Healthy kid check list

There's nothing like watching your child growing up. It's a magical process. For a parent, it's a time of wonder, of learning, and also of great challenges. Ensuring the health of your child is one of the biggest of these. Very often, you have to face completely new situations with only your intuition as a guide. Regular visits to your doctor are an important part of monitoring your child's healthy development - and a great source of information and support for parents. Here's a checklist of things you can do to make the most out of visits to your child's doctor:

Keep reliable records: Buy a notepad or exercise book that is exclusively for your child's health information.

Take your child's temperature: Use a paediatric thermometer to measure you child's temperature regularly (morning and night) and note results in your records.

Note appetite changes: keep daily records of your child's eating behaviour; note variations in appetite.

Childhood illness: if your child is showing symptoms of illness, write these symptoms down for reference at the doctor's; this is more accurate than trying to remember each change while you are in her/his office.

Questions: These visits are just as important for you as they are for your baby. Give yourself the opportunity to note down questions that occur to you during the day. Bring the list to your doctor and go through it together.

Pack your bags: Remember to bring toys, nappies and something to drink when you go to the doctor's to keep your baby comfortable in the waiting room.

Dress for access: Dress your baby in clothes that can easily be taken off and put on again with minimum fuss.

Follow up: Take written notes during your visit of the key points. If in doubt, ask: that's what your doctor is there for!