Choosing a pediatrician

gradmommy13

How did you guys choose a pediatrician (or plan to do it)? Was one recommended by a friend, did you look at online reviews, etc.? Would you recommend going in and meeting him/her in person before the LO is born? What kind of questions should I ask?

kryshy123

Be careful! If you choose one of your friends OBs IRL, than you're stealing her thunder and are an awful friend!

bowman958

I asked an MD friend who she uses.  I knew I would trust her recommendation since our values about vaccinations, accommodating working moms, etc line up.

kasabby

I asked a few friends for local recommendations. It pretty much came down to 2 different doctors. We went in and met with both of them and saw the facility and made a decision from there. I wanted to make sure I saw the facility and talked to the doctor face to face to get a feel for their practice. We asked questions about after hours emergencies, hospital affiliation, breastfeeding, vaccinations. With our experience, both dr's were used to doing this so they had a whole thing they went through so they addressed most of the stuff we were looking for while talking to them. 

imoan

I had one that was highly recommended by a friend.  I just called yesterday and set it up.  I'm really low maintenance so I don't feel a need for a one-on-one interview.  I guess we'll see him at Lorelai's 2 week checkup!

MmW36

My mom recommended a pediatrician. I also looked up online reviews. Unfortunately, none of the places around here had great reviews...but a lot of times people will put up complaints more than praise, so I'm trying not to be discouraged. I was going to make an appointment to go in to the office, but I waited too late-- the next available opening isn't until after my due date.  

I think it's probably best to look around online, narrow your choices down and then go take a look in person.

Beachy730

All (or at least most) of our peds offices around here are connected through the Children's Hospital, so my OB recommends any in that network.  They told me to look at hours and locations that worked for us.  We also went to a Baby Fair event that my hospital offered and talked to some of the Drs that came from offices.  

Basically it came down to 2 for us that were both pretty close.  We are picking the one that has 2 locations both within 10 minutes of our house, and offers Saturday hours as well.  We haven't gone in to meet with them, and I don't know for sure that we will.  There are many different peds in the office so I figure if I don't like one I can just request a different one. 

rebaann

I looked at our insurance website to see who was taking new patients and who was conveniently located.  After I had that list, I went to websites for the practices and crossed off any that didn't seem to meet my needs for hours, same day appointments, etc.  That left me with two or three.  My preferred choice was doing a new patient open house so I went to that, got a lot of my other questions answered and then I stopped looking.  I can always switch doctors if I don't like it after a couple of visits.

MermaidNM

I went to one that a friend recommended, went to their monthly open house and ended up HATING them.  So much.  I ended up switching to a pedi another friend recommended and LOVE them.  So much.  Turns out the things that I thought were so important when pregnant were not as important as seeing the doctor with my kid and feeling comfortable.  Turns out I am also a small, flexible practice kind of mom and having a mom as a pediatrician is not as important as I thought.

 

 

SparksEm

My OB recommended one in network.

virginiagirl11

I asked around - family, friends, coworkers, etc. Once I started hearing a couple of the same names, I looked into them further and checked out their office hours, policies, etc. Ultimately, I decided to try my SIL's ped temporarily (inconvenient location) and then eventually transition over to another doctor.

What actually ended up happening is that we fell in love with my SIL's ped and decided to deal with the inconvenient location. Two years later we're still using her and will take DS2 to her as well. She is awesome.

littlewest1

I am actually going to use a family doctor instead of a pediatrician.  I needed to find a family doctor for myself as mine had retired and I asked for referrals from my OB and from friends.  I like the idea of our whole family going to the same doctor so he really knows our medical history and can effectively treat all of us.  I met with him once and immediately loved him.  He also said he's one of few family doctors that actually still go to the hospital when the baby is born and I really lliked that.

MrsJ723

I asked for recommendations and then checked with my insurer's website to confirm if they were in network. I had some specific questions about the practice which the receptionist was able to answer and we've been going to and happy with them since DS was born. Many OBs and hospitals will have a list of providers they recommend.

daniellelea1985

My whole family uses a particular pediatrician so I looked into her and then actually went and met her.

Love her demeanor and  personality. I also love that fact that the office has a "sick" side and a "well" side!

Convenient location too. It was really a no brainer!

Goodluck on finding a good Pedi!

corkietn

My dad and stepmom went through a search recently for a ped for my little sisters, and since we share the same values I kind of just piggy-backed on to their decision. My OB asked me who I'd chosen and she approved when I told her, so that sealed the deal for me.

motang

My OBs office gives you a list of pedis who are associated with the hospital I will deliver (although you don't have to use one of them).  The MW gave me some suggestions based on her experience.  I also asked my friends to see who the suggested. I also asked my mother what she's heard. For my daughter, I ended up going with the dr who was my brother's pedi per my mom's recommendation. We will use the same pedi for this LO. I really like him. I did not meet him ahead of time.

mytinc

I'm in a small town.  We have one hospital and essentially one pediatric group.  I really didn't want to take LO there because an acquaintance of mine from high school is a pediatrician there.  While I don't question her practice in any way, I'm not a fan of her as a person (clingy, overly sensitive, WAY too up in your business, invites herself along to things, etc.).  She's on the edge of our group of friends, so I really didn't want to hurt her feelings by choosing another pediatrician in the same group.

So instead, we're going the family doctor route.  My husband and I haven't had a GP in a few years and it's been on our to-do list.  A friend of ours works at a local doctor's office and when I told her the doctors that our insurance covered there she gave a high recommendation to one of them.  While not taking new patients, this doctor agreed to take on all three of us (hubby, me, and the baby), as she's very excited to have a new baby to see.  We met with her two weeks ago and so far it's a good fit.

Turns out that the family doctor's husband is also married to the head pediatrician at the practice we were trying to avoid.  If anything comes up with LO, it's like we have two doctors to go to and this way we won't offend our "friend."

Pumpkin_Princess

We're actually going with the same pediatric group that I went to when I was little (not the same doctors at this point though). They have been highly recommended by several friends and have excellent reviews online. I also asked the ladies on my local bump board, and they recommended them as well. We went to an orientation for new parents before we made the final decision, and DH really liked the doctor who presented. Also, the group we chose is very breastfeeding-friendly and they seem like they tailor their care to the parents' personal choices, which I really like. They're not extremely pushy on some of the 'hot topics'.

Make sure that you ask about office hours, whether or not they have special hours for walk-ins/sick visits, and how they handle calls after hours (whether there is a pediatrician from the group on call or if they want you to just go to the ER). 

BeesMomma00

I asked for recommendations on FB from friends then did a bit of research. I made a few to calls to a few practices and they all seemed to have a "meet and greet" session with the Dr's about 1-2x per month.

I only visited 1 because I liked him right away.  

Trust your gut.  

ALP514

I felt like i was the only one who hasnt met with a pediatrician yet! Atleast I know I am not alone! I had asked my OB for recomendations and she told me about two groups that are affiliated with the hospital we are delivering at. One of the groups is where she is sending her son so I feel comfortable knowing my OB trusts these drs well enough to send her own children. My cousin also sends her children to the same practice. I will be meeting with them next week.

Good luck! 

gradmommy13

Thanks for the advice, everyone!

Danifer26

My MW recommended me a pediatrician. And since I trust her so much I interviewed him and found I liked him very much and felt very comfortable with him. DH and I had many questions and he was more than happy to answer. I like that he is not a crazy "you have to do this, doctor". If you are nervous go on some interviews from recommendations or google them. The most important thing is how well you get along and how comfortable you feel with the pediatrician. Good luck, hope you find your perfect pediatrician.

ArizonaJessika

I asked my OB for her recommendations because I LOVE her bedside manner and care, then I researched all the names on the Internet and saw pictures/facts/reviews/locations about them, and decided on my own

ErinC1014

I hadn't picked one before having my son. Lucky for me, I really liked the one that the hospital "assigned" to come see us, and we stuck with him. Our daughter will go to him too.