As a parent you face many worries and woes regarding your children. From the moment you find out you are expecting you are going through the motions and what ifs. 

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Development

You may be worried about your child’s development. Are they growing at the right rate, are they too heavy, not heavy enough? These are all very valid questions, from birth you can take your baby along to regular health checkups either with a doctor or community health nurse. At these checks your baby will be weighed, their head circumference will be measured and they will also have their length and height checked. You may notice length and height are both here, this is because babies cannot stand up so they lay down to get their ‘height’. 

All measurements will be recorded in your child’s personal health record books. Within these books there are charts and curves, the numbers will be plotted and this will show where on the development scale your child is. If the doctor or nurse has any concerns about your child these will be raised with you and a plan will be set up to help monitor any changes or improvements. 

Along with the visits you attend there are milestone checks that babies and young children will have throughout their childhood. These usually happen around the time your child is born, at 4 weeks, 8 weeks, 8 months, 18 months, 3 years, and 5 years. These checks ensure any childhood problems are discovered and sorted quickly. Issues such as hearing problems, whether your child can roll, sit up, crawl, and walk normally, if their speech and language is developing as it should. Doctors will usually perform little tests to see for themselves that your child is developing as they should be. 

If they are not your child may be referred to a kids pediatrician who can help your child with anything they need extra help with.  

Health 

Your child's health can be a big cause for concern when they are growing up. There are quite a lot of common health problems that can affect your children. Your child and your family can be affected by the grossest of things, worms for example. It is very common for children to be affected by worms as they don’t quite understand the importance of washing hands and wiping themselves properly when they go for a number 2. Worms have to be treated to get rid of it and it is beneficial for the whole family to receive treatment so it doesn’t get passed back and forth. 

Colds are probably the most common form of illness in children. Your baby doesn’t have a fully functioning immune system until around the age of two so they will catch anything and everything that goes around. If your child attends some form of childcare setting then they can indeed come home with a cold every week, and some children do. A good way to build up their immune system is to ensure they are eating lots of fruits and vegetables to ensure they are getting a healthy amount of vitamins and nutrients. 

If you are worried about anything that doesn’t seem quite right or your child just doesn’t seem like themselves make sure you take a trip to your doctor's surgery. 

Schools

Finally, schooling can be something you think about and plan for from the moment you find out you're expecting a precious bundle. Some places have exceptionally high waiting lists so it's important to find the right setting and get your child’s name down on the list so when they are the right age they can start straight away. You may even move to a nicer area with better quality schooling. 

It is important for your child to socialize before they start school, children who haven’t attended a childcare setting previously may struggle to understand social concepts, such as friendships and how to treat other children. Another problem you could be faced with is separation anxiety if your child isn’t used to being away from you, this can be a nightmare when you are trying to do the school drop-off. 

Issues can also arise once your child is at school. Problems with bullying are very common in all year groups: elementary school, middle school, and high school. Problems with bullying need to be addressed as soon as your child raises them. Nobody wants that for their child and your child will want to know you are doing everything in your power to support them and stop the bullying. Go into the school if you have to, speak to the children's parents if you know who they are and if that doesn’t solve anything then go higher up. 

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