No sooner has it been in the world than a baby has to go to the doctor. And a few days later the next time, a few weeks later again - and then again and again. Preventative examinations are an everyday life for parents and children during the first years of life. Ten pieces are available, plus vaccination appointments and first visits to the dentist.
There are several reasons for this, says Ingeborg Krägeloh-Mann, Medical Director of the University Children's Hospital Tübingen. "The purpose of preventive examinations is above all to discover diseases and developmental disorders as early as possible," explains the President of the German Society for Paediatrics and Adolescent Medicine (DGKJ). "Because often the chances of a cure are particularly great when the disease is detected early."
Therefore children are always measured and weighed at the U-date, for example. If the child is too light for its size, this may be an indication of intolerance - celiac disease, for example. Then you can intervene quickly. However, this example shows how tricky the examination is: the early symptoms are often unspecific in children - and by no means every lightweight has an incompatibility. "That can simply be because a child does not want to eat so much," explains Krägeloh-Mann.
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U1 to U6 are intended for the first year of life. At the end of the second year of life follows the U7, at the end of the third the U7a, which was introduced a few years ago. A year later it goes to the U8, and from the fifth birthday to the U9.
The investigation is not an examination
Foresight is not just about physical development but also about the mental and the motor. "The doctor asks about certain milestones of development - whether the child is already free, for example," explains Krägeloh-Mann. This should also help to detect diseases and developmental disorders early.
For worried parents, these questions are sometimes a reason to go crazy. True to the motto: "Tomorrow is U6, but the child does not crawl yet." That's wrong, though. The investigation is not an examination. "There is no timetable or fixed order in developing children," says Bettina Lamm from the Lower Saxony Institute for Early Childhood Education and Development. "Some crawl first and then sit, with others it's the other way round." And some kids never crawl but just crawl - and then run straight away. The paediatricians know this at the precaution, explains Krägeloh-Mann.
For example, free, stable walking: At 18 months, 90 percent of tots dominate. "If a child can not do that, it does not automatically mean there is a disease," says the expert. "The probability is higher, that there is a problem." Then I'll take a closer look.
Some children are faster, some slower
Parents need not worry if their child can not do certain things or take more time to develop. "There are children who are fast everywhere, there are children who are rather slow everywhere," says Lamm. Whether the pace of development has an impact on subsequent abilities, has hardly been studied so far, so the expert. "But you can not say that children who are nine months old will later on become the best athletes - just like those who do not run late, they are not automatically unsportsmanlike or anything."
Anyone who is unsure, but can listen to the doctor - because even for the provision is there, says Krägeloh-man. After all, there are many little questions in the everyday life of parents, for which nobody sits down in the waiting room. So it's best to write it down and put it together at the U-date.
Frank May / DPA
Copybook for the check-ups
In addition, there is an unfortunate reason for check-ups: If a child is neglected, this can be noticed. "It's also an obligation of society to take care of children whose parents can not do that," Krägeloh-Mann says.
Children have a statutory right to ten preventive examinations. This means, among other things, that the health insurance companies cover the costs - as well as for recommended vaccinations. In addition, there will be a total of six visits to the dentist for the early detection of dental caries at the cash costs until the sixth birthday. However, a prerequisite for the reimbursement of costs for U-dates is that parents stick to the given time periods.
There is no legal obligation to visit the examinations. In some states, however, parents are reminded by mail to participate. And if someone does not appear for precaution, the youth welfare office may look over. Kitas or schools may also request proof of participation in the examinations. But parents do not have to show the entire yellow booklet, which documents the results of the investigations. The removable participation card is sufficient.