The first year is the most intensive period of growth in a person's life: a child travels from a helpless newborn to a little one who stands, understands speech addressed to them and tries their first “grown-up” food. That is exactly why medical monitoring is at its most frequent during the first year.
How monitoring is organised
Pediatric check-ups for newborns are essential and should take place monthly. At every visit the doctor measures length, weight and head circumference, assesses how skills are developing, and answers your questions about feeding and sleep. It all begins with home visiting: the first check-ups after discharge from the maternity hospital are easiest done at home.
Feeding
Feeding questions are the most frequent ones in the first year: is the baby getting enough milk, how to get breastfeeding going, when to introduce solids. The general starting point for the conversation is introducing complementary foods at around six months, but the concrete plan depends on the child: the pace of weight gain, readiness, any allergic background. All of this is worked through individually at the appointment.
Development
Holding the head up, rolling over, sitting, crawling, first steps — every skill has rough age ranges, but the pace of development differs from child to child. The job of the routine check-ups is to assess your own child's progress over time. If something about their development worries you, do not wait for the “scheduled date”: ask the doctor sooner.
First-year vaccinations
A large part of the national vaccination calendar falls within the first year of life. At every routine check-up the doctor goes over the vaccination card and reminds you about the next vaccine, so nothing slips through. We covered Georgia's calendar, and how to continue vaccinations after relocating, in separate articles.
Daily routine
Sleep, walks, awake time — the first-year routine changes almost every month, and questions about it are perfectly normal. If something in the routine is not coming together — your child sleeps badly or, conversely, seems to sleep a worrying amount — that is a topic for a routine check-up, not for internet self-diagnosis.
What to bring to a routine check-up
- the vaccination card and your child's medical documents;
- a list of questions — jot them down over the course of the month so nothing is forgotten;
- a change of clothes and nappies: the examination may take a while;
- whatever you may need for feeding during the visit.
When not to wait for the scheduled date
The routine schedule does not cancel the main rule: if your child's wellbeing worries you — changes in feeding, sleep, behaviour — that is a reason to contact the doctor without waiting for the next check-up. A parent's “something is not right” is a strong argument for an unscheduled conversation with the pediatrician: the doctor will tell you what to do and decide whether an examination is needed.