Becoming a parent is equal parts pure joy and utter terror. One of the most important and nerve-wracking decisions to make is choosing the best or most qualified pediatrician to care for your child. How do you make the choice? Hang the list up on a wall and throw a dart at it? Choose the one whose name looks the best?
Instead of leaving it to chance, here are a few tried and true tips to make choosing the best pediatrician for your child a little easier.
1. Look for Qualifications
The first, and by far the most important, thing to look for is a pediatrician’s qualifications. The American Academy of Pediatrics is the best place to find the names, locations and qualifications for certified pediatricians in your area. If possible, look for physicians with the acronym FAAP after their names. This stands for Fellows of the American Academy of Pediatrics and is the mark of board-certified physicians of the highest status.
2. Schedule an Interview
Interviewing a new pediatrician is a great way to learn a lot about this new doctor as a professional and as a person. Not only will you learn a lot about their style of practice, it will also give you a chance to see if this particular physician will mesh with your parenting style. If, for example, you’re in favor of a delayed vaccination schedule, you want to find a pediatrician that supports your decisions and your parenting style.
3. Awards Say a Lot
An award may not mean as much as a degree or a membership in the AAP, but it can say a lot more than a piece of paper hanging on the wall. Awards, such as the National Quality Awards given by the American Health Care Association, indicate excellence in quality of care. It is a great measure of the care your child will be given during their tenure as a patient.
4. Ask Around
There’s no better way to learn about a good pediatrician in your area than by asking other parents. Look into local groups or forums on Facebook, or simply bring the topic up at your next play date and get as many opinions as you can. This may not sway your decision one way or another, but it is a fantastic source of information that should not be overlooked.
5. Trust Your Instincts
When it comes right down to it, the most important thing that should influence your decision is how you feel about the pediatrician. Do you feel like you and this doctor click when it comes to your child’s care? If something feels off or you don’t feel 100 percent sure you’re making the right decision, step back and go over the information again. We develop these instincts for a reason, especially after having children, so it’s important to trust them.
Choosing the best pediatrician for your child may seem like a daunting task, so let us give you one more piece of advice: It’s not permanent. If, in the future, you and your child’s doctor start disagreeing or you feel like their care level isn’t where you need it to be, you can choose to switch doctors. Hopefully this list will make that choice a little less difficult.
Jennifer Landis is a 27-year-old healthy living blogger who loves yoga, running, and dancing it out with her toddler! You can find more from Jennifer at her blog, Mindfulness Mama, or by following her on Twitter: @jenniferelandis.
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