Maybe a stupid question, but I'm a FTM...

Lauren1102 · January 2014

How do you pick a pediatrician? How would you really know if they're any good if you don't have a baby to take them too? Do you look or suggested ones by family or friends? Do you just go through a phone book and go visit with them all until you find one you really like??
Some one please help me with this!

Lauren1102 · January 2014

Also is there any questions that you can suggest us asking? I'm really bad with meeting with doctors- they make me nervous. So any advice or questions to ask would really help!

Unknown · January 2014

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ns1 · January 2014

Suggestions mainly. I asked my OBs because I trusted they knew their medical stuff and they have children and hear a lot about the local peds. I also considered hours since DH and I work full time.

motoLyn · January 2014

I would think referrals, also look up reviews on the Dr. online and finally if you can meet up with them and see if you can talk for a sec to get a feel for the Dr and his or her mannerisms.

danabsd · January 2014

MH's co-worker and Mom of 3 recommended ours. I recently passed the rec onto a girlfriend of mine who's due in April.

So word of mouth.

kat8805 · January 2014

Ugh, I am having issues with this as well since we just relocated to DH's home town. We got some great recommendations for the office we used with DD1 but I don't exactly have reliable resources for suggestions here, and I have an issue with the Dr's in this area already. If you have anyone you trust to make a recommendation, I'd try that. Also your OB should have a list of providers in the area and you might have luck asking the ladies in the office for their thoughts.

MissLadyTay · January 2014

I used Yelp reviews to find current pedi. If those aren't available I would ask your OB if they have a recommendation. That's how we found our first pedi before we moved.

danabsd · January 2014

Another girlfriend of mine had her insurance assign them a pedi they were required to use for 30 days before they could switch. I would check with your insurance to see if they have a similar policy or an in network provider list for you to check out.

Allibob · January 2014

Ask for suggestions from friends, family, coworkers. That's a good starting point, then call & see who takes your insurance. Sometimes your OB may have a recommendation. I'd try to meet with them & go over some questions. Think of things that matter to you - what are their thoughts on BF vs FF, circs, vaccinations, how do they treat ear infections, how do they handle after hours or weekend calls, do their clinic hours work with your schedule, etc. Ask about sick vs well waiting rooms. Mostly just get a feel for the office & the doctor - are you comfortable with them? I also prefer an office where I can speak to someone vs a phone tree.

bumpuser9353653 · January 2014

With DD1, we started by looking up "top doctors in Northern Virginia" - Northern VA magazine does a top doctors release every year, so we were able to start narrowing down by that. We didn't have friends with young kids nearby, so that wasn't really an option for us to get those opinions. Then we checked out websites of nearby places, got a feel for the doctors, business hours, etc.

Then we scheduled visits. This is very common - the offices will schedule usually 30 min for you to check out the office, chat with a doctor, and get any questions answered you might have (about weekend/off hours, vaccines, etc.)

Definitely a nerve-wracking decision, but just know if you find it's not a good fit later on, you always have the option to switch. We've gotten really lucky and really liked the office we picked.

Good luck and happy hunting!

krlovell · January 2014

Ask your ob as they know which pediatricians visit the hospital that you'll be delivering at that should narrow your search down by half. Another thing that's been invaluable to me is what are their hours. My son's pediatrician is open everyday minus Christmas, which is awesome. When you are a first time mom the very first Saturday you have them home you'll have a question with just a helpline to call, I can't appreciate enough that I can always talk to a nurse or get an apt. Third and final that I really like about our pediatrician is that they have X-ray services on site, they have their own lab, and they are able to do most out patient procedures in the office. First experience with this is Brayden was jaundice pretty bad they were able to test him when we took him home in the office without having to go to the hospital. Accident at daycare X-ray done and read in the office with no trip to the hospital. I can't imagine how much more traumatic these events would have been if we had to take him back to the hospital. And DS was less scared because he knew the office and the people. Good luck on your search! Worst case scenario if you don't like them after a couple visits switch.

Storrmys · January 2014

When I moved down to Tennessee with my daughter years ago I went on recommendations from family that lived down here.. this time my dilemma is that his son and daughter go to a doctor I'm not crazy about ... I would like to take our LO to my daughter's pediatrician. So the kids would have different doctors .. not sure if that would work well .

spinsoffresonance · January 2014

I asked my neighbors for a recommendation. We went with their pedi. They didn't offer an option to meet the pedi before DD was born, so we met him at her first appointment. I figured if we didn't like him we could always switch. Here are the main things I would look for knowing what I know now:

1. It has to be close to home/work. You will be going to the pedi all the time the first year, especially if your LO is in daycare. Between well visits and sick visits we took DD to the pedi at least twice a month, so it has to be really convenient to get to. Mine is two blocks away from home and from DD's daycare

2. 24 hour nurse line. This is an absolute must. Every time DD has been sick it has been at 4am. Having someone to call to ask what to do is a life saver.

3. Group practice. I like being in a large group practice because it's easier to get same day appointments when DD is sick. They also offer weekend urgent care hours.

4. Lactation consultant on staff. I never needed it but it was nice to know there was someone available if I needed it.

5. If this is going to be your forever pedi, I would look for someone the same sex as your child, so LO feels comfortable there when older. This wasn't important to us at this point because we know we won't be living here more than 5 years and will look for a new pedi close to home when we move.

sthomas1222 · January 2014

Important for me was that they were BFing friendly, using the WHO breastfed charts, extended BFing supportive, IBCLCs on staff, allowed a slightly alternative vax schedule, and now I need to talk to them about how they handle uncirc'ed boys. I have been considering switching to another doctor only b/c she's supposed to be absolutely amazing and after the fiasco with the IBCLC I'm hesitant to use her this pregnancy.

Mimaloo · January 2014

FTM here as well - I asked a bunch of family, friends and coworkers for recommendations. Made a decision (so far but haven't met the Dr yet so it could change) based on the person from whom the recommendation came. Knowing that she's really hard to please, when she told me how much she loves her kids' pediatrician I knew right away that they have to be pretty awesome if that's coming from her.

Not sure why, but I feel really crazy and awkward about "interviewing" a pediatrician. However, I know that I'm super picky with my own doctors so I made a list about things that are important to me and I will talk to them about those issues (although for me I usually just go with my gut). We'll see how that goes I guess.

And thanks for posting this btw - it reminded me that I have to call and set up my "interview"

Ziegeficker · January 2014

Trial and error after receiving recommendations. I happen to have a lot of friends in the medical community, so I was able to get some good tips. Also, if your OB is a family doctor, he or she can act as your pediatrician as well.

Consider things like whether or not they have evening and weekend hours, if the doctor will actually see you (as opposed to a nurse practitioner or physician's assistant), how quickly you can get an appointment (or if they have a ready care facility), and if your philosophies mesh well.

ho11yday · January 2014

I had friends who recommended our pediatrician; none of them had children but they have all heard good things about the doctor from patients etc.

glowworm0166 · January 2014

I try to get recommendations for any new Drs rather than going the phone book route. One thing I started to do for myself was to ask my Drs that I liked/trusted who they used e.g. my primary care physician recommended my dentist (who was his dentist) and my OB recommended my pediatrician.

runningyogimama · January 2014

I looked up reviews of pedis in the area online, as well as looking at their office hours and if they had a NP on staff to make last min appointments with. Google didn't fail me with the reviews--I LOVE our pedi!

ErikaLynn75 · January 2014

I will likely use the one that was recommended to me by my coworkers. But you could also consider Angie's List. I've never used AL to find a doctor, but I have used it for contractors, and had a good experience with it. There's a small monthly fee (like $3). I think it depends on what area you're in though. If it's a small town, there might not be much on AL.

rainydayluck · January 2014

We got some recs from some friends and coworkers. After DD first visit we realized it wasn't for us. The office staff we rude and we had difficulty scheduling her 8 week appointment. At an OB appointment we mentioned how much we didn't like it and she gave us some recs. We went to one of them and loved it and switched immediately. Moral of the story, if you pick one and then decide you don't like it after the baby is born, don't be afraid to jump ship.

kristine526 · January 2014

Suggestions from others for sure. We're taking a list of suggested pediatricians, double checking that they're associated with our hospital (which is one of the best in my area, no reason why they shouldn't be) and then we'll go from there. The ped we're looking at is in a practice with 6 other pediatricians, and I've heard great things about all of them.

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