What to ask your paediatrician at every visit

Well-baby visits are short. In a busy Indian clinic you may get seven minutes, and most of it goes on weighing, measuring and the vaccine. The parents who leave with answers are the ones who walked in with a written list — not because they're pushier, but because remembering your questions while holding a crying baby is genuinely impossible.

Before you go

• Write the questions down. Three is a realistic number for one visit. Put the one that worries you most first, in case time runs out.
• Bring the numbers. Feeds per day, wet and dirty nappies, sleep totals, any temperature readings. "He's not feeding well" is much less useful than "he's down from eight feeds to five over four days".
• Photograph anything visual. A rash, a stool colour, an eye discharge, the way a limb moves. These things reliably vanish on the way to the clinic.
• Bring the vaccination card and a list of any medicines or supplements, including anything given by family.

Visit by visit

First visit (day 3–7)

• How much weight has been lost, and is that within the expected range?
• Is the latch adequate? Can you watch a feed?
• Is the level of jaundice normal for this age, and does it need checking again?
• How do I care for the umbilical stump, and what would infection look like?
• Were the newborn screening tests done, and when do results come?
• What temperature counts as an emergency at this age?

6 weeks

• Is weight gain on track? Which centile, and is the trend fine?
• Which vaccines are due today and what reactions should I expect?
• Should we start vitamin D, and at what dose?
• Is this amount of crying normal? (This is the visit where colic gets discussed.)
• Is the amount of spitting up normal, or is it reflux worth treating?

3–4 months

• Is head control developing as expected?
• Sleep has changed — is this the four-month shift or something else?
• When should we start solids, and does anything change that timing for this baby?
• Is the head shape normal, or should we be repositioning?

6 months

• How do we start solids — what first, how much, how often?
• How do we introduce common allergens like egg and peanut, and how early?
• How much water should the baby have now?
• Do we need an iron check or supplement?
• Is sitting with support on time?
• Do we need to do anything about teeth yet?

9 months

• Is the range of foods and textures wide enough?
• Are crawling and pulling to stand on track — and does it matter if there's no crawling?
• Is babbling developing as expected?
• Should we screen for anaemia?
• How do we handle separation anxiety at bedtime?

12 months

• Do we switch to cow's milk, and how much?
• Should the bottle be phased out now?
• Is the number of words and gestures on track?
• Which vaccines are due, and what's coming in the next six months?
• How much screen time is acceptable at this age?

18–24 months

• Is language developing as expected, and what would count as a delay?
• Has a developmental screen been done?
• Is this level of fussy eating normal?
• When should toilet training start?
• Is a dental visit due?

Questions worth asking at any visit

• "What should I watch for before the next visit?" This is the single most useful question in paediatrics, and almost nobody asks it. It gets you a specific list rather than a general reassurance.
• "What would make you want to see us sooner?"
• "Is there anything in the growth chart trend that you're watching?"
• "If this doesn't improve, what's the next step?"
• "Is this medicine necessary, or optional?" Worth asking plainly, particularly about antibiotics and cough syrups for viral illness.

How to get more out of a short appointment

• Lead with your real worry. Doctors call it the "doorknob question" — the important thing parents mention while leaving. Say it first instead.
• Ask for numbers. "Which centile?" and "how much has that changed?" get you information you can track.
• Repeat the plan back. Thirty seconds of "so, X twice a day for five days, and come back if the fever isn't gone by Friday" catches most misunderstandings.
• Take notes in the room. Nobody minds, and you will not remember.
• Book a longer slot when you have a real concern rather than trying to fit it into a vaccination visit.

Frequently asked questions

This guide is general information for Indian parents, written from published paediatric guidance (IAP, WHO, AAP). It is not medical advice and cannot account for your baby specifically. Anything that worries you — feeding, breathing, fever, weight, a rash — is a call to your paediatrician, not a search. In an emergency, go to a hospital.