The physician who looks in on your daughter immediately after her birth may not be the one you want to stick with in the long run. Because your daughter’s doctor will care for her medical needs from birth to approximately age eighteen, you should choose this long-term relationship carefully.Pediatrician or Family Practitioner: A pediatrician is a physician who specializes in the development, care, and diseases of children. A family practitioner is a physician with training in many areas of medicine and can be the primary care provider for all members of your family. Both are qualified to care for your daughter. When making the choice, you have to decide if you would like your daughter in the care of someone who has specialized training with babies and children or if you’d like someone who knows and cares for you, too. If your daughter is healthy with no special needs, choose the doctor you are most comfortable with. But if your daughter has any medical problems that require careful monitoring, many families find it best to select a pediatrician with specialized training in childhood illness and their treatment. Solo or Group Practice: In a solo practice the doctor works alone; group practitioners work with several other doctors in the same office. Both arrangements have their good and bad points. Families who choose the solo practitioner like having one person who really knows the child. This physician tends to remember the child and knows the details of her special needs. The parents get consistent information from one source. On the down side, there’s only so much one person can do. If he or she is called out on an emergency, you may end up sitting in the waiting room for hours. If you call with your own emergency while the doctor is on vacation or out of town, your daughter will be seen by a covering doctor whom you may have never met at all. And with only one doctor in the office, it’s often difficult to schedule convenient appointments. Group practitioners come with their own set of advantages and disadvantages. Although you may have a favored doctor among the participating physicians who handles the baby’s checkups, when your daughter is sick and needs immediate care, you will see whomever is in the office that day with an opening. But at least this person will be someone you have at least a nodding acquaintance with, who has all your child’s records on hand, and who works in an environment that is familiar to your daughter. Insurance Considerations: If you have insurance you may want to narrow your search by choosing a doctor who participates in your health-care plan. Your provider may have given you a booklet or a website listing all participating doctors in your area. If not, you can call member services and ask for help in locating doctors near you. Of course you can go out-of-network to a nonparticipating physician, but it will cost you. Unlike most healthy adults who may see a doctor once or twice a year, routine childhood checkups and illnesses are quite frequent and the bills can pile up quickly. Before you sign up with an out-of-network physician, find out exactly how much each checkup will cost you, along with the charges you will pay for emergency and hospital care, that way you can make an informed decision. Location: It’s a good idea to stick close to home. Children commonly need quick emergency treatment for high fevers, deep cuts, and the like. Lengthy trips to a long-distance physician will soon wear you out. Male or Female: Your infant daughter will not care about the gender of her doctor. But as she grows, this can become an issue. I found that my baby girl was more comfortable and calmer with a female doctor when she was sick or in pain. We have stuck with a female pediatrician ever since. If you choose a group practice, watch how she reacts to a male versus a female doctor and take your cues from that. You can probably specify your preference for a male or female doctor if both are in the practice. As you narrow down your preferences, be sure to ask around for recommendations. A physician may look impressive on paper based on his or her education and position in the medical community, but only those families who rely on a doctor for medical care really know what’s equally important—how he or she handles worried parents and sick children. You might first ask your obstetrician for a reference. (Ask who she uses for her own kids!) Also, talk to friends and family members who have already chosen a doctor for their children. Look for answers to the following: Does your doctor welcome questions? Does she take time to discuss problems and listen to your concerns? Is the office staff pleasant and helpful? How long do you wait in the waiting room? (This becomes a very important consideration when your child is sick and illtempered.)Does the waiting room have a separate area for sick children? How quickly does he return your calls? Does your child like the doctor? Based on all this information, make a list of the top few physicians you might choose and get out and meet them.
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