Well-child checkup screenings by age, from birth to 11
Each well-child visit includes a physical exam, and hearing, vision and other screening tests are part of some visits. (MedlinePlus, well-child visits) The chart below lists which screenings the American Academy of Pediatrics (AAP) Bright Futures schedule, updated February 2025, places at each visit. (AAP Bright Futures, 2025)
Screenings at each visit
The AAP chart uses two marks: a service "to be performed", and a "risk assessment to be performed with appropriate action to follow, if positive". (AAP Bright Futures, 2025) A history, length or height and weight, a behavioral, social and emotional screening, and a physical exam are listed at every visit. The chart also lists immunizations, oral health and other rows that this page does not cover. If a child starts care late or misses an item, the AAP says the schedule should be brought up to date at the earliest possible time. (AAP Bright Futures, 2025)
| Visit | Done at this visit | Risk assessment |
|---|---|---|
| Newborn | newborn blood test, newborn bilirubin, critical congenital heart defect (pulse oximetry), hearing | blood pressure, vision |
| 3 to 5 days | verify newborn blood and hearing results as soon as possible and follow up (a range that runs to 2 months) | blood pressure, vision |
| By 1 month | parent depression screening | blood pressure, vision, tuberculosis |
| 2 months | parent depression screening | blood pressure, vision |
| 4 months | parent depression screening | blood pressure, vision, hearing, anemia |
| 6 months | parent depression screening | blood pressure, vision, hearing, lead, tuberculosis |
| 9 months | developmental screening | blood pressure, vision, hearing, lead |
| 12 months | anemia; lead (a blood test or a risk assessment) | blood pressure, vision, hearing, tuberculosis |
| 15 months | none beyond the routine visit | blood pressure, vision, hearing, anemia |
| 18 months | developmental screening, autism screening | blood pressure, vision, hearing, anemia, lead |
| 24 months | autism screening, body mass index; lead (a blood test or a risk assessment) | blood pressure, vision, hearing, anemia, tuberculosis, cholesterol |
| 30 months | developmental screening | blood pressure, vision, hearing, anemia |
| 3 years | blood pressure, vision | hearing, anemia, lead, tuberculosis |
| 4 years | blood pressure, vision, hearing | anemia, lead, tuberculosis, cholesterol |
| 5 years | blood pressure, vision, hearing | anemia, lead, tuberculosis |
| 6 years | blood pressure, vision, hearing | anemia, lead, tuberculosis, cholesterol |
| 7 years | blood pressure | vision, hearing, anemia, tuberculosis |
| 8 years | blood pressure, vision, hearing | anemia, tuberculosis, cholesterol |
| 9 years | blood pressure; cholesterol once between 9 and 11 | vision, hearing, anemia, tuberculosis |
| 10 years | blood pressure, vision, hearing; cholesterol once between 9 and 11 | anemia, tuberculosis |
| 11 years | blood pressure; cholesterol once between 9 and 11; hearing once between 11 and 14 | vision, anemia, tuberculosis, tobacco, alcohol or drug use, sexually transmitted infections, HIV, sudden cardiac arrest |
Source for every row: (AAP Bright Futures, 2025) From 12, the schedule adds depression and suicide risk screening every year; see teen health screenings for ages 12 and up.
What each check involves
- Newborn blood test: in England, a heel prick test at 5 to 8 days screens for several rare diseases, including cystic fibrosis and sickle cell disease. (NHS, baby reviews) The AAP asks the doctor to confirm the screen was done and verify results. (AAP Bright Futures, 2025) More: newborn screening results.
- Newborn heart check: screening for critical congenital heart disease uses pulse oximetry, after 24 hours of age and before the newborn leaves the hospital. (AAP Bright Futures, 2025)
- Newborn bilirubin: the AAP asks the doctor to confirm the screening was done, verify results and follow up. (AAP Bright Futures, 2025)
- Hearing: a newborn hearing screen, then hearing screens at 4, 5, 6, 8 and 10, and once between 11 and 14 with audiometry that includes high frequencies (6,000 and 8,000 Hz). (AAP Bright Futures, 2025) In England, the newborn hearing test is done soon after birth, in hospital or in the first few weeks. (NHS, baby reviews) More: hearing tests by age.
- Parent depression screening: listed at the 1, 2, 4 and 6 month visits. (AAP Bright Futures, 2025) In England, at the 6 to 8 week check, the GP or health visitor asks how you have been feeling emotionally and physically since the birth. (NHS, baby reviews)
- Developmental and autism screening: developmental screening at 9, 18 and 30 months, and autism screening at 18 and 24 months. (AAP Bright Futures, 2025) More: autism and developmental screening.
- Vision: a visual acuity screen at 4 and 5 and in cooperative 3-year-olds; instrument-based screening may be used to assess risk at 12 and 24 months. (AAP Bright Futures, 2025) More: child vision screening.
- Blood pressure: measured at every visit from 3; before 3, in infants and children with specific risk conditions. (AAP Bright Futures, 2025) What adult numbers mean: blood pressure readings.
- Anemia: a screening at 12 months and a risk assessment at 4 months and at visits from 15 months, per the iron chapter of the AAP's Pediatric Nutrition policy. (AAP Bright Futures, 2025) More: iron test results.
- Lead: a risk assessment from 6 months to 6 years, with a blood test or risk assessment at 12 and 24 months based on universal screening requirements for patients with Medicaid or in high prevalence areas. (AAP Bright Futures, 2025) More: blood lead test results.
- Tuberculosis: a risk assessment at 1, 6, 12 and 24 months and every year from 3. (AAP Bright Futures, 2025) More: latent TB test results.
- Cholesterol: a risk assessment at 2, 4, 6 and 8, and a screening once between 9 and 11. (AAP Bright Futures, 2025) More: cholesterol test by age.
- Body mass index: listed at every visit from 24 months. (AAP Bright Futures, 2025) In England, children are weighed and measured at school in reception (ages 4 and 5) and year 6 (ages 10 and 11). (NHS, child measurement)
MedlinePlus: "Also, you should call or visit your provider any time your baby or child seems ill or whenever you are worried about your baby's health or development." (MedlinePlus, well-child visits)
Where they differ:
- Blood pressure: the AAP recommends screening all patients annually and high-risk patients at each visit beginning at 3, and the American Heart Association and NHLBI recommend routine screening from 3; the USPSTF found too little evidence to weigh benefits and harms (I statement, 2020), and the American Academy of Family Physicians says there is insufficient evidence for or against routine screening. (USPSTF, 2020)
- Cholesterol: the NHLBI expert panel, the AAP Bright Futures program and the multisociety cholesterol guideline recommend universal screening at 9 to 11 and again at 17 to 21, and selective screening as early as age 2 for children with a family history of cardiovascular disease or dyslipidemia or other risk factors; the USPSTF found too little evidence for children and adolescents 20 years or younger (I statement, 2023). (USPSTF, 2023)
- Anemia: the AAP recommends universal screening at 12 months; the USPSTF found too little evidence to weigh benefits and harms at 6 to 24 months (I statement, 2015), and the American Academy of Family Physicians agrees with the USPSTF. (USPSTF, 2015)
- Development, speech and autism: the AAP recommends developmental screening with validated tools at 9, 18 and 30 months; the USPSTF found too little evidence for screening children 5 or younger without signs of speech and language delay (I statement, 2024), (USPSTF, 2024) and for autism screening in young children when no concerns have been raised (I statement, 2016; being updated). (USPSTF, 2016)
- Vision: the USPSTF recommends vision screening at least once in all children aged 3 to 5 (grade B). (USPSTF, 2017)
- Lead: the USPSTF now lists its lead screening topic as inactive. (USPSTF, inactive topic) Details: blood lead test results.
- NHS in England: after the newborn checks, a health visitor review at 10 to 14 days, a physical exam at 6 to 8 weeks, and health and development reviews at 9 to 12 months and 2 to 2 and a half years, with the Ages and Stages Questionnaire (ASQ-3) sent before the last two. (NHS, baby reviews) Vision screening is offered at 4 to 5, (NHS screening leaflet, 2023) and height and weight are measured at school in reception and year 6. (NHS, child measurement)
More: USPSTF grades explained.
Your doctor decides what your result means for you.
This page does not give treatment or vaccine advice. If a screening at a well-child visit comes back abnormal, see after an abnormal screening result for questions to ask.
Questions people ask
What screenings happen at a well-child visit?
It depends on the age. The AAP Bright Futures schedule lists a history, measurements and a physical exam at every visit, with some checks done at set visits (for example developmental screening at 9, 18 and 30 months and blood pressure every year from 3) and risk assessments at others, with appropriate action to follow if positive. (AAP Bright Futures, 2025)
What does "risk assessment" mean on the AAP chart?
The chart key says a risk assessment is to be performed with appropriate action to follow, if positive. A filled dot means the service is to be performed at that visit. (AAP Bright Futures, 2025)
At what age is a child's cholesterol checked?
The AAP schedule lists a risk assessment at 2, 4, 6 and 8 years and a screening once between 9 and 11. The USPSTF found too little evidence to weigh benefits and harms of screening children and adolescents 20 years or younger (I statement, 2023). (AAP Bright Futures, 2025) (USPSTF, 2023)
When does blood pressure checking start for children?
The AAP schedule lists a blood pressure measurement at every visit from age 3, and before 3 for infants and children with specific risk conditions. The USPSTF found too little evidence to weigh benefits and harms of screening children and adolescents (I statement, 2020). (AAP Bright Futures, 2025) (USPSTF, 2020)
How often are well-child visits?
MedlinePlus lists visits by 1 month and at 2, 4, 6, 9, 12, 15 and 18 months, 2 years, 2 1/2 years and 3 years, then each year until age 21. In England, the NHS offers reviews at 10 to 14 days, 6 to 8 weeks, 9 to 12 months and 2 to 2 and a half years. (MedlinePlus, well-child visits) (NHS, baby reviews)