Blog

May 22, 2015

To Do: Schedule a Summer Checkup (for kids 3 years and older)

 You may have seen headlines warning about children who have check ups in the winter being at higher risk of getting sick.  This is not rocket science.  Viruses like colds and influenza usually peak in the winter. And yes, if there is a doctor's office filled with sick kids, then walking into that office with your healthy child for their annual checkup may expose your child to those germs, thereby increasing your child's chances of getting sick.  Those of us who work at Twin City Pediatrics are very aware of all these germs too, and we do all we can to protect your children (and ourselves) from getting sick!

So, rest assured, there are several things we can all do to keep your kids healthy.

Most importantly, if your child is 3 years old or older and is generally healthy, please consider scheduling their yearly checkup in the late spring or summer!  That way, we can ensure they are up to date on all their immunizations, and we can complete all required forms for school and athletics before starting school in the fall.  Plus, you won't have to pull them out of school to see us.  And, best of all, no one gets exposed to all the sick germs raging in the winter!

Whenever you come to see us, we do our best to protect everyone from getting sick.  Here's how you can help! 

First, if you are bringing a sick child into our office (any child with fever, cough, sore throat, vomiting, etc), please wait in our designated "Sick Lobby' to try to minimize exposing those germs to the healthy kids.

Second, if your child is coughing, please be courteous of our other patients, their families, and our staff and have your child wear a mask (we will gladly provide one at our front desk for your child).

Third, bring your own toys or reading materials from home to entertain your child while you wait.  While we love to provide games and toys to help you pass the time while you are waiting for us (and yes, we realize that asking a toddler to stay confined in a small exam room for more than 15 minutes can be extremely trying), we try to put away most toys during the winter to minimize the spreading of germs.  It's just too difficult to wipe down every toy after every visit.

We at Twin City love to see all of our patients (and their parents)!  But we try to do whatever we can to keep your kids healthy and the strategies listed above improve those chances.