How to prepare your baby's recent history for a pediatric appointment

Before the appointment, spend ten minutes on three things: a short picture of the last few days of feeds, sleep and diapers, a list of any medicines with doses, and your top questions written down. Bring them on your phone or on paper. If you already keep a baby tracker, most of the history is already there.

Why the recent history matters

Pediatric visits are short, and the questions come fast. How is she eating? How many wet diapers? How is she sleeping? Has she had a fever? When you are tired, it is hard to answer from memory, and "I think she had about six?" is a guess.

Well-child visits are a time to talk about growth, development, sleep and eating. The AAP suggests making a list of the topics you want to cover and bringing your top three to five questions or concerns to raise at the start of the visit. [1] A little preparation turns the visit into a conversation about what matters, instead of a memory test.

Step 1: gather the last few days

You do not need every entry since birth. A few recent days is usually enough. For each area, note the pattern and anything that stood out.

• Feeds. Roughly how often, and how much or how long. Note any feeds she refused or found hard.
• Diapers. About how many wet and dirty ones a day. In the newborn weeks your pediatrician may ask, because diapers are one of the signs of whether a baby is getting enough to eat. [2]
• Sleep. The longest stretch, and roughly how the day and night look.
• Weight. Any weight you have from a recent weigh-in. At checkups your pediatrician will check her weight and plot it on a growth chart. [2]

Step 2: list any medicines

Write down everything she has had recently, including vitamins and anything over the counter:

• The name, the dose, how often, and the time of the last dose.
• Who prescribed it, if anyone.
• Any question about it. If you are not sure how or whether to give a medicine, it is better to ask than to give it the wrong way. [3]

Step 3: note any readings

If you took her temperature while she was unwell, note the reading, the time and how you took it. Some ways of measuring are more accurate than others, so how you took it helps your pediatrician read the number. [4]

Step 4: write your questions

Put them in order, most important first, so the big ones get asked even if time runs short. Good questions are specific:

• "She feeds every two hours at night. Is that what you would expect at her age?"
• "Her naps are getting shorter. Is there anything we should change?"
• "What should we watch for before the next visit?"

Write down anything she does or does not do that worries you, even if it feels small. You can ask about it, and your pediatrician can tell you whether it matters.

Step 5: bring the people who know

If a partner, grandparent or nanny has been doing a lot of the care, ask them before the visit. They may have seen the thing you missed. If they cannot come, their notes in a shared log can.

During the visit

• Start with your top question, not the last one.
• Show the numbers rather than estimate them.
• Write down what your pediatrician says, especially any change to feeding, medicine or what to watch for.
• Ask what would make them want to see her sooner.

How Our Little Two helps

Because every feed, diaper and sleep is already in the log, you are not rebuilding the week from memory in the waiting room. Ask "What happened today?" or "When did she last eat?" and the answer comes from the log. Every caregiver on her Care Team logs into the same record, so the history includes the days you were not there. You can also add your pediatrician to the Care Team as a Provider, so they can read the same log. Medicines, temperatures and weights sit next to everything else.

A short checklist

1. Recent feeds, diapers and sleep, in a few lines.
2. Medicines and doses, with the last dose time.
3. Any temperatures, with time and method.
4. Your top three to five questions, most important first.
5. A pen, or a notes app, for the answers.

For what tends to change at each age, see the first two years.