Between birth and two years old, your baby will develop at an extraordinary rate, and each milestone will be a new source of wonder for you. Discover with us the major stages of their development and how to communicate with them to help stimulate their learning.
Every parent is familiar with the health record book: this little booklet is given to you at your child's birth, whether at the maternity ward, the town hall, or the local maternal and child health center (PMI). Free and mandatory until the age of 16, it's designed to keep track of your baby's medical history from birth to adolescence. But are you sure you know everything about its purpose and what it contains?
Your child's health bible
A veritable medical database, your child's health record will accompany them to every doctor's visit from birth until they reach adulthood. Divided into seven sections, it covers all aspects of their health:
• The perinatal period: conditions of childbirth , clinical examination at birth, observations upon discharge from the maternity ward…
• Long-term illnesses and allergies, valuable initial information in case of emergency.
• Medical monitoring from birth to 18 years: you will find here in particular the mandatory health certificates to be completed by the doctor within eight days after birth, at 9 months and at 24 months.
• Growth charts, which allow you to track the evolution of your child's height and weight compared to the average for their age.
• Oral health: the results of the preventive examinations recommended at 6 and 12 years of age will be noted there.
• Hospitalizations and radiological examinations.
• And finally, vaccinations, noted in a vaccination schedule which serves as a certificate: you only need to photocopy these pages if needed, for example when registering at daycare or school.
Throughout the pages, you will also find plenty of advice and information on a wide variety of topics: nutrition , sleep, safety, and how to respond to various symptoms (fever, vomiting, difficulty breathing, etc.). Teething … Remember to browse through it between medical visits!
A professional tool... and a personal keepsake
The health record is primarily intended for healthcare professionals: it allows them to quickly get a comprehensive overview of your child's medical history. This summary is invaluable, as your baby will likely not always see the same doctor: between the pediatrician, the general practitioner, the dentist, and sometimes hospital doctors or various specialists, they will interact with numerous professionals who will thus have all the essential information about them. Therefore, always bring your child's health record with you to any medical appointment, whatever it may be.
Also note that the health record is covered by medical confidentiality: confidential, it cannot be requested from you in daycare, school or leisure center, with the exception of the pages concerning vaccination.
Finally, for you, the health record is a lovely keepsake of your child's development that you will undoubtedly enjoy preserving well beyond their adulthood. From the age of 4 or 5, don't hesitate to look through it with them: this will allow you to reminisce about their birth and early years, and also gently introduce them to the importance of taking care of their health.
