From vaccinations to which teeth come in when, when it comes to your child’s health, there is a lot of recording and documenting to do. Having health information handy makes it easy to answer doctor’s questions, to track potential allergies and to notice any milestones your child may not be hitting within the expected time frame.
While many parents intend to document milestones, the introduction of new foods, vaccinations and schedules in a written journal or baby book, more parents are turning to online baby journaling because it’s easier to keep digital books updated. With online baby journals parents can update on the go and record information in journal entries or templates whenever they have a free hand, whether that’s in the school pick up line (engine off, of course) or when taking a break during a morning walk while baby sleeps in his stroller. With online baby books like the one at www.Kidmondo.com, parents can virtually update their journal whenever, wherever they have Internet access.
What are some of the health related things you should include in your child’s baby book?
- Family Medical History. While most baby books will have a place for you to include your family’s tree, it’s important to include any diseases, allergies, illnesses or ailments that affected family members along with it. Knowing that there is a family history of stroke or heart disease will provide important information to your child’s health record and allow your child’s physicians to make better informed health related decisions.
- Introduction of New Foods. As you introduce new foods to your child, it can be helpful to keep track of what you introduced when. This will help to identify any food related allergies that may rear their ugly head after a new food introduction.
- Dental Health. Keeping a record of when your child’s teeth emerge and when they fall out, can serve for more than putting the tooth fairy on notice. Keeping track of when your child gets and loses tooth and any tooth related injuries or even if fluoride supplements were given can help to provide valuable information to a health care provider that can add to the big picture of your child’s health.
- Illnesses and Surgeries: Having one place to store information about any illnesses or surgeries can help you to stay organized and have that information at your fingertips, whenever you may need it- like when filling out daycare or school forms.
- Vaccinations: Recording when your child was vaccinated can be helpful when it comes to knowing if she meets the requirements for attending daycare or school and if she’s protected in the case of an outbreak. It’s much easier to be sure what vaccinations your child has had than having to wonder if it was the tetanus or flu shot that she recently received.
- Developmental Milestones. The moment your child first smiles or rolls over will likely be etched in your heart forever, but when it comes to answering the doctor’s questions at your child’s physical or noting when a milestone occurred years later in the preschool application packet, you may find the month and year these milestones happened slipped your mind. With an online journal, you can have those dates in front of you with a click of the mouse and provide accurate information instead of your best guess.
Keeping a record of your child’s health is important and makes providing necessary information to your child’s health care provider a cinch. Whether it’s a note about how your child reacted to her first bite of strawberries to a family history of anxiety, knowing this information will be helpful in managing your child’s ongoing health.
Michelle LaRowe is a mom, parenting author, and the editor-in-chief of Longhorn Leads, parent company of KidMondo, www.KidMondo.com, one of the first online baby journals. Visit www.Kidmondo.com and start chronicling your baby’s major milestones and everyday moments for free!