The Naturopathic Doctors Approach to Well-Child Visits
Routine well-child checks are a cornerstone of pediatric healthcare, helping parents track their child’s growth, monitor vital signs, and assess overall development.
These appointments serve as an essential tool for ensuring a child’s health and well-being, but what if we told you that naturopathic medicine offers a deeper, more personalized approach to these visits? At Sumovia Naturopathic Healthcare, we take a comprehensive approach to well-child checks that goes beyond just the basics. Here’s how we do things differently:
1. Extended Appointment Times: 60-120 Minutes of Time with Dr. Meg
One of the most significant differences between traditional pediatric visits and naturopathic well-child checks is the time spent with the doctor. While standard pediatric appointments often last just 15 to 30 minutes, we offer 60 to 120-minute visits. This extended time allows us to build a deeper connection with both the child and the parents, ensuring that every aspect of your child’s health is addressed thoroughly.
By having more time, we can better understand the nuances of your child’s health, habits, and overall well-being. It’s during these longer visits that we truly get to know your family, creating a partnership that helps promote a healthier and happier child. Pediatric medicine is family medicine.
2. Holistic Discussion of Everyday Health Factors
In a typical pediatrician’s office, you may get a quick check of height, weight, and developmental milestones—but there is often little time to discuss the everyday health factors that impact your child such as diet, sleep, and digestion. At Sumovia, we dedicate time to dive into these aspects, such as:
Digestion: Digestive health plays a crucial role in overall wellness, influencing everything from weight gain, energy levels, to immune function. We take the time to assess how your child’s digestive system is functioning and how it could be impacting their health.
Diet: Proper nutrition is essential to your child’s growth and development. We’ll discuss their eating habits, ensuring they are getting the right balance of nutrients, and address any food sensitivities, picky eating, or preferences that may arise.
Sleep: Sleep is foundational to your child’s well-being. We explore their sleep patterns, discuss any challenges with bedtime or sleep cycles, and offer strategies to improve sleep quality.
Mental Health: Emotional and mental health are just as important as physical health. We assess your child’s mood, behavior, and overall mental state, offering guidance on how to foster emotional well-being and address any potential concerns.
Safety: We also talk about safety—both physical safety in and outside of the home and strategies for ensuring your child’s environment supports their health and growth.
These everyday factors can often go overlooked in a brief visit, but they are essential for ensuring a child’s development is on track. In naturopathic medicine, we believe in addressing the whole child, not just their physical symptoms.
3. Thorough Developmental Milestone Assessments
While traditional pediatrician visits often screen for developmental milestones, we go a step further by taking the time to review where your child is in their development and what milestones are coming up. We don’t just check a box and move on—we discuss each milestone in detail and explore how your child is meeting them. This approach helps us anticipate the next steps in their growth and ensures that your child is on the right track and thus provide any and all resources to make sure your kiddo gets on track if we find any areas of concern.
We also understand that every child is unique, and developmental timelines can vary. By recognizing the individuality of each child’s growth, we offer personalized insights and advice on how to support your child in reaching their next developmental phase.
Helping families go from Surviving to Thriving
At Sumovia Naturopathic Healthcare, we believe that well-child checks should be more than just routine screenings—they should be opportunities for holistic care that focus on every aspect of your child’s health. We offer a comprehensive approach to pediatric care with our extended appointment times, in-depth discussions on daily health factors, and thorough developmental milestone assessments.
If you want to ensure your child thrives in every aspect of life, we invite you to experience the difference that naturopathic medicine can make during their next well-child check. Schedule an appointment today and give your child the best start on their path to lifelong health.
