How to Choose a Pediatrician

Choos­ing a pedi­a­tri­cian is a mean­ing­ful step in your child’s health jour­ney. It’s about find­ing some­one who under­stands your fam­i­ly and sup­ports your child’s growth, devel­op­ment, and well­be­ing. A strong rela­tion­ship between par­ents and pedi­a­tri­cians cre­ates a foun­da­tion of trust and team­work. When you feel con­fi­dent in your choice, you’re set­ting the stage for a life­time of pos­i­tive health­care experiences.

When to choose a pediatrician

Choos­ing a pedi­a­tri­cian ear­ly can help your fam­i­ly be pre­pared for when your baby arrives, ensur­ing that there is no delay in impor­tant vis­its, which is key in mon­i­tor­ing your child’s well­be­ing and devel­op­ment. It’s rec­om­mend­ed that expec­tant par­ents start search­ing for a pedi­a­tri­cian three to five months before the antic­i­pat­ed deliv­ery date. 

Select­ing a pediatrician

Find­ing the right pedi­a­tri­cian starts with a few prac­ti­cal steps to make sure your family’s needs are cov­ered from day one.

Before you vis­it with a pedi­a­tri­cian, con­firm these key details: 

  • Clin­ic Loca­tions: Choose a pedi­a­tri­cian with clin­ics that are easy to reach from home, work, or daycare. 
  • Office Hours: Look for clin­ics with hours that work with your family’s sched­ule, includ­ing same-day, evenings, and week­end visits. 
    • NOTE: Many Duly Health and Care pedi­atric clin­ics offer extend­ed and week­end hours to bet­ter accom­mo­date work­ing fam­i­lies and busy schedules.
  • Insur­ance Cov­er­age: Con­firm that the pedi­a­tri­cian is in-net­work with your insur­ance plan to help keep care affordable. 
  • Addi­tion­al ser­vices: Ask if imag­ing, imme­di­ate care, lab ser­vices, or pedi­atric spe­cial­ty care like lac­ta­tion con­sul­tants and phys­i­cal ther­a­py are avail­able on-site or nearby. 
  • Patient por­tal access: Get an under­stand­ing of how you can com­mu­ni­cate with your care team, man­age appoint­ments, and get health updates online. 

Once you’ve cov­ered the basics, it’s just as impor­tant to find a pedi­a­tri­cian who match­es your health­care val­ues. In a meet-and-greet appoint­ment, con­sid­er asking: 

  • What is your health­care philosophy?
  • How do you han­dle after-hours emer­gen­cies or urgent questions?
  • What is your stance on breast­feed­ing, sleep train­ing, and oth­er par­ent­ing practices?
  • Who will see my child if they are sick?

A pedi­a­tri­cian who feels like the right fit will sup­port your fam­i­ly through every stage, from first check-ups to grow­ing milestones. 

Ready to meet some Duly pedi­a­tri­cians? Sched­ule a meet-and-greet vis­it with a Duly pedi­a­tri­cian today.