Your 13 to 18 Year Old
Between the ages of 13-18 years old, it is extremely important to have your adolescent seen yearly for routine physicals. Diet Remember that nutrition is a very important component of a healthy lifestyle. Encourage 3 healthy meals a day. Reinforce with your child the importance of variety.
Fiber is a very important part of a good diet and is usually lacking. Consider switching to whole grain pastas, brown rice, and whole wheat bread. There are a wide variety of Fiber One products in stores. Offer fresh fruits and vegetables daily.
Discourage soda and sweetened drinks as much as possible. Water is the best option. Dilute juice if necessary.
Avoid eating in fast food restaurants more than once per month. Bake at home instead of frying whenever possible. In trying to choose the healthy options, be wary of diet foods and foods with artificial ingredients and sweeteners.
If your child is becoming overweight, please schedule an appointment to check his or her weight and discuss their diet as soon as possible.
Continue to administer a multi-vitamin with fluoride once daily. Please let us know when you need prescription refills. Your child’s dose remains the same until they transition to an adult multi-vitamin.
Bathroom Habits
Make sure your child is going to the bathroom regularly. At this age, children are independent and parents are not involved. Ask about your children’s habits every now and then to make sure things are okay. Most children do not know or care to know about what is normal and what is not. Further, they often are busy and ignore urges to empty their bladder or bowels. This can lead to problems such as urinary tract infections and/ or constipation. If you are concerned about your child’s bowel or bladder habits, please let us know.
Activity
Sometimes a healthy diet is not enough for your child to stay in shape. Encourage at least 30-60 minutes of active play or physical activity per day. This is easier during the warmer months. In the winter, activities such as dance, gymnastics, karate, and organized sporting activities etc help to make this possible.
Keep all dangerous objects and materials like caustic cleaning agents, sharp tools, and all firearms stored out of reach, out of sight, and locked away for security.
Booster seats should be used until your child can correctly fit in lap and shoulder seat belts, which is usually around 4’ 9’’ or 57 inches regardless of age. This may surprise some parents. Children who have outgrown their booster seats should ride in a lap and shoulder seat belt in the back seat until 13 years of age. Discuss with your older child the importance of wearing their seatbelt each and every time they are in a moving vehicle.
Remind your adolescent to brush their teeth at least twice a day. Your child should now be visiting the dentist for routine cleanings and exams about every six months. Good oral hygiene is especially important if your child wears braces.
Do your best to restrict TV, video game, and computer time to 2-4 hours per day. Monitor your child’s internet exposure/ activity closely.
Sunscreen should be applied every time your child is out in the sun. It should be reapplied often. An SPF of 30 or more is recommended. Do not allow the use of tanning oils or tanning beds. This increases your child’s chances of developing skin cancer in the future.
Monitor your child at the pool or beach at all times. Educate your children never to swim unsupervised. Even strong swimmers have accidents.
Insect repellent may be used if desired. Deet-free brands are preferable. To be safe, only apply insect repellents to exposed skin. Do not apply it under clothing, on a child's hands, near the mouth or eyes, or over cuts and irritated skin. Wash off insect repellents once it is no longer needed. Combination sunscreen/insect repellent products should be avoided, as sunscreen needs to be reapplied often. Insect repellent should only be applied once per day.
Helmet safety is extremely important. Make sure your child always wears a helmet when riding a bicycle, skateboard, scooter, or when using roller blades.
Your child is checked for scoliosis (curvature of the spine) at each yearly physical. Scoliosis can progress during rapid growth spurts. If you have concerns, a positive family history of scoliosis, or your child has had a positive screen, please make us aware as this may change our approach.
Remember to discuss with your child the use of drugs, alcohol, and cigarettes. Stress the dangers and the negative aspects associated with their use. Periodic reinforcement of this is extremely important. Discourage friendships with other kids who may be involved in these activities. Foster good communication habits between you and your child.
Even though it is an uncomfortable subject, open discussion with your child about sex is important.
At 14-15, we recommend all female patients meet with a gynecologist. This aids in the prevention of future problems and promotes the education of female health issues. It is also important for them to have breast exams yearly and to learn how to perform them themselves. This initial encounter usually does not involve any invasive procedures or tests-- but may depending on their history. We encourage older girls to see female practitioners for their routine exams and for males to see males. They are less uncomfortable with personal questions and genital exams if they meet with members of their own sex.
Please be prepared that you will be asked to leave at some point during your child’s physical to give them privacy. Please do not take this personal. It is so that we may provide the best care for your adolescent.
Blood testing
We routinely send all one, two, and five-year-olds for blood testing. Children should probably go every 3-5 years thereafter. If your child has never had blood work drawn, is due, or has had abnormal results in the past, please let us know. If you have any other concerns regarding your child’s health, would like any other testing done, or have a family history of any disorder, please let us know as soon as possible.
Drug testing may only be done with consent from your minor child. It is against the law to secretly check for drug use at the request of a parent. If you suspect drug use on the part of your child, you should discuss obtaining a drug test with them first.
If your child is sent for blood work, please remember that we report all normal and abnormal results. If you have not received a phone call regarding your results within 5 days of going, please notify our office. When you call, please let the receptionist know where and when you took your child so that we may track down their results. Vaccines
Your child may or may not receive immunizations during their yearly physicals between 13-18 years of age. Please visit the vaccine section of this website for more information on specific vaccines and their administration schedule. This changes frequently for children within this age group as new vaccines are always being developed.
Please note that we will not administer vaccines to any child whose parent or guardian is not present for the visit. This is our office policy. We understand that parents have busy schedules but no exceptions to this rule will be made.
Also, it is our standard practice that every female patient of childbearing age undergo a urine pregnancy test before any vaccine is administered—regardless of history/ presumed necessity. This is for your child’s protection as many vaccines are contraindicated in pregnancy.
Medicines
Tylenol and Motrin can be safely given to your child. Please ask for our dosing chart or follow the instructions on the packaging. Let us know if you have any questions. If you are using either medication regularly, please notify our office. Please ask us before using administering any other medication/ vitamin supplement to your child.
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