Your baby is likely to be cared for by one of the following types of healthcare providers:
- A pediatrician (a medical doctor who has received specialized training in the field of pediatrics or childhood health and wellness)
- A family practitioner (a medical doctor who provides care to an entire family as opposed to just children)
- Or, a nurse-practitioner (a registered nurse who has received advanced health and clinical training in a particular health care specialty area and who may either practice on her own or work in collaboration with a medical doctor).
Where you live will determine how much choice you have in the type of healthcare provider(s) involved in your child's care. In some communities, you have the luxury of choice; in other communities, you may not even be able to find a local healthcare provider who is available to provide non-emergency care to your child.
Ideally, you'll want to find a healthcare provider who:
- Keeps family-friendly office hours
- Is available to handle emergency calls after hours (or has some sort of "on call" system arranged with other healthcare providers)
- Has health and parenting philosophies that are roughly in synch with your own
- Is both friendly and approachable and an excellent source of parenting, health, child development, and child safety information.
