A doctor for your child

Choose a pediatrician before the next sick night if you can. The best starting point is a practice that takes your coverage, can see your child consistently and gives you a clear plan for after-hours questions.

Questions for the first call

• Do you take our insurance or Medicaid plan?
• Are you accepting new patients?
• How soon can a newborn be seen?
• Who answers after-hours questions?
• Where do you send families at night?
• Can siblings use the same practice?
• How do same-day sick visits work?
• Which hospital system do you use when needed?
• How do families get records and forms?
• Can I schedule the next well visit before leaving?

The fuller answer

The most useful thing a new family in Baytown can do is choose a pediatrician before anyone is sick. The first visit is easier when it's a checkup, not a fever at 8 p.m., and the doctor who has seen your child well is the one who can tell you whether something is off.

If you're expecting, you can start even earlier. Many pediatric offices will meet parents before the baby comes, and the American Academy of Pediatrics encourages it. It's a chance to hear how the practice runs and to see whether you like the person you'll be calling for the next eighteen years. Ask the office whether they offer a prenatal visit.

A good pediatrician ends up knowing your family in a way few people do. They'll have heard every sleepless-night question you were embarrassed to ask. They'll notice your toddler finally talking, and one day they'll ask your teenager to step out so they can talk to your child alone. It's a long relationship, so choose someone you trust and can talk to plainly.

Pediatricians in Baytown, Mont Belvieu and Crosby

Each listing has the address, the phone and the hours we hold, with buttons to call or get directions. Hours change, and the Call button is faster than any website. Before you commit, ask the office three things: whether they're taking new patients, which insurance and Medicaid/CHIP plans they accept, and what happens after hours (a nurse line, an on-call doctor, or "go to the ER").

A few practices to start with

Most of the pediatric offices in town sit along Garth Road and West Baker Road, so a first visit rarely means a long drive. - Texas Children's Pediatrics Baytown is at 7599 Garth Road, Suite 600, and the hours we hold are weekdays 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. - Baytown Pediatrics is at 1113 W. Baker Road. Its own site says it cares for children from birth to 18 and offers behavioral health services and foster care support, and one of its doctors speaks English, Urdu, Punjabi and Hindi. The hours we hold are weekday mornings, 8 a.m. to noon, so call early in the day. - Hummingbird Pediatrics is at 2306 N. Alexander Drive, weekdays 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. Its site says new patients should call during business hours, and it lists newborn care, sick and well-child visits, immunizations and sports and school physicals. - Shannon Kluppel MD is at 1000 E. James Street, weekdays from 8:30 a.m., with Wednesday closing at noon. - Villar-Lamug Pediatrics is at 1610 James Bowie Drive, with weekday mornings on the hours we hold.

An office that lists mornings only may still see sick children in the afternoon, or it may not. That is a question for the front desk, not something we can tell you from a listing.

What the checkups are for

A well-child visit is not only shots. It's where the doctor weighs and measures your child and plots it on the growth chart (what the chart means), asks about sleep, eating and development, and checks the milestones (the CDC's list by age). The American Academy of Pediatrics recommends a general developmental screening at the 9-, 18- and 30-month visits and an autism screening at 18 and 24 months. If one gets missed, it can be done at the next visit, and any time you have a concern.

The AAP's schedule has a lot of visits early on, because babies change fast. There's one a few days after birth, then visits by 1 month and at 2, 4, 6, 9, 12, 15, 18, 24 and 30 months, then once a year from age 3. Your doctor may adjust it.

A good pediatrician ends up knowing your family in a way few people do.

They'll have heard every sleepless-night question you were embarrassed to ask.

For the first visit, bring the insurance or Medicaid card, the hospital discharge papers, and the shot record if your child has had any. Bring your questions written down, too: the car seat question, the sleep question, the "is this normal" question. That's what the visit is for, and nobody in that office will think less of you for asking.

Paying for it

• Children's Medicaid and CHIP. Texas covers children through Children's Medicaid, and CHIP covers children in families that earn too much for Medicaid but can't afford private insurance: doctor and dental visits, medicines, vaccines, hospital care, specialists and mental health. CHIP has an enrollment fee of up to $50 a year and copays of $3 to $35 depending on income. Apply at YourTexasBenefits.com. More on the help page.
• Texas Health Steps. If your child has Medicaid, Texas Health Steps covers free medical checkups from birth through age 20, and free dental checkups from 6 months. The Texas Health Steps page at HHS explains how to find a provider. More in Teeth, eyes and ears.
• Vaccines at little or no cost. The Texas Vaccines for Children program covers children from birth to 18 who are on Medicaid, uninsured, underinsured, or American Indian or Alaska Native. Shots and school has how to find a provider.
• The county clinic. Harris Health Baytown Health Center, 1602 Garth Road, lists primary care and pediatrics among its services, with an on-site lab and pharmacy. The clinic is open weekdays 7 a.m. to 5 p.m., and on the second Thursday of the month it closes at noon. Parking is free. To become a patient, schedule through MyHealth or call during business hours, and arrive 30 minutes early with your current medications and identification. Harris Health's Financial Assistance Program is help paying, not insurance; it's for Harris County residents and asks for household income documents.

When it can't wait for an appointment

Tonight: call, urgent care, or the ER? walks through that decision, and Urgent care in Baytown lists the clinics with their hours. The short version: a baby 3 months or younger with a temperature of 100.4°F (38°C) or higher needs a call to the pediatrician right away, day or night. For anything that looks like an emergency, call 911.

Before you go

• Call first and ask whether the office is taking new patients, because a listing can't tell you that.
• Ask which Medicaid or CHIP plans the office accepts before you book, since plans differ from one office to the next.
• Bring the insurance or Medicaid card, the hospital discharge papers, the shot record and your written questions to the first visit.
• Check the hours before you drive over, since several offices keep morning-only or half-day schedules.
• If you go to the Harris Health clinic, plan to arrive 30 minutes early and allow extra time on the second Thursday of the month, when the clinic closes at noon.

Sources

AAP/Bright Futures, "Recommendations for Preventive Pediatric Health Care" (periodicity schedule); AAP, "The Prenatal Visit"; American Academy of Pediatrics developmental and autism screening schedule, via CDC "Developmental Monitoring and Screening" (cdc.gov/act-early). Texas HHS, CHIP and Texas Health Steps (hhs.texas.gov). Texas DSHS, Texas Vaccines for Children, Region 7. Harris Health, Baytown Health Center. AAP HealthyChildren.org, "Fever and Your Baby." Baytown Pediatrics and Hummingbird Pediatrics, practice websites.

En español

Escoja pediatra antes de que alguien se enferme. Si espera un bebé, pregunte si el consultorio ofrece una visita prenatal. Arriba están los pediatras de Baytown, Mont Belvieu y Crosby. Para empezar: Texas Children's Pediatrics Baytown, Baytown Pediatrics, Hummingbird Pediatrics, Shannon Kluppel MD y Villar-Lamug Pediatrics. Pregunte si aceptan pacientes nuevos, qué planes de Medicaid o CHIP aceptan y qué pasa fuera de horario. Las consultas son frecuentes al principio y, desde los 3 años, una vez al año. Texas Health Steps cubre chequeos gratis con Medicaid. La clínica Harris Health Baytown Health Center abre de lunes a viernes de 7 a.m. a 5 p.m. Un bebé de 3 meses o menos con 100.4°F (38°C) o más: llame al pediatra de inmediato. En una emergencia, llame al 911.