A paediatrician is a specialist who treats children not only when they get sick. It's wonderful, if a physician is also a consultant who not only treats diseases, but also explains the young parents how to feed, hold, lift and carry the child correctly, when it's worth and not worth worrying about one symptom or the other.
If the parents visit a paediatrician or a general practitioner once a month, then the physician can follow through the child's generation, advice on how the child should be conditioned, what to include and what to definitely exclude from his diet, etc.
After examining the child and gathering medical history data, the physician makes a conclusion about the child's health condition or the course of the disease. If necessary, the child is referred to additional testing or to other specialists for consultations.
The paediatrician's main tasks are to assess the child's development and ensure that he grows up healthy. It's all based on prevention and parent education.
Red flags for visiting a paediatrician:
Fever for longer than three days;
Changes in the child's breathing: dyspnoea, wheezing;
Rash or skin formations that previously haven't been noticed;
Strange, previously unseen seizures, behavioural changes – the child doesn't recognize his parents, talks weirdly, has strange motions;
Changes in the child's activity: refusal to walk, limpness, drowsiness;
Vomiting, diarrhoea and fever at the same time that might lead to dehydration.
