Doctor visit: The seven-year checkup

You can expect your child's doctor to:

• Weigh and measure your child to make sure she's growing at a healthy rate and isn't overweight or underweight.
• Check her blood pressure.
• Check her heart and breathing.
• Check her immunization record and give her any shots that she's missing.
• Check her hearing.
• Do an eye exam to check the structure and alignment of your child's eyes and her ability to move them correctly. The doctor will also look for signs of congenital eye conditions or other problems, and check her eyesight with an eye chart.
• Do a tuberculosis test if your child has any risk factors.
• Check for scoliosis by having your child stand up and then bend over to touch her toes, so the doctor can get a good look at her spine.

Questions the doctor may ask:

• What is he eating? At 7, your child is able to make his own snacks (or at least find the box of cookies you hid in the cabinet). This makes it harder to regulate his meals but not impossible.
• Is he sleeping ten hours a night? Does he look rested when he wakes? Although he may want to stay up all night, a bedtime between eight and nine o'clock is a good idea.
• How does he get to school? Now that he's old enough to walk or ride his bike to school alone, it's important to make sure he's getting there safely.
• Does he enjoy school? A child who is restless at school may need to be given a little more – or less – of a challenge. How is he handling homework and school pressures?
• Does he know his address and phone number? By 7, he should have this information memorized.
• Do you have a fire escape safety plan? By this age, your child can follow a fire safety plan. Practice getting out of your house safely in the event of fire. See our checklist.

What's next?

• Find out what's in store for you at the 8-year doctor visit.