Pediatric Appointments

I don't see how anything directly affecting my child would be inappropriate to discuss with his doctor.

Not only would our ped welcome those discussions, they bring them up. They had me do a PPD screen at two of the early appointments - one right after birth, and one about 2 months later. They asked me if I had questions about feeding, bedtime, potty training, etc. They also specifically started discussions about how we put the baby to sleep (on his tummy or back, co-sleeping or in a crib), if we were nursing or using formula. Anything that concerned the baby's entire well-being, they would discuss.

ADDED: I will comment that I don't make appointments to talk about these things, unless it's severe, but the ped initiates these conversations at the standard wellness visits.

Our pediatrician has always asked lots of non health related questions, about school, friends, sports/activities, how things are going at home. In the beginning I was surprised but over the years I've really come to appreciate it. After all, they are treating the WHOLE child, and how a child is functioning socially and emotionally can certainly have health implications. Plus it has opened up discussions that I may not have thought to bring up on my own. I love our pediatrician! I am just sorry that my daughter is 14 and probably won't be seeing him much longer :-(
ETA: he even talks to kids about their internet and social media use which I think is awesome.

I tend to do a lot of research on whatever topic I have questions about. I usually bounce any thoughts regarding my boys' mental and physical health off of my pediatrician when we're there. Your child's pediatrician went through lots of college and hands-on training to learn all about child development. Why not go to a subject matter expert?

Our family dynamics and parenting styles directly affect our kids' mental and physical health. It makes sense to discuss with the pediatrician.

I think anything related to children is open for discussion, and that includes PPD for new moms. Pediatricians are now trained to observe moms of newborns and look for signs of PPD as a mom of a newborn is much more likely to be at the pediatrician's office than her own doctor's office.

My pedi isn't an expert in everything, but I do feel comfortable getting her perspective on things and we talk about school, behavior, nutrition, changes in the family, etc. I like that mine is always compiling her list of referrals so if I mention that we found a good therapist or nutritionist or chiropractor, she'll ask for the contact info in case other patients are looking for that kind of specialist. And she's got good book recommendations and can say "I think that so-and-so's book would really be a good fit for you" or "yeah, he's interesting but I think his style is more rigid than your approach."

My teenage daughter is turning 16 this week and had her annual physical last week. She has a steady boyfriend so we had a great and long-overdue conversation with her doctor about birth control, reproductive health, etc. It's not a concern now but I know that if she needs good info before she's has moved on to an adult doctor, she now knows that her pedi is a trusted resource for this information. So really, anything from birth to young adult care and everything in between is open for discussion.

I only use my pediatrician for medical purposes.

For parenting advice regarding style/behavior concerns, I typically come here, or from a network of friends I have found with similar parenting values as mine.

I figure that doctors are not all cut from the same cloth... My original pediatrician in TX was more prone to attachment parenting advice, while my pedi. here is more of a CIO/independence style... So even among doctors there is a huge range of what is the "right" way to raise a child.

So, I may give the doctor's advice *slightly* more weight... But I am going to trust mothers who feel the same way I do about parenting and who have actually been there, done that, and have the stained t-shirt to prove it. (My current pediatrician also doesn't have any children of her own...)

ETA: I DO believe there is a huge difference between matters of developmental behavior and parenting styles/choices... If I think a certain behavior is indicative of a deeper problem, (like insane tantrums, zoning out too much, unable to concentrate at their age range, etc.) then yes, I do discuss that with my pediatrician because that is something that needs to be addressed/ evaluated by a professional... But just my everyday parenting choices? That's my call. :)

I only take the kids to the doc for health issues, like when they're sick and I need to doc to look in their ears or do an X-ray. I don't go to the pediatrician for mental health issues, behavior issues that I know are outside the norm, evaluations, or medications for issues like ADHD or anything else.

I have found that if my pediatrician doesn't have the expertise for something we need help with she can at least point us in the right direction or give us referrals for someone that does.
When I went in for all those well baby check ups after my kids were first born she'd ask a little about how I was doing and such. Since babies go in a lot more often than a new mom in that first year it's a good extra line of defense to make sure the new mom is doing OK and help her get help if she needs it but doesn't think to ask for it herself. She's even been able to look at my ear and diagnose an ear infection on a Saturday when we had to bring one of our kids in because they were sick as well, saving us a separate trip to the urgent care for me.
We've been with our ped since our first was only a day old so we've got a great relationship with her. When looking for a primary care doctor for me I even asked her if she had anyone she liked or recommended.