Choosing a pediatrician for your baby is one of the many important decisions that parents must make during pregnancy. You will want to make sure you are going to be seeing a doctor who has similar health care philosophies as your family rather than just choosing the most convenient office location.
My husband and I were recently making this decision and interviewing pediatricians. Some offices were “too busy” to make time to interview with us in person. We immediately crossed these off of our list as we want a doctor and staff who are willing to answer our questions and take the time to appreciate our “business”, because really we will be paying them for a service. When you do have an interview setup with a potential health care provider, be sure you write down your questions beforehand so you remember everything you want to ask.
You can begin your search by asking family and friends who live close by what their experience with their pediatrician is like. You can also call your local health network to get a listing of pediatricians covered by your insurance. From there I suggest looking at their websites and calling offices for more information and then deciding who you would like to interview with. You can also ask for referrals from your OB or midwife.
Important factors to consider when you are interviewing pediatricians:
- Do you feel open and comfortable speaking to the doctor?
- Is the office cozy and welcoming?
- What is the attitude of the other staff members?
- What hospitals do they have privileges at, in the event of hospitalization?
- Are there extended office hours some days? Weekends?
- Is the doctor easily accessible for questions? Will you receive a return phone call from a staff member the same day?
- How many practitioners are in the practice? (physicians, nurse practitioners, physician assistants)
- Is there a lactation consultant on staff or for referral?
- Is there an answering service available at all times for emergencies?
- What is the minimum amount of check-ups in the first year and beyond?
- Ask questions on specific health areas that are important to you that may include:
- Breastfeeding Support
- Solid Foods/Baby’s First Foods
- Vaccines/Immunizations
- Non-hospital birth (birthing center, home birth)
- Specific family health questions or concerns that arose during pregnancy
Ideally, this should be completed by 36 weeks of pregnancy. Your OB or midwife may have a form that you need to have signed by the pediatrician so be sure to have everything completed in time so you are not rushing and choosing someone who may not be the best fit. Your child will be seeing their pediatrician for many years so it is important that you find someone you trust and can communicate openly with.
How did you find a pediatrician for your child? Is there anything else that was important to you when considering who would be the best fit for your family?
Great questions to help pick out a ped for kids. For me it's always a stressful time because I'm worried about their beliefs being pushed. So far we've lucked out. 15 years and only 2 bad peds I switched from immediately. ~ Chelle from <a href="www.ohjuststopalready.com" rel="nofollow">Oh Just Stop Already</a>
I hear you Chelle! I think its probably the most important thing to have the same health beliefs as your health care provider. I'm glad you found one that works well with your family!
This is a wonderful comprehensive list of questions to find a great pediatrician. The biggest thing for me was finding an office with nurses on staff that were available to answer my questions. I like knowing if I should or should not come in, and their wisdom has really helped me in the past. Thank you for making this resource for moms!
Thanks Jenna! I agree, having helpful and knowledgeable office staff is a must.
Very good advice! I just ran across your blog on facebook and I'm really enjoying it. I would have never thought to ask many practitioners are in the practice… =) Thanks for the share and for the chance to win some great gifts! =)
Thanks for stopping by Alexia! I'm glad the tips were helpful. And good luck if you are entering some of the giveaways!
I love how you crossed the names off your list when the office couldn't make time for you to come in. I would have done the same thing!<br /><br />It is so important to trust your pediatrician. Thankfully, we found an amazing one who has been wonderful to our two sons and I am certain she will be just as attentive and caring to our baby girl. Thanks for this post though. I have a lot of
we have had such a time even finding a doctor. so sad that this is the reality where we are. we had a wonderful NP, in a NP led clinic which got closed with virtually no notice. it is so important to trust the person giving your family medical guidance!
We live in a tiny town where there is one available pediatric clinic. They're always busy, the wait is forever, and by the time you get called back the nurses are usually frantically trying to get through to the next patient. However, I absolutely love the pediatrician herself – so it's one of those "win some, lose some" things.
Great advice, I haven't even thought about paediatricians yet, thank you.
Wonderful article! Our little one is due 4/20 and we've selected a pediatrician that we've heard wonderful things about but have not been able to go in and meet him one on one yet. We know we have a lot of other options should we decide we're not satisfied with him and can switch once we see how he interacts with baby!
Your little one is almost here, just days left Kadie! Word of mouth is so important when choosing a ped. I wish you a happy (and easy!) delivery!
I never considered these things. Great tips. I’m definitely using this as guide.
I agree that it is very important to have a pediatrician that is a good fit for your family, has a good work ethic, and has the time to answer all your questions about your child and then takes exceptional care of your loved one! The first pediatrician that my daughter had always said “he’s fine” every time then sent her home, no matter what the condition of my grandson with no explanation of “why”. Drove me nuts!
Its been a difficult process for us to find a dr for our new bundle that is arriving in a few weeks. Even thought we found one, I am not 100% sold on her ability to practice medicine. Thanks for the tips on finding one.
I didn’t even think about a pediatrician and no one had mentioned it to me until 38 weeks.
i wish so much i could go back & do this over. I like our enough— but i really feel like i could’ve found one that meshes more w. my values & concerns
We use a family practice doctor for me, my hubby, our adopted teenager, and our two biological children (2 and 5) and will use her for our new addition when he/she gets here also. But we had the WORST time finding a doctor we liked who would see all of us. I am so grateful for her and hope she will always accept whatever insurance we have.
Thank You for sharing these useful and awesome tips. I didn’t have any experience about it, so the hospital chose one for my baby but I really don’t feel comfortable with her. I think it’s time to consider another better one for my baby!
Thanks again!
We picked a FNP for our primary health care needs, she’s through a doctor’s office in a small town that is associated with a great hospital in the “city” they are also associated with my OB-GYN so all offices can electronically file share easily ( get records within minutes).
I think the most important thing is that whatever pediatrician we choose respect our decisions as parents, especially when it comes to things like breastfeeding and immunization. We would actually love one who is slightly alternative.
I think your list of all the things to consider when choosing a pediatrician for your kids is spot on! I completely agree with all of them, and I am very picky when it comes to picking one for my kids. I just recently moved to a new state and am actually in the process right now of picking a pediatrician for all 3 of my kids!
I’m pregnant with our first child, so we’re going to be needing to do this soon! Thanks for the tips!