From Infants to Teens: Regular Well-Child Visits Matter at Every Age

When people tend to think about well-child checkups, the first things that come to mind are measuring height and weight, and seeing if they are up to date on vaccines. More importantly, it’s an opportunity to make sure your child is growing, developing, and feeling their best at every stage—from infancy through the teenage years. At Bluestem Health in Lincoln, we understand how important it is to monitor your child’s growth regularly, answer your questions, and support you through the everyday milestones and challenges that come with raising kids. 

As children grow and change, regular checkups help build healthy habits, strong relationships with providers, and a foundation for lifelong wellness—all in a caring and welcoming environment. 

What Happens at a Well-Child Visit?

Depending on your child’s age, a well-child visit may include:

• Measuring height and weight
• Checking vision and hearing
• Monitoring developmental milestones
• Reviewing nutrition and eating habits
• Discussing bedtime routines
• Making sure immunizations are current 

In addition, your provider may perform a physical exam, which can help identify health concerns early on.

Our team welcomes parents to ask questions and talk through everyday concerns. Topics like behavior, mental health, school performance, sports participation, safety, and social development are all important aspects of the conversation. Visits with a provider are meant to be supportive and personalized, giving parents and caregivers guidance, reassurance, and resources tailored to their child’s unique needs and stage of life.

Developmental Stages

At each stage of development, our providers monitor different aspects of your child’s growth. Below, we’ve provided some common milestones by age group. If a delay or concern is identified—either through these standard tests, a parent’s observations, or the doctor’s screening—our providers often consider more specific evaluations to determine if the delay is physical (requiring physical therapy), communication-based (requiring speech therapy), or behavioral.

• Infants (0–12 months): At this time of life, they reach so many exciting early milestones, like smiling and recognizing familiar faces, making eye contact and responding to sounds, and starting to roll over, sit up, crawl, and even pull up to stand. Infants should also begin reaching for objects and babbling when they hear voices.
  
• Toddlers (1–3 years) are busy building big skills, including walking, climbing, improving coordination, saying their first words and short sentences. Typically, toddlers also begin following simple directions, feeding themselves, interacting with other children, growing independence, and expressing emotions.
  
• Preschoolers (3–5 years) are speaking in full sentences, learning colors, shapes, numbers, and letters. Our providers also like to see them building stronger coordination through running, hopping, and other active play. Preschoolers are also learning to share and take turns, follow routines, and use problem-solving skills.
  
• School-Age Kids (6–12 years) are strengthening their academic and reading skills, forming friendships, and gaining confidence in social settings. We often see how they’re also becoming more independent and responsible, improving coordination through play and sports, managing emotions, communicating more effectively, and developing healthy routines.
  
• Adolescents and Teens (13–18 years) may display the most change as they experience major physical growth and puberty-related changes while becoming more aware of their emotional and mental health. During these years, it’s important they develop stronger decision-making skills, shape their identity, and gain independence. Our providers might ask about if they are building healthy relationships, how they are managing school and activities, and if they are good at handling stress.

Our team looks forward to speaking with parents, and we’d like you to ask questions and discuss any concerns you or your child may have.

Schedule school and sports physicals early!

Summer is here, and a well-child visit or sports physical may not be top of mind—but it’s actually a great time to get ahead. Scheduling now means one less thing to think about later, so your family can enjoy a more relaxed, worry-free summer knowing your child’s health needs are met.

Get your child’s well-child visit on the schedule today by calling 402-476-1455and head into the summer with peace of mind.