Deep breath!
Dr. David
Sulkowski of
Bright Oaks
Pediatric Center
listens to the
lungs of Gloria
Farmer. How to make the most of your child’s wellness visit
BY LAURA FARMER
22 Washington FAMILY AUGUST 2022
Vital Signs and Growth
LAURA FARMER
F Burns also offers another pro tip for kids
who may be especially uncomfortable: wear
“There are different things we check for
a bathing suit.

at each age. But we always check a child’s
vitals, and weight, height, and head circum-
Developmental Milestones
ference for babies. Then everything gets
Your child’s pediatrician will also assess if
plotted on the patient’s growth chart. We
your child is meeting developmental mile-
can get a lot of information about (kids’)
stones, such as learning to talk in the younger
general health, such their nutrition or if they
years, or doing well in school for older kids.

have an illness, by tracking their growth,”
“We have a very strict list (from the
explains Sulkowski.

American Academy of Pediatrics) of devel-
opmental milestones that we look at for each
Physical Exam
age. We also spend a lot of time checking on
Another important part of the wellness
social development and academic perfor-
visit is a head-to-toe examination of
mance,” Sulkowski says.

the child’s body, including their private
parts, which can be uncomfortable for
Mental Wellness
some children.

Checking on a patient’s mental health is also
“I recommend that parents prepare kids
important, especially in the adolescent years.

for this part of the exam beforehand,” says
“We do a lot of screening and evaluation
Checkup Checklist
Dr. Jennifer Burns, M.D., pediatrician and
According to Dr. David Sulkowski, D.O., owner of Urbana Pediatrics in Urbana, for mental health concerns for our older
a pediatrician with Bright Oaks Pediatric Maryland. “We need to have a visual inspec- patients,” says Sulkowski. “It has always been
Center in Bel Air, Maryland, your tion of their whole body to ensure that a big issue, but it seems to have blossomed
child’s annual checkup is important for everything is developing as it should and even more with COVID-19 and isolation, and
with the stress of getting back to normal.”
many reasons.

there are no concerns.”
or some kids, visiting their pediatri-
cian is all about the lollipops.

“There have been times when my
kids were nervous about getting a shot,
but now they associate going to the doc-
tor’s with getting a lollipop! They’re like,
‘I get a shot, then I get a lollipop—worth
it!’” says Gabriela Clonan, B.S.N., R.N.,
C.B.C., a mother of three and nurse from
Abingdon, Maryland.

Of course, Clonan knows that lollipops
aren’t the only reasons to stay up-to-date
with her kids’ wellness visits.

“There have been times I had concerns,
especially when my kids were newborns,
and I shared them with the pediatrician
at their checkup. It always helped,”
Clonan says.