18 Highland Avenue, Newburyport MA 01950
Routine Care
Need an appointment?
Whether it's time for your child's check-up, they're feeling under the weather, or they need to be immunized, we're here to help!
We at Riverside Pediatrics believe in the importance of regular well-child visits to ensure that your child is healthy, and stays healthy!
Benefits of Well-Child Visits
Prevention.
Your child gets scheduled immunizations to prevent illness. You also can ask your pediatrician about nutrition and safety in the home and at school.
Tracking growth and development.
See how much your child has grown in the time since your last visit, and talk with your doctor about your child's development. You can discuss your child's milestones, social behaviors and learning.
Raising concerns.
Make a list of topics you want to talk about with your child's pediatrician such as development, behavior, sleep, eating or getting along with other family members. Bring your top three to five questions or concerns with you to talk with your pediatrician at the start of the visit.
Team approach.
Regular visits create strong, trustworthy relationships among pediatrician, parent and child. The AAP recommends well-child visits as a way for pediatricians and parents to serve the needs of children. This team approach helps develop optimal physical, mental and social health of a child.
We adhere to the American Academy of Pediatrics recommended schedule of care:
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Newborn visit (within 1-3 days of hospital discharge)
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2 weeks old
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1 month old
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2 months old
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4 months old
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6 months old
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9 months old
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12 months old
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15 months old
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18 months old
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24 months old
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2.5 years old
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3 years old
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Yearly until adulthood
Sick Child
Few things are scarier than having a sick child. It can be difficult to discern whether symptoms are benign or more serious, so we recommend giving us a call if you are worried about your child:
When you call, a pediatric nurse will take a brief history and either reassure you and give you advice about at-home care, or offer you an appointment for your child to be seen in the office. We pride ourselves on offering timely advice and same-day appointments for sick children.
We're here for you!
Immunizations
Vaccine Myths Debunked
U.S. public health officials and physicians have been combating misconceptions about vaccine safety for over twenty years. They've had mixed success. Despite the fact that numerous studies have found no evidence to support the notion that vaccines cause autism and other chronic illnesses, a growing number of parents are refusing to vaccinate their children.
Researchers now link falling immunization rates to recent resurgences of vaccine-preventable diseases. In 2010, California saw 9,120 cases of whooping cough, more than any year since the whooping cough vaccine was introduced in the 1940s. Ten infants too young to be vaccinated died of whooping cough during the outbreak. The CDC warns that events like these will become more frequent and harder to control if vaccination rates continue to fall.
Fears over the safety of vaccines are understandable. The CDC vaccination schedule calls for children to receive up to 14 inoculations by the age of six – many of them vaccines developed within the last twenty years. Many parents distrust these vaccines; worried about the potential for risks and long-term side effects. Research, however, shows that most of our biggest fears about vaccinations are unfounded.
Of all the advances in modern medicine, routine immunization against childhood infections may be the most important. Vaccines have saved millions of lives, and prevented countless debilitating illnesses. Unfortunately, there is a lot of misinformation around immunizations that cause parents unnecessary anxiety.