Things to Consider When Choosing a Pediatrician

Your child's pediatrician is your partner in promoting your child's health and development. That means you should feel comfortable with your choice. Interviewing several pediatricians at their offices is the best way to pick your partner.

When to Start Looking

With all of the excitement and physical changes during pregnancy, it's easy to overlook the fact that you're about to become a parent! The last trimester of pregnancy (or even earlier) is a good time to start looking for your new baby's pediatrician.

Beginning Your Search To get a list of prospects, ask your own healthcare provider, or reach out to friends and family for recommendations. You could also call your local medical society, board of health, or hospital for some references.

Pediatrician Interview

Sometime after the 30th week of pregnancy, make an appointment for you and your partner to meet with a pediatrician or a few pediatricians in your area. Each appointment should last 15 or 20 minutes. It's not a good sign if a doctor won't meet with you — scratch him or her off your list!

You can find out a lot about a doctor during this prenatal pediatric visit. He or she should be a person with whom you would feel comfortable discussing any issue concerning your child and your family.

You may want to:

• Pay attention to the office setting. Is the waiting room clean, bright, and playful? Is it calm and safe?

• Get a sense of how much the members of the staff enjoy working with children.

• Notice how interested the pediatrician is in you and your expectations about your child.

• See how the doctor's style and personality blend with yours.

Here are some specific questions to ask:

• When are your office hours?

• How can we see someone after hours?

• When can I reach you and your staff by phone or email?

• What do we do in an emergency when the doctor isn't available?

• Can we call or email with questions that wouldn't require an office visit?

• How much time do you allow for office visits?

• Which hospitals do you use and what insurance do you accept?

• When will I bring my baby for the first office visit? (A good answer would be within the first week, especially if you've had a short maternity stay in the hospital.)

• How can you help me understand my child's development?

• If our child has behavior problems that we can't control, how comfortable will you be in helping us with them?

• What's your advice about working and parenting?

• How well do you know the infant and toddler programs in the community?

A Switch in Time

If you have already brought your baby to a pediatrician you don't feel comfortable with, it's not too late to switch. Ask your health plan what steps you can take to find a pediatrician within the plan that meets your needs, your schedule, and your style.

Once you begin a comfortable relationship with your pediatrician, you will feel more relaxed and confident about childbirth and the lifelong devotion of parenting.