Child and Adolescent Well-Visits

Well-visits are yearly checkups with your child’s primary care provider. These visits help monitor your child’s health, growth, and development, and overall health. They are an opportunity to give your child preventive care like vaccines and screenings. 

They are also known as well-child checks, wellness exams, yearly physicals, or annual checkups.  

What Happens at a Well-Visit? 

During a well visit, your child’s provider will: 

• Do a full physical exam. 
• Track your child's growth and development. 
• Check physical and mental health. 
• Give any needed immunizations and complete health screenings. 
• Ask about your child’s overall well-being. 
• Answer health-related questions and talk through any concerns. 

Why Well-Visits Are Important  

Well-visits offer many important benefits for your child's health and development, including: 

• Help your child’s primary care provider get a full picture of their health and catch any health concerns early. 
• A chance for your child to bond with their health care provider and make them a trusted presence in their life (and yours). 
• Supporting your child’s readiness for school. Children and adolescents who get regular well-visits have do better in school. 

Most Health Insurance Plans Cover Child and Adolescent Well-Visits 

Children and youth ages 0–20 in Washington can get a free well visit every year. Most health insurance plans, including Apple Health (Washington’s Medicaid) cover these visits at no cost.

Family Health: The Story of Tempestt, Raul and Maui, an in-depth look, long version, English

This video was co-created with Whatcom County Health & Community Services — Community Health Program.

Learn More

Frequently Asked Questions

Is a well-visit different from a sports physical?

Yes! A sports physical focuses on your child’s physical health and their ability to safely participate in sports. A well-visit covers more topics, including mental health, development, and preventive care like vaccines. Just ask your provider to fill out any needed sports forms during the visit.

How often should I schedule a child well-visit?

The Academy of Pediatrics (AAP) recommends the following schedule for well-visits:

• Birth, 2 to 4 days after birth (if discharged in under 48 hours)
• Before age 1: at 1 week, 1 month, 2 months, 4 months, 6 months, and 9 months
• Ages 1 to 4 years: 12 months, 15 months, 18 months, 24 months, 30 months
• Age 3 to 20 years: once a year

Contact your health care provider to find a schedule that works best for your family.

What happens at a well-visit?

Well-visits include a physical exam, growth and development checks, immunizations and health screenings. They are also a chance to ask questions and talk about any concerns.  

The American Academy of Pediatrics has developed a short tip sheet to help families know what to expect at a well-visit and how to prepare. This tip sheet is available in both  English (PDF) and Spanish (PDF). For more information, you can go to the Bright Futures Tools and Resources for Families page. You can also reach out to your child’s clinic. 

As you child grows, the topics your primary care physician on or health care provider discusses will change too.  

For teens and young adults, the Personal Safety: A Yearly Checkup: Before, During & After a Doctor’s Visit has more information.

What is preventive care and why is it important?

Preventive care means going to the doctor, dentist, or other provider even when you feel fine. It helps catch problems early and keeps your child healthy, so they can keep doing the things that matter to them.  

Examples of preventive care: 

• Vaccines 
• Teeth cleanings 
• Eye and hearing checks 
• Health screenings and regular checkups

Why does my teen need one-on-one time with their provider during their well-visit?

One-on-one time is when your teen talks to their health care provider alone during their well-visit. This gives them space to talk about issues they may be too embarrassing to talk about in front of parents, like body changes, mental health concerns, or relationships.  

AAP recommends starting one-on-one time around age 11 and continuing through their teen years. It helps teens build confidence and build trust in their health care provider.

As a parent and caregiver, you can support your teen or young adult’s health care journey by: 

• Helping them make their appointments and understand their health insurance. 
• Encouraging them to prepare for their well-visit by writing down their questions and deciding who they want to bring to their appointment. 
• Talking with them afterward to ask how it went, for any follow-up care, new medication or referrals. And then by helping them to follow through. 

Find more information on AAP’s Making One-on-One Time with Teen Patients a Routine Part of Care webpage.