Irritating Pediatricians :)

These are very common questions!!
The answers can lead into other discussion points that ARE important in some cases. They can be red flags for developmental issues.
It is not just you just common ped questions!!
:) M.

I've never met someone who wasn't asked these questions - this is just about being a responsible pediatrician, by knowing a patients history. It's not a personal insult on you.

All those questions really do serve a purpose. My dd's dr asks all those questions..AND MORE! I one asked the nurse why it was necessary. Her response made perfect sense. It's just a way of monitoring the child's health. Also, if there is a drastic change from one visit to the next, it's documented. It can also help the dr if your child were to ever get seriously ill. So, while they are irritating and annoying, they really do have a purpose. Perhaps your dr can give you a print out of the questions and you can fill it out. At least then you don't have to spend all that time at the dr's!

At "Well Child Check ups" this seems to be protocol. Our Dr. keeps the medical charts on the computer and has a list of questions for each age appropriate child well visit. This info then is stored in the computer for future reference. Some questions that come to mind are "what and how much is the child drinking?" "Do you always use a seat belt and car seat?" "sleep and wake?"...they do seem silly at times, but believe or not, there are some clueless parents in this world and the Doctor needs your info to help someone if need be. You seem to have it together. I questioned my dr. actually about the silliness of the ?s. She told us a story about a "young mother" who's baby was extremely heavy for his age and found out thru the questions that this mother was feeding her newborn baby KOOL-AID in his bottle. She said it gave her the opportunity to teach her about the baby and nutrition.
It seems as though you have a thorough Doctor! Good for you!

It's standard protocol! My husband is a family practice doctor and we take our child to see his partner. Despite the fact that my husband sits in with all her visits, our doc asks the same questions. It sounds like you have a doc who is up-to-date with national standards for his field.

With all due respect, I feel that these questions are totally appropriate. Unfortunately the job of a mother does not come with instructions. Although you may be doing everything correctly, it is the job of your physician to assess that. Lots of moms start food too early, or don't take into consideration whether or not their child has food allergies. Babies need most of their nutrition from mom's milk or formula and once on solids, many mothers forget that. Just consider your doctor is being very through. I would think you would want that reassurance.

I think you are overreacting. It's amazing to me how many people out there don't know the importance of things like feeding kids from the 4 basic food groups, etc. so I don't feel your pediatrician and/or the staff are out of line. My daughter just had her 4 year check up and they asked us questions about safety ... is she still in a car seat/booster, does she wear a helmet when she rides her bike, and other things along those lines. I took absolutely no offense to any of their questions.

Actually, you should be GRATEFUL that they're asking a ton of ?s. You should throw up the red flag if they don't. They need to ask them repeatedly because kids go through stages when it comes to eating. Eating habits very well can change from one doctor visit to the next.

On top of that, you need to understand NOW that almost EVERY symptom is about a toxicity or nutritional deficiency!! If you don't believe me......do your homework. I've YET to find ANYTHING over the past 30 years that wasn't related to some nutritional deficiency or toxicity. Everything from hair & nair problems to skin issues, digestive problems, sleep related issues, headaches, etc.

Give the docs some credit here. If something happened and they HADN'T gotten the info they needed or asked any questions (I've actually heard of docs who've given meds WITHOUT even looking at medical records and/or asking ?s!!), you'd think they were negligent, so suck it up and be grateful that you've got competent medical staff. You're DEFINITELY over reacting!!!

Hi, K.!

Our pediatrician's office asks my spouse and I a similar series of questions each time we visit, both for well-child and sick-child visits. I imagine these "repeat" questions are routine for pediatric practices these days (versus 20 years ago). BTW, I am 30 and have a happy, healthy daughter (who is a big fan of her veggies also). Thus, I don't think these questions are age or competency-related at all. Hang in there. It sounds like you are a great mom (with a baby who LOVES carrots)!!! :)

Hi K.,
I don't think it's just you. My daughter's pediatrician had a series of standard questions that she asked at every visit. When I moved and got copies of her medical records, I saw that the forms she filled out on every visit had a checklist of questions the doctor was to ask about. I think the doctors do that for the sake of thoroughness. Personally, I would rather the doctor ask too many questions than too few. And on more than one occasion, one of her standard questions made me remember something I wanted to discuss with her.

No offense to your mom or anything, but times have changed - especially in the medical profession. Doctors have to be as thorough as possible, otherwise they might find themselves being sued.

That being said, I think it sounds like you have a good doctor taking care of your son. You know you're a good mom. So, there is no reason to read into something like this and take it personally.

All my best!
A.

Please don't take this personally. I worked with one of the top pediatricians in the Toledo area, so I know a little about this one. At each visit, be it well or sick, there is a form that the nurse fills out before you see the Dr. The form has questions on it that range from how much and what does he eat, to diaper patterns, to sleep habits. It may seem to you that the questions are ALWAYS the same, but actually they change slightly as your child's age increases. I see that your son is 16 months old. Generally there is one form for 15-18 month old children, and sometimes it even differs for boys and girls. This is just your doctors way of keeping track of everything involved with your childs growth and development. As he gets older, the questions will include ones such as can he jump on one foot, or can he say so many words. They do not think you are negligent in any sense of the word. As far as your mom is concerned, when you were small, things were very different than they are now. Children's development was not followed as closely and with the detail that it is today. The reason for the changes is that there are many problems that doctors have been able to discover at a very young age, that before, could have been potentially fatal because they were just "unknown."

Hang in there, and continue answering the redundant questions, I promise, it is only for the best interest of your son.

everyone gets asked these questions. i had my daughter when i was 32. i personally find the questions reassuring b/c then i can ask things i might not remember to ask before i go in there and i use them to find out more information. just b/c i'm an "older" mom doesnt' mean i have all the answers.

and, while i dont know anyone who has given their children coffee, i know people that have given children the same age as your son iced tea. i dont feel thats appropriate but i'm not their parent. however, there are people out there that dont know all the answers and dont know they should/shouldnt be doing something and thats another reason the doctors ask.

i'm not sure why you feel this is an insult. its part of a doctors job to ask these things, and yes they ask them at every visit. my daughter is 3 1/2 and they still ask, and i know they will continue to ask them.

don't feel bad I got the same thing when I had my son.I'm THought it was because of being a young mother in which I am as well. My mom works in a Doctors office and when they did the same thing to me and I kinda felt like they were doing it because I was a young she said its standard questioning. I had the same line of questioning 5 years later when I had my daughter with with a different doctor.

My son is 2 1/2 & we still get asked this at his dr visits. Sometimes kids take a turn in their eating habits and I personally think it is awesome that my dr is interested in every aspect of my sons daily life! You should be thankful that your ped wants to know everything! I am sure there are some out there that overlook thinks like those simple questions until some type of problem arrises! So just be thankful you have a good ped looking after your child!

I have 3 kiddos and I'm hardly "young" - I'm 35. At every visit, the ped has asked me "so what is he/she eating these days?". It's totally appropriate! It's good to have it written in the chart if I'm still breastfeeding or the baby is formula only or the toddler is still on formula and hasn't made the switch to cow's milk yet. If your child is in the high percentiles for weight, they may just be checking to know he isn't eating too often or the wrong foods. If he's small, they just want to know he's eating alot. My 2nd child was small as a baby and actually stopped gaining weight between 6 months and 12 months... she ate a ton of food but she was too active (she was walking at 7 months). The doctor was fine with her not gaining weight because I told him she ate alot and was just active... he had to rule out medical concerns - it's his job.

It sounds to me like your doctor is just doing his job. It has nothing to do with your age or parenting skills. There are certain topics a ped must ask at every visit (they vary depending on the age of the child) and if they don't, they are negligent.

Don't feel bad. I used to wonder about this to. Then when my son turned 2 he started to not want to eat anything! At the next check up when the Doc started asking all of the food related questions it was a relief. She said it was just the "Toddler diet" and he would grow out of it, and even gave us tons of hints on what to do to get the little guy to eat agein. Some of the tips worked, and some didn't but we were so relieved when she asked again about his diet. It was very reassuring to know that they were concerned and were able to help us.

I understand how you feel. Your a busy woman and time is precious! It is frustrating for the doctors to ask questions that seem meaningless. The questions that your referring to are asked to everyone. It's not just you. So don't feel that you have a "young mother" or "idiot" stamp on your forehead. A lot of parents underfeed their children. And, children tend to not want to eat from time to time. I think they ask to guide us. And, most importantly they do it to make sure our children are on the correct growth chart. It's the main way they have any indication that something could be wrong. Hope this helps.

And, hang in there! It does get a bit easier.

I would have to say I think you are getting alittle upset about nothing. I consider myself a "young mother" also. I have a 4 year old and a 2 year old and i'm 26. The questions you posted your pediatrician asked are exactly the same mine asked me at all our checks ups for my 1st son as well as my 2nd son. When she askes me what and how much my son drinks everyday, I tell her. I don't think she is implying that I am doing something wrong at all. I think they are trying to get a thorough history of what your child eats/drinks/and does so if a problem ever does arise they have information to look back on and make an informed decision.

Ask a 40 year old monther of a little one and I bet she would tell you her pediatrician asks the same questions.

Be confident in yourself that you are a good mom and know your doctor is just doing her job, not trying to make you feel or think you are doing something wrong.

Hope that helps!

They ask me all the same stuff. The whole battery of questions.

--How much is your child eating every day? (like I write it down)
--Is she bottle or breast fed? (like after 6 months I'd switch to breast feeding)
--What kind of formula is she on? (they put her on soy...why would I take her off if she's not puking?)
--Does she roll over? (hasn't changed...yep. still rolling over)
--Does she smile? (ya think?)
--Does she coo & blow bubbles with spit? (Again, why would that just stop?)

So yea... I get a ton of questions asked when I go in about her eating & behavior.

Enjoy...

My pediatricians office does the same thing. I think it is standard these days to do that. They are not questioning how you are doing as a parent they are making sure they hit the milestones for their age and if later a concern pops up they can go back to the information as a starting point if they have to. I am glad they ask me these questions that way I know everything is ok. Don't worry it is normal :)

Don't worry, it's normal. Every baby gets these questions these days. Medical standards and norms change often and this is just how they do it now.

Hello!

I am 31, and my pediatrician asks all kinds of questions too. Some are developmental (does she play peek-a-boo) and others are food-oriented (how much formula does she drink, how much food does she eat, what kinds of foods, etc.). I really like our pediatrician, and just take the questions as them being thorough. I wouldn't take offense - just think of it as exceptional care for your child! : )

The nurse asks me those questions also at every regular visit. It doesn't bother me. I think it is a common question. I am a 30 year old mother of a 1 year old.

My peditrician ask's the same questions. I think it's because of the weight issue america is dealing with in young children. They probably want to also see if he has any eating issues. You want to catch those early. By the age of eight it is very hard to fix a problem like that.

You should understand that pediatricians and their assistants see many, many, many children. Sure they take down notes, but it is impractical for you to expect them to remember every single detail from your last visit.

I'm 34 and have had many fantastic discussions with my pediatrician (she's even commented on the fact that she likes the questions I ask, am glad that I am tuned in to what's going on in my child's life and where he should be developmentally, and frequently lets me borrow her books and journals to read). At the same time, every single visit she asks me how many times a day does he eat, is he drinking from a bottle or a cup, how many ounces of milk, what types of food is he eating and liking, how many naps per day (and length), how is he sleeping at night, how's the walking/talking etc., and pretty much every other possible question under the sun.

I don't feel like you should think your doctor thinks you're an idiot. Seems to be standard practice to me. If you're feeling that uncomfortable then switch your doctor. I bet a new doctor would ask the same questions every time, too.

This is the norm now for pediatricians to ask so many questions. They just want to make sure that the child is eating properly for his age and that you aren't under or over feeding him. Back when you were young there wasn't as much worry over stuff as there is today. The doctor is only doing his job.
D.

I am 31 and have been married for almost 12 yrs. My husband and I have 3 boys ages 10,7 and 4.

K.,

It's the norm. I have 4 very happy, healthy children and I used to work for my pediatrician. They ask everytime about eating habits, drinking, sleeping it there job because kids can develop things rapidly and you may not notice the change. At my peds, these questions have led to the rapid finding of some very serious health issues in children that you never new had anything wrong. They see the notes and you see the child sometimes the notes are better only because they don't assume its a phase. He/She could have a little better bedside manner but then my peds are great with the children and straight forward with me. I appreciate it personnally because I have had some who didn't care.

This is very normal for a Pediatrician to ask. They want to make sure your child is getting a well-balanced diet, and drinking apropriate drinks. With the rate of childhood obesity on the rise, it is important for Pediatricians to recognize early, children that may potentially have a problem. That is one of the reasons, they ask every visit what your child eats.

Instead of letting it bother you, why not try to think of the fact that it's great they ask those questions. Because in certain situations, there ARE children out there that are NOT fed well, not made to wear their seatbelts, and all the other questions they ask. Don't be so quick to be offended. It's your child's doctor, not a CPS representative......he's only doing his job. It's probably more of trying to see how well the child communicates back with them, but if a child isn't being cared for well, then it's a good time for them to find out so that child can be saved.

i think that you've found a pediatrician that is genuinely interested in the wellfare of your little man!
i understand that it may be difficult to be so bombarded with questions, and i understand how insulting it can seem when you think that other people think you don't know what you're doing!!! (i get this at work A LOT).
my advice is to try to see things from the doctor's perspective: diet is an important factor in anyone's health, therefore they may want to get a clear picture of what your son is eating. another thing to consider is, is your ped. young? they may feel a bit inexperienced and will want to make SURE to cover all the bases, hence the questions.
also, you're the one in control. if you're so upset or things aren't resolved, it's completely within your rights to switch to someone you are more comfortable with.

K.,
I don't think your son's pediatrician is thinking you're incompetant. Babies can get dehydrated quickly and he/she is responsible to make sure that your son is growing, eating and drinking enough for his age. Seeing what foods they're eating and how often they're eating let's them know if your son is right on track for his development. But if it bothers you that bad, just ask them "why is it everytime we come here you ask me the same questions?"
Remember too that the doctor's office sees people of all walks of life, some not as smart as the others. I mean some people really do need to be told-feed the baby every 2 hours or give them a bath everyday, etc.
Anyway,I hope this helps!!
R.

The only times I have ever been asked these sort of questions has been when one of my children were experiencing problems gaining weight. Other than that, I never get asked what my kids eat or drink unless it pertains to a health issue they may be having.

Don't be insulted. It is their standard questions they ask every parent during the well baby checks. I get asked the same questions and my pediatrician knows that I run a early childhood education program:)

This is very normal and not an attempt to see if you are a good parent. At this young age, they like to get patterns of eating, drinking, etc. to make sure the kids are getting enough of all of the nutrients they need. They ask everyone these questions. My kids are 3 and 5 and I still get asked how many fruits, veggies, breads, milk, protein, etc. they get each day. They're doctors; they are supposed to ask these questions and educate everyone on proper eating habits for kids to ensure optimal development. They aren't just asking you this because you're young. Good luck and look at it as a check-up for you to make sure you're giving your child as much variety in the diet as needed. I know it helps me to focus more on that, as I am not good at eating fruits and veggies as much as I should.

hi K.....switch pediatricians....

K. C asking these questions just gives the dr an idea of how your child is doing...If their eating habits have changed. sometimes we don't think anything of picky eaters or if kids are craving things, somtimes it has something to do with vitamin deficiencies and stuff. They are normal questions. I've lived in a couple different areas, several different doctors 5 children oldest being 17 down to 5 and all the drs ask these kinds of questions.no reason to take it personally.

Don't feel singled out, they ask everyone these weird questions. I had to laugh about turning orange. My sons absolute favorite was carrots, so we have been thru that. Everyone always commenting that he looked jaundice.

I would not get too upset about the questioning, the peds are just doing there job. Yeah it might seem crazy but they are just making sure things are going well and nothing is changing with your child. I believe they ask everyone these same questions every visit. I know I get all the same questions too. Try not to take it personally.

I have three kids and they still ask all those questions. Tv time, sugar drinks, how many meals, blah, blah, blah. I really think they have to do it to cover their butts for some reason. Kind of like some mom has an obese kid, the doctor doesn't ask about the kid'd daily habits, and the mom turn around and blames the doctor after the kid is diagnosed with some health problem related to weight, and says they never mentioned that sitting in front of the tv for eight hours a day, eating chips and pop for a pre-dinner snack was a bad idea...even though that might be an obvious thing to some.

I think you should be thankful your pediatritian is taking the time to get these answers. If it's so unbearlingly annoying to verbally answer, you might want to ask for the form so you can write in the answers while you're in the waiting room.

Kids have weird diseases that often underlie for a long time and gradually get worse. With adults, diagnoses of major diseases is easier because adults can verbalize how they are feeling, and the main disease is heart disease. With kids, you never know. So if your kid's doc doesn't ask the questions, and your kid develops something weird, it'd be much harder to figure out without these questions asked and recorded.

In my experience, those questions are completely normal. It is important for the doctors to monitor your son's growth and development to make sure he is where he should be. Part of this is ensuring that he is taking in adequate nutrition and meeting his growth and developmental milestones. I don't believe these questions are meant to imply that you are not caring for him properly. They have to document these things (even if they do seem ridiculous) in order to help pinpoint any problems that might creep up.

Never heard of such a thing. Once in awhile, maybe, but not every visit. I would ask him if he knows or suspects something wrong AFTER I asked him about the "incompetent idiot" on the forhead thing. If you can't get any straight answers from him, I would seek another DR. for my son. There are many good ones out there. If you hear from others, put all our advice together and ponder it. I had a girl. Due to so many allergies out there, maybe they feel they have to ask these questions, but I would definitely ask some questions of my own.

Hi. No one thinks you are an idiot or incompetent. I am a nurse and used to work in a family Dr.'s office. When we did well child visits there is literally a sheet of all these questions. I.E. How many ounces does your child drink (depending on the age) Can your child stand on one leg, throw/catch a ball...they are so ridiculous that I as a nurse even felt guilty for asking the moms and dads who brought their child in. I would get those looks that say do I look like a complete idiot? I would show the parent's the form and let them know we ask EVERYONE the exact same questions. Don't be afraid to ask questions. If you have a good Dr. or nurse they won't have a problem expalining anything to you or showing you what they are writing or filling out in YOUR child's chart. It is your right to know and to aks. You are your child's only advocate...speak up if you have a question, it will make you feel better and let the staff know they need to do a better job of explaining the procedures! Good Luck.

They ask alot more questions than they used to. They never asked all the questions with my 16 yr. old that they do with my 11 mo. old. I promise it's not just you, they ask everyone.

I don't know this for a fact, but I bet it has to do with malpractice. Everyone sues everyone for everything these days and malpractice insurance is astronomical. I'm sure that education is important, but I'll wager they are also covering their butts so that if something happens a parent can't say "we were never told." The role of the pediatrician has changed so much. Now it is like they are doctor, nutritionist and social worker all rolled into one. I think most are just making sure their bases are covered.

My first thought was maybe it is because of the growing epidemic of obesity in the US. It's possible they are just making sure he's eating/drinking healthy things and not on the wrong path. I could be wrong, of course, but it was my first thought.

Hi there!!
*I honestly do not think you should take this as being offensive. My doctor asks the same questions. I think they just want to be sure they are getting addequate nutrition, and are eating and drinking the amounts they should for their age. I have three children, and he's asked the same questions of all of them. And yes, there have been times that he says, well, they shouldn't be eating or drinking this or that, or they need a little bit more of this.. but this is just to help not to offend, and when it comes to parenting every little bit of information helps. I wouldn't worry about it.

K.,
Just wait! In about a year or so, they'll stop asking you a dozen irritating questions and start asking your child instead. Wait until your two or three year old answers questions like "Do you always sit in your car seat?" and "How many vegetables do you eat each day?"

My friend's 4-y-o son was asked if he plays with matches...he said "Sure!" She immediately defended the safety of her home. It wasn't until weeks ;ater while playing games with him that she figured out that he meant card matches as in the Memory game!

It's all kind of crazy, but take it in stride, tell them if they're being too repetitive or intrusive. I figure their intentions are right so I just roll my eyes and laugh when my son says his favorite food is bacon and he's never heard of any vegetables. Of course I have a 5-y-o and I'm old enough to be your mom (I'm 45!) so it could be a little less intimidating for me.

Blessings to you, at least they care...
K.

Hi,
Just so you know, ALL pediatricians ask the same things. I have 3 kids and I am 32 years old. They still ask these questions. There are a lot of different health issues today than there were a few years ago and doctors are trained differently. I guess I would rather be safe than sorry and what does it take like 5-10 minutes to ask them? I guess we will just have to live with it.

SMILE...Hi K..
I don't mean to make you feel stupid or anything, because you really don't sound like that at all..Just for a moment, I gotta laugh a little. I too had stupid questions, but seriously its all in routine. I had asked my doctor and the nurses a question like: "Why is it every time we come in here your asking the same question?" My daughter 2years now, had been breastfed and you think at age 2weeks she's gonna switch from breast to bottle than to cereals right off the bat?!" But that wasn't the case. The case is that they do that to make us feel incompitent and stupid. Like my daughter was playing out of my site for a second, and I went to get her and she was choking! I freaked out when she spit out a double A battery. I don't know where she got it or if she swallowed another one. So I called her doctor and they told me to take her to the ER. I did and they made me feel really horrible. They told me that if I KEPT them out of her reach then she wouldn't had swallowed or choked on a battery. (She didn't swallow no battery though). My daughter is a climber and she climbs up on everything and anything. If she sees something that she's curious about, she'll try to get to it. Most of the time she succeeds. But it was my fault for not LITERALLY KEEPING MY EYE ON HER! You can't always see or know what your kids are doing or what they've done. I have 3 girls and they all gave me a scare. Don't worry about the doctors DUMB questions, they do get irritating; And it only gets worse. Especially when your kids are almost teens and you don't know what they ate at school and the doctors are asking you what they have consumed in the last 24hours. Not like you were at the school fixing their breakfast or lunch. We just all got to deal with the idiots, their every where and they ALL ask the same stupid questions. Good Luck and have a NICE day.

I am a 28 year old mother of three and I get the same thing. On my last visit to the pediatrician with my four year old, she literally turned her back to me and addressed all her questions to my son. I assume she thought she could trust his answers more than mine. She asked him things such as do you wear a seatbelt in the car and do you cross the street on your own. Do you eat green food, and do you wear a helmet when riding a bike. I have come to the conclusion that a lot of docters feel like they know better then a child's mother. I think in today's world we just have to nod and smile and deal with it. I am confident in my mothering abilities and I think you should be too.

My pediatrician does the same with my younger son (almost 2) but not the older one (almost 5). (We had a different pediatrician when the older one was that age and he did the same thing.) I think it's just a developmental thing to make sure they're getting the right nutrition and you're adjusting their diet appropriately as they get older. I guess I would rather have them ASK me what I'm feeding him and tell me it's ok than to TELL me what he should be eating and assume I'm not doing it right.

Dear K.,
I would just relax.
I think doctors today are more concerned about the eating habits of their patients because there is such an epidemic of childhood obesity in this country.
I noticed the same thing when I took my granddaughter to the doctor.
And we can't expect the doctor to remember what we tell them from one visit to the next.
You might want to write down the answers to the things they are asking before your next visit and give it to the doctor when you go so that he or she won't have to ask......

I think it's great that they are asking these questions and so often. They should be asking at the well check up for sure, and others. My doctor has a "form" on the computer to fill out. In the medical field if it's not asked and something happens because of it they can be sued and lose easily. I don't think they think you are intelligent at all. I would be more concerned if the doc. wasn't asking questions and trying to make sure the child was properly nurtioushed.
My doc. ask tons of questions when I take my son in, I'm 26 and a pediatric nures. Still, she goes over what is his diet like, what are each meal like, what are daily activities like ect. They just want to make sure they are hitting mile stones. If you are bothered by them so badly still, feel free to ask your doctor why he ask. Just say, I've noticed you ask a lot of questions about diet and such when I bring my child in, I was just wondering what the reasoning behind that was. If he minds answering that question then I would be annoyed! :) Best of luck!

I think it is the norm for many doctors. I am 38 with 4 kids and I get asked this question at every well visit. It seems like they want to make sure the kids are getting certain vitamins that are essential at different levels(that even careful moms miss and new studies are showing them to be more important than we knew). I feel like I am pretty well- informed when it comes to nutrition but I usually learn something when my doctor mentions what they should be eating. I think that it's such an important aspect to growth that pediatricians should study more nutrition and discuss it more with mothers(but that's just my opinion). I wouldn't be insulted- just be proud of your answers and show them you know what you are doing!

I have a chld who ate a ton of carrots and sweet potatoes as a baby. She was orange until she fell in love with green beans. Her doctor noticed it before I did, more like "She really loves the carrots, huh? She eats a lot of them?" Other than that, maybe there are odd diseases that turn kids orange, but I don't know of them.
Hang in there.

I think asking too much is better than asking too little. :) The "norm" seems to be the doc spending 10 minutes with you, not asking many questions, and then offering one drug or another! Good luck!

It stems from so many children developing bad eating habbits and being over weight.
If the dr is really getting to you maybe you should get one you like.
I loved all my children's drs.

for the moms that do the right thing it might be irritating but there are NUMEROUS NUMEROUS mothers out there that don't.
Plus, if there is ever a problem with unknown source, like possible allergy, weight loss, vomitting etc.... then if they have a little history to look back on, that may give them clues right there.

I'm not sure because I'm not in your ped's head. Maybe to that doctor those are routine questions, maybe there's something that you do or say that they interpret as cause for concern. I can't begin to guess.

I don't use a ped as we just go to our regular GP. They ask quite a few questions and they've known myself and my family for YEARS. I think there's a good possibility of the questioning just being routine today.

In any case, if you do not feel comfortable with what the doctor is doing, find a new one. If that one does it to, you may want to reevaluate things a bit.

I have to agree with everyone else. You're not being singled out. I think it's great docs and nurses ask these sorts of things! :-)

It's not just you. However, if it bothers you, just switch to a familoy doc instead. They don't have the lists of questions they ask all moms to make sure they are getting the right info from the ones who don't know what they are doing.

I have 2 year old twin boys, so when I take them for a checkup, I get twice the questions. They aren't asking those questions just to be mean or anything. They just want to make sure you are on track with your child's schedule and feedings and want to make sure you know what the child should or should not be eating. I did not know anything about what foods to start at what time, etc., so I kind of learned from those questions. If they would ask me a question, I would usually ask something back like 'should they be on this food?' or 'should they avoid these types of foods at this age?' or 'should they be on a multivitamin?' This is an open opportunity for you and the doctor to ask questions and both learn. I would take this time with the doctor to ask as many questions as you can so you know the baby is getting what he needs.

It is my opinion, but I think you are looking at this from the wrong perspective. All of these questions are great and I wish more doctors would be that inquisitive. These questions help the doctor get to know your child everytime they come in and by asking these questions every visit your doctor develops a sense of what is "normal or routine" for your child. They can then be better prepared to act when things may see out of the ordinary.

The first thing to remember is that physicians see an average of 15 to 20 patients a day. You have an appointment, the staff pulls the chart, puts it in the slot, someone picks it up, glances at the lading bill on the front to see why you are here today and calls you to the back. The RN, PRN, MA, QMA, whatever, weighs the child, etc., they put that info on the chart and put it in a slot the physician picks up on his/her way into the exam room. On the way in the physician looks at why you are here today and glances at the weight, tempreture, height, etc.

They are not asking the questions to insult you, they simply ask everyone a set of routine questions because they are gettin familiar with the child again. If you saw an average of 75 to 100 patients a week would you remember all of the details?

Maybe there has been a change in the home situation, diet, etc. which could explain a weight gain or loss, a tender abdomen, a sore throat.

I know it is upsetting, I go through the same thing everytime I take the 9 year old I am raising to the doctor and I am 56. I have worked in physicians offices, I know the schedules they keep and the patient count they see. If I as the check out and scheduler can't remember every patient neither can they.

P. R

This is totally normal as far as I know my friends and I all have different peds and they all do this. Maybe they're just making sure we're maintaining a routine? You could always try a different doctor, hopefully she's just being through! This may not help much, but there's at least a few dr's where I live that are like yours!
J.