As a mom of 4, I am responsible not only for keeping myself healthy, I am also in charge of keeping 4 little people healthy (I use the term “little people” loosely, as my 14 year old Andrew is nearly 6′ tall now). In the past I always seemed to be scrambling at the last minute for doctors’ and dentists’ appointments, and I realized there has to be a better way.
Here are my tips for keeping you and the kids healthy, all year long:
- Pick a month for your own “health maintenance” and schedule all your appointments for that month. For me, it’s January, simply because it’s easy for me to remember. Another easy one would be your birthday month. Pick any month when it will be easy to remember and convenient for you to schedule your annual physical, gynecological exam, mammogram, etc. To make your life even easier schedule one of your 2 annual dentist visits then as well.
- Keep all your important health and insurance related paperwork in a file. That way you will always know where it is when you need it. I keep all my health files in a portable file box in my office, along with other files that I need to access regularly.
- Schedule your kids’ annual visits for their birthday month, and do it in advance. Pediatricians’ offices often have a long wait for well visits so call early to get a convenient appointment. Scheduling your child’s appointments during his/her birthday month just makes it easier to remember each year.
- Keep a separate “Health file” for each of your children. That way, when you need health forms for school, camp, or extracurricular activities, everything you need will be handy. I like to make a few photocopies of the completed health forms the doctor gives me after each child’s visit, so that I always have a copy ready to go.
- To make doctors’ and dentists’ visits easier on your kids, make it a habit to go out for a treat afterward. For us it’s usually Starbucks for a frappuccino or something equally sweet and calorie-laden. (Sometimes I observe this tip even when it’s just me going to the doctor–especially after an appointment that’s somewhat stressful or uncomfortable, like a mammogram. We all deserve a treat after going through that, don’t you agree?)
What do you do to keep yourself organized when it comes to your and your kids’ health?
These are great tips. I especially loved the first one about picking a specific month for your own health maintenance.
We combine using our paper calendars with using our gmail calendars for each family member (including mobile alerts) to make sure we don’t miss important appointments.