Keep Records of
Child’s Medical History

Detailed record keeping of a child’s medical history is valuable throughout your child’s preschool and school years. Doctors’ offices make treatment notes of childhood check-ups, illnesses and injuries when they see the child, but wise and concerned parents also keep a personal record at home. One example of such record keeping is knowing the date of your child’s tetanus shot or other immunizations if the child is injured or exposed to a disease. Another example is if a child has any known food, drug or other allergies and any reactions to medications prescribed by physicians in the past.

In addition, it helps if parents have records to share with an emergency room physician if their child should need care suddenly. Doctors’ offices maintain records of all patients and their treatments, and it is not unknown for records to be misplaced, temporarily or even permanently, in the large amount of papers on file in the office.

The records kept at home can be as simple as a large envelope in which all of the pieces of paper from the doctor’s office are gathered. A notebook with pockets and lined paper for making records would also work well. List medications prescribed and the directions given for the child to take the proper dosage.

As the child begins to participate in group activities, attends preschool, prepares to start school or goes to summer camp, the information will become useful in filling out the forms that accompany most, if not all, of these milestones in your child’s life.