Tips for Choosing a Pediatrician When Expecting

Choosing the right pediatrician doesn’t just help your baby, it also helps you. A pediatrician and his or her staff can provide you with valuable advice on caring for your newborn, from sleep tips to breastfeeding support.

Start looking for a pediatrician when you are in your second trimester of pregnancy. That gives you plenty of time to interview prospective pediatricians before your baby is born.

The most common, and often the best way, to find a pediatrician is to ask friends, family, neighbors and acquaintances for recommendations. Local parenting groups are also a good potential source.

What to Ask When Interviewing Pediatricians

Because your pediatrician will play such an important role in your child's life, it's a good idea to meet and talk with potential candidates before you make a decision.

Prepare a list of questions that cover your major areas of concern. Here are some areas to consider.

Background and Credentials

Our Find a Doctor tool lets you look up Sutter-affiliated doctors by name or specialty to see a biographical sketch, including education, board certification, hospital privileges, special interests and other helpful information. If you have questions, you can also check the status of a doctor's license online at The American Board of Pediatrics website.

Philosophy of Care

Discuss decisions likely to come up, such as circumcision (if you are expecting a boy), nutrition and vaccination. Some pediatricians also include philosophy of care as part of their online physician profile. It is important that your beliefs and philosophy on parenting are compatible with your pediatrician’s philosophy of care.

Office Procedures

Find out how well your pediatrician's office systems work with your schedule and specific needs. Ask how to make an appointment, how far in advance you will need to schedule an appointment and how long you will have to wait to see the pediatrician once you arrive.

If the office has more than one pediatrician or includes pediatric nurse practitioners, ask how often you will see your pediatrician and when you will see others. Also ask if the office has special health and safety procedures, such as separating patients who may be contagious from those who are well, or implementing special precautions for unvaccinated children during outbreaks of vaccine-preventable illnesses.

Hospital Affiliation

Find out if your pediatrician is affiliated with the same hospital you plan to give birth at and can visit your baby in the hospital after birth. In many practices, the pediatricians take turns visiting patients in the hospital or have a doctor dedicated to just seeing hospitalized patients (a pediatric hospitalist). If your baby will not see his or her pediatrician in the hospital, how will pediatric care be handled?

Additional Services

Ask if the office offers any online services for getting answers to non-urgent questions, reviewing your child’s medical records and test results, booking appointments and requesting prescription refills. Also check to see if the office performs on-site diagnostic services such as blood tests and X-rays.

Payment for Services

Make sure the office accepts your insurance plan and find out how payment and insurance billing works.

Before you make a final decision, you may want to interview more than one pediatrician and compare notes. Some practices hold special events for expecting parents where you can learn more about newborn care and meet one or more of the practice’s pediatricians.