How often should newborns have physical examinations?

Children will undergo multiple physical examinations after birth to ensure that the baby can grow up healthily. The first physical examination should be conducted immediately after the baby is born, and the second one should be conducted when the baby is about one month old. Generally speaking, children under one year old can be examined once every two months, and children between 1 and 3 years old can be examined once every six months. Let’s take a look at this aspect.

How often should newborns have physical examinations?

After a newborn is born, more than one physical examination may be performed to ensure that the baby is growing healthily. The first physical examination of the baby's life should be done immediately after birth, the second on the 28th day, and the third on the 42nd day. These three physical examinations are very important for newborn babies. If the pregnant mother has any abnormal conditions before delivery or the newborn has any unexpected reactions after returning home, additional targeted physical examinations should be conducted.

For example, some parents believe based on experience that their children are well-nourished, but during a physical examination, according to the three standards set by the World Health Organization: "age and relative height", "age and weight", and "height and weight", the child may be malnourished. Therefore, it is very important for children aged 0 to 18 to have regular physical examinations. It can help parents promptly discover various problems that their children may have during their growth process, and achieve early detection, early treatment, and early intervention.

Under normal circumstances, newborns should be checked every 1-2 weeks, infants under 6 months old should be checked once a month, infants over 6 months and under 1 year old should be checked once every 2 months, children aged 1-3 years should be checked once every six months, and children aged 3-18 years should be checked once a year.

Key points of children's physical examination

Children's physical examinations focus on monitoring growth and development, and promptly detecting abnormalities in physical and intellectual development. There are several unique items and key points in children's physical examinations, such as lead content, trace elements, bone age, intelligence level, hearing test, etc.

Among them, lead is the only trace element that is not needed by the human body. It affects intelligence and bone development, causes indigestion, anemia, and damages kidney and immune functions. Even the presence of 0.01 micrograms of lead in the human body can cause harm to health; iron and copper complement each other to promote development, enhance resistance, and can prevent and treat iron deficiency anemia.

Lead content: Lead is the only trace element that the human body does not need. It affects the development of intelligence and bones, causes indigestion, anemia, and damages kidney and immune functions. Even the presence of 0.01 micrograms of lead in the human body can cause harm to health. Therefore, lead testing is a top priority in children's physical examinations.

Children with hemochromatosis are often 2 to 10 cm shorter than normal children of the same age, mostly due to iron deficiency. Iron deficiency can reduce children's immunity, affect their cognitive abilities, and cause them to behave strangely and become hyperactive.

Zinc, Calcium, and Magnesium: 80% of children whose zinc content in their bodies is lower than 1/2 of the normal level suffer from severe developmental delays. Therefore, if children want to grow taller, zinc intake is very important. Calcium and magnesium are also essential trace elements that complement each other and promote development. Calcium deficiency and high blood calcium levels can affect growth and development, and even cause disease. Therefore, calcium cannot be supplemented casually, but must be tested and supplemented according to the doctor's orders.