On this page

Basics

• Summary
• Start Here
• Diagnosis and Tests
• Prevention and Risk Factors
• Treatments and Therapies

Learn More

• Related Issues
• Specifics

See, Play and Learn

• Health Check Tools
• Videos and Tutorials

Research

• Statistics and Research
• Clinical Trials
• Journal Articles

Resources

• Reference Desk
• Find an Expert

For You

• Children
• Patient Handouts

Summary

Your child's health includes physical, mental and social well-being. Most parents know the basics of keeping children healthy, like offering them healthy foods, making sure they get enough sleep and exercise and ensuring their safety.

It is also important for children to get regular checkups with their health care provider. These visits are a chance to check your child's development. They are also a good time to catch or prevent problems.

Other than checkups, school-age children should be seen for:

• Significant weight gain or loss
• Sleep problems or change in behavior
• Fever higher than 102
• Rashes or skin infections
• Frequent sore throats
• Breathing problems

Start Here

• Children: General Health (For Parents) (Nemours Foundation) Also in Spanish
• Staying Healthy (For Kids) (Nemours Foundation) Also in Spanish

Diagnosis and Tests

• Chest Pain in Infants and Children (American Academy of Family Physicians) Also in Spanish
• Elimination Problems or Constipation in Infants and Children (American Academy of Family Physicians) Also in Spanish
• Fever in Infants and Children (American Academy of Family Physicians) Also in Spanish
• Mouth Problems in Infants and Children (American Academy of Family Physicians) Also in Spanish
• Nausea and Vomiting in Infants and Children (American Academy of Family Physicians) Also in Spanish
• Taking Your Child's Temperature (Nemours Foundation) Also in Spanish
• Thermometers: Understand the Options (Mayo Foundation for Medical Education and Research) Also in Spanish

Prevention and Risk Factors

• Hearing Tests (For Parents) (Nemours Foundation) Also in Spanish
• Your Child's Vision (Nemours Foundation) Also in Spanish

Treatments and Therapies

• 7 Things to Know about Mind and Body Practices for Children and Teens (National Center for Complementary and Integrative Health)
• Are Antibiotics Needed for My Child's Runny Nose? Q & A Guide for Parents (Centers for Disease Control and Prevention) - PDF
• Children and the Use of Complementary Health Approaches (National Center for Complementary and Integrative Health)
• How to Give Your Child Medicine (American Academy of Family Physicians) Also in Spanish

Related Issues

• AAP (American Academy of Pediatrics) Schedule of Well-Child Care Visits (American Academy of Pediatrics) Also in Spanish
• Getting the Most From a Doctor's Visit (Nemours Foundation) Also in Spanish
• Helping Kids Get Ready for Surgery (Nemours Foundation)
• How Often Do Children Need to Take a Bath? (American Academy of Dermatology)
• How to Prepare Your Child for a Lab Test (National Library of Medicine) Also in Spanish
• Passing Healthy Habits on to Your Children (American Academy of Family Physicians) Also in Spanish

Specifics

• Child Nutrition: MedlinePlus Health Topic (National Library of Medicine) Also in Spanish
• Constipation in Children (National Institute of Diabetes and Digestive and Kidney Diseases) Also in Spanish
• Coughing (For Parents) (Nemours Foundation) Also in Spanish
• Fever (High Temperature) In Kids (Nemours Foundation) Also in Spanish
• Growing Pains (For Parents) (Nemours Foundation) Also in Spanish
• Keep an Eye on Your Child's Vision (Centers for Disease Control and Prevention)
• Kids and Sleep (For Parents) (Nemours Foundation) Also in Spanish
• Repeated Infections in Children (American Academy of Family Physicians) Also in Spanish
• Sleep Terrors (Night Terrors) (Mayo Foundation for Medical Education and Research) Also in Spanish

Health Check Tools

• Child and Teen BMI Calculator (Centers for Disease Control and Prevention) Also in Spanish

Videos and Tutorials

• Nemours KidsHealth: Movies and More (Nemours Foundation) Also in Spanish

Statistics and Research

• America's Children in Brief: Key National Indicators of Well-Being (Federal Interagency Forum on Child and Family Statistics)
• FastStats: Child Health (National Center for Health Statistics)
• Youth Risk Behavior Surveillance System (Centers for Disease Control and Prevention)

Clinical Trials

• ClinicalTrials.gov: Child Health (National Institutes of Health)

Journal Articles References and abstracts from MEDLINE/PubMed (National Library of Medicine)

• Article: Does Early Involvement of Interns in a Quality Improvement Project Enhance...
• Article: Efficacy of delivery models in early intervention: Findings from Germany's nurse-family...
• Article: 'Saga Stories in health talks' for health promotion in Swedish child...
• Children's Health -- see more articles

Reference Desk

• Growth Charts (For Parents) (Nemours Foundation) Also in Spanish

Find an Expert

• Eunice Kennedy Shriver National Institute of Child Health and Human Development Also in Spanish
• Find a Pediatrician or Pediatric Specialist (American Academy of Pediatrics) Also in Spanish
• KidsHealth (Nemours Foundation)

Children

• Educational Resources for Students and Teachers: Bones, Joints, Muscles, and Skin (National Institute of Arthritis and Musculoskeletal and Skin Diseases)
• How the Body Works (For Kids) (Nemours Foundation) Also in Spanish
• KidsHealth for Kids (Nemours Foundation)

Patient Handouts

• The day of surgery for your child (Medical Encyclopedia) Also in Spanish
• Well-child visits (Medical Encyclopedia) Also in Spanish
• When to use the emergency room - child (Medical Encyclopedia) Also in Spanish