctor. Typically these slots are short, ten or fifteen-minute appointments or phone calls, so you’ll want to be ready with your questions.
Questions to Ask When You Interview a Pediatrician
If you’re unsure where to start with your interview, here are a few key questions to ask pediatricians. These are the questions I felt helped to lead me to a good (or bad) feeling about each doctor I considered.
Medical Experience and Philosophy
Ask these questions as applicable to get a sense of how the doctor practices and what their philosophies are on topics that may be important to you. Questions like these give you a good opportunity to hear the doctor speak about himself/herself so they can be very eye-opening.
- How long have you been practicing medicine?
- Do you have a subspecialty?
- Why did you become a pediatrician?
- What do you like most about working with children?
- Are you a fellow of the AAP (American Academy of Pediatrics)? (Or if you are interviewing a family doctor, the ABFM?)
- How do you generally feel about prescribing antibiotics? Do you give them for ear infections?
- How do you feel about alternative medicine and natural remedies?
- Do you require your patients to be on a specific vaccine schedule?
- Are you willing to work with us on our vaccine preferences?
- What are your thoughts about sleep training/bedsharing/extended breastfeeding?
Medical Care Logistics
You can ask the front desk staff to answer some of these questions.
- How far in advance do I need to book an appointment?
- Will I be able to see a doctor of my choosing from the practice when making an appointment?
- Can I reach the doctor by email or text? Does he/she correspond with parents on a specific app? (This is super convenient if you can find a good doctor that will accept emails or texts, though nowadays many doctors are charging concierge fees for this.)
- Who do I speak to after-hours when the office is closed? Note: pay attention to whether a nurse or doctor will be taking your call during off-hours. You should be able to speak with a pediatrician from the practice.
- Can I book a same-day appointment if my child gets sick? How does this usually work? (Some practices have a specific block of time set aside for same-day emergency appointments, for example.)
- If the doctor is not available, who will be covering for them? Are there any other pediatricians in the same office, or does another doctor provide coverage for him/her? If so, what is their name(s)?
- Which hospitals is the doctor affiliated with? (Note: make sure they have privileges at the hospital you plan to deliver at, or another pediatrician will evaluate your baby after birth.)
Evaluate the Office
Don’t forget to take a look around the office and do some digging on what it might be like to be a patient. While the doctor’s qualifications are important, so is the office environment.
- Are the waiting rooms and examination rooms clean?
- Is the waiting room kid-friendly with toys and books?
- Are the front desk staff friendly and organized?
- Is there a separate entrance and waiting room for sick patients?
- Do they have nurses who will answer questions when the doctor isn’t available? My pediatrician’s office has a nurse’s line and it is so convenient.
- Do they offer any other conveniences, such as a lactation consultant or nutritionist on staff?
- What are the office hours? Do they see patients on weekends?
- Do they take your insurance? Do they charge any additional concierge fees?
- Do they charge fees to fill out school paperwork? Believe me, you’ll be doing that before you even know it 🙂
How to Choose the Right Pediatrician For You
Once you’ve done your research and the interviews are over, it’s time to choose your child’s pediatrician. The choice might be very simple, in which case: awesome. But more than likely, you will have to carve out some reflection time to figure out what felt best. It can be a hard decision!
- Did the doctor earn your trust?
- Did you feel like your questions were taken seriously?
- Did the doctor take the time to sit down with you and answer your questions?
- Did you feel comfortable with him/her? You can think of this in relationship terms; did you feel comfortable talking to the doctor?
- Is he/she the right fit for you?
It might seem superficial to have these preferences, but I assure you these things matter!
Some parents are drawn to younger doctors, thinking they are more up-to-date on medical care practices or are fresh out of training. Other parents prefer more seasoned doctors thinking they have seen it all and might be better suited to diagnose any potential issues. Whatever your thought process is, definitely don’t ignore your preferences!
Reflection Questions: Making the Final Decision
Here are some additional questions to help you reflect on your experiences and take into consideration other important logistics.
- Was the pediatrician friendly, welcoming, and open to questions?
- Did you feel comfortable interacting with him/her?
- Was the office well-organized?
- How long did you have to wait before the doctor met with you?
- Are they open to natural approaches to childcare?
- Do they respond to non-emergency questions by text, email or calls?
- Are they in-network with your insurance provider?
- Do their office hours suit you?
- Was the staff caring, considerate and helpful?
- How far is their office from your home? (You don’t want to drive 30 minutes for a drop-in sick visit or a quick lab test).
Of course, don’t stress too much! Remember that, while not ideal, if you feel like the pediatrician you’ve chosen isn’t the right fit for you, you can always switch doctors.
Good luck with your search for your child’s pediatrician! I hope these tips and questions were helpful to you as you are preparing to interview pediatricians.
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After choosing a pediatrician for your baby, you might also want to look into childcare options such as finding a daycare or hiring a nanny.
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