Questions to Ask at Your Baby's First Pediatrician Visit

For a healthy newborn, the AAP recommends the first well-child visit at 3 to 5 days old — usually within 48 to 72 hours of leaving the hospital.

The visit usually includes a weight check, physical exam, jaundice assessment, cord-stump check, feeding review, and follow-up on the hospital newborn screening (the heel-prick test done within 24–48 hours of birth, per the CDC).

Print the checklist at the end and mark your must-asks.

Feeding is the number-one topic at this visit — newborns typically feed 8–12 times per 24 hours in the early weeks (see our guide on how-often-should-a-newborn-feed).

1. How often should my baby be feeding right now, and for how long per feed? (Get numbers for your baby — breastfed and formula-fed guidance differs.)
2. How do I know my baby is getting enough? (Wet/dry diapers, weight trend, feeding behavior — see our is-my-newborns-diaper-output-normal guide.)
3. How much weight loss since birth is normal, and when should weight start climbing again? (Some early loss is expected; ask for their worry threshold.)
4. How should I wake my baby to feed — and when can I stop waking and let them sleep? (Ask when it's safe to let them sleep through.)
5. Is the spit-up, burping, or fussiness I'm seeing normal? (Describe exactly what you see and when.)

Safe sleep comes up at nearly every newborn visit: back to sleep, every time, on a firm flat surface with nothing else in the sleep space.

1. Where and how should my baby sleep — and what should never be in the crib? (Confirm back-to-sleep, room-sharing, and a safe surface.)
2. How long can my baby safely sleep in one stretch at this age? (Sleep stretches are limited by feeding needs in the early days.)
3. When should I start tummy time, and how do I do it before the cord falls off? (The AAP's guidance: supervised, awake tummy time starting the day your baby comes home; back to sleep, tummy to play.)
4. What can I safely try when my baby won't stop crying? (Swaddling, shushing, motion, skin-to-skin — ask what's recommended first, and what it means if nothing works.)

1. What should I expect with the umbilical cord stump — and when should I worry? (Keep it clean and dry; call if you see foul-smelling discharge, spreading redness, or bleeding that won't stop.)
2. How do I check for jaundice at home, and when does it need a recheck? (Ask about skin tone, eye whites, feeding quality — and whether a bilirubin recheck is needed.)
3. What does a normal newborn rash look like versus one that needs a call? (Newborn acne, milia, and erythema toxicum are common.)
4. Is my baby's circumcision healing normally? (If applicable — ask what's normal and what prompts a call.)
5. What are the most important developmental signs to watch for in month one? (Quieting to voices, brief head lifts, feeding reflexes.)
6. Should I be doing anything specific for bonding and development right now? (Skin-to-skin, talking, short supervised tummy time.)

1. Which screenings were already done in the hospital, and do any need repeating? (Hearing, heart-defect pulse oximetry, and the heel-prick blood test — confirm results are on file.)
2. What is the hepatitis B vaccine timing for my baby? (Often given at birth — confirm whether your baby got it and when the next is due.)
3. When do we start the 2-month vaccine series, and what will it include? (Ask for the visit-by-visit outline now.)

Write these answers down before you need them at 2 a.m. (Our newborn-fever-when-to-worry guide covers fever in more depth.)

1. What temperature counts as a fever in a newborn, and what do I do about it? (Newborn fever is handled differently than in older babies — get the exact threshold and action.)
2. What are the top warning signs that mean call you right away versus wait until morning? (Poor feeding, fewer wet diapers, unusual sleepiness, breathing changes — ask for their red-flag list.)
3. What do I do if my baby gets sick, hurt, or something seems off between visits? (Which number to call, what counts as urgent, and whether to call before urgent care or the ER.)

1. When is the next visit, and what should I bring or track before then? (Usually the 1-month visit — confirm and ask what to track.)
2. What is the after-hours number, and how does the patient portal work? (Save both in your phone during the visit, not after.)
3. Which vaccines, growth charts, or records do I need to keep for daycare or travel? (Ask what paperwork you'll need later.)

Tick your top 5–7 before the appointment.

Feeding

Sleep and soothing

Health, growth and development

Vaccines and screenings

When to call

Logistics