Worksheet to Take to Your Pediatrician: The Toddler Years

Use your visits to the pediatrician’s office to get all your questions answered and concerns resolved. Use the following assessment to help you identify those areas you’d like to discuss with your doctor.

Where Is Your Child Now?

• How is your toddler’s overall health?

Nutrition

• Does your toddler seem to have a normal appetite?
• Does your toddler eat a variety of foods?
• Does your toddler eat meals and snacks at regular times?
• What is your toddler eating in child care?
• What is your toddler eating at friends’ and/or relatives’ houses?

Activity/Inactivity

• Is your toddler physically active, particularly when compared with other children the same age?
• Does your toddler watch TV?
  • If so, how many hours does your toddler watch on a typical day?
• Does your toddler have safe, supervised places to play?

Behavior

• Does your toddler have any behaviors that concern you?
• Are family members working together on good nutrition and activity habits?

What Is Going Well?

Using the previous information, list areas that are going well relative to your child’s

• Health
• Nutrition
• Activity/inactivity
• Behavior

What Problems Exist?

• What childhood health issues are raising concerns?
• Do you have any worries about your toddler’s nutrition?
• Do you have any concerns about your toddler’s level of activity/inactivity?
• What (if any) behaviors are making it difficult to make good nutrition and activity changes?

What Changes Do You Need toMake and How Can You Make Them?

• What obstacles are preventing you from making changes to resolve the problems you’ve identified?
• With your pediatrician’s help, identify ways in which you can resolve these problems, step by step. Begin by singling out one problem, then determine and list ways in which you can start attacking this concern. Next, work to turn the problem into a success.
• Use the following space to note any additional issues or questions that you’d like to discuss with your pediatrician about your toddler’s nutrition, physical activity, and other issues relevant to keeping your toddler healthy. Take this list with you to your pediatrician’s office.