Children's primary care

At Advocate Children’s Hospital, we help your child stay healthy with annual wellness exams, vaccinations, and physicals for sports, camp, and school. Our primary care team provides a family-centered medical home and access to high-quality specialists when your child needs them.

Our pediatricians are conveniently located throughout Chicago and the suburbs. All clinics offer evening and weekend appointments to help meet your busy schedule.

Advocate Children’s primary care is the right choice for your child’s school years

The American Academy of Pediatrics recommends all children get health care from a family-centered medical home. This approach means doctors take the whole family into account and make sure you’re involved in all decisions.

We provide your family with a comprehensive medical home that includes:

• Convenient locations and appointments: Our pediatricians are located throughout Chicagoland. You can find a doctor close by and take advantage of evening and Saturday appointments. If your child is sick or you have an urgent question, you have access to walk-in visits and same-day responses. Find a location.
• Annual well-child exam: Track your child’s progress and protect them with screenings and preventive care. We partner with your family to build your child’s health history while addressing questions and concerns.
• Quality care: Our pediatricians are board certified and joined by top nurses and support staff. Our primary care team is ready to provide preventive care, treat minor injuries and illnesses, and coordinate help for chronic or complex needs.
• Child-friendly offices: We design our clinics to make your child comfortable, with friendly animal themes and environments that encourage their engagement.
• Camp, school and sports physicals: A back-to-school or sports physical can get your child off to a strong start and allow them to participate in enriching activities. We offer convenient appointments for camp, school and sports physicals.
• Access to other specialists: We connect you with the right doctors if your child has chronic health issues or we identify a concern requiring additional support. You have access to the full range of pediatric specialists at Advocate Children’s Hospital.
• Community partnerships: We recognize the importance of teamwork. We're part of the Chicagoland Children's Health Alliance, partnering with two other area hospitals that specialize in pediatric care. Through us, your child has access to even more specialists and programs.

Annual well-child exams and screenings

Your child’s annual physical exam is an important time for screening and preventive care. The well visit helps keep your child healthy and enables your pediatrician to look for certain diseases. It’s also a chance to provide you with family resources to help promote a healthy lifestyle and prevent injury.

Your child’s well visit may include:

• Physical exam: Your child’s doctor evaluates your child’s overall health and development.
• Emotional and social questions: Topics might include friendships, personal safety, or bullying. Your doctor can advise you and your child about how to resolve such issues.
• Lifestyle screening: The doctor may ask about habits such as diet, exercise, screen time, sleep, and safety.
• Mandatory vaccines: We make sure all vaccines required for school attendance are up to date. We recommend specific vaccines such as human papillomavirus (HPV) to prevent future health issues.
• Transition to adolescence: As your child approaches the teen years, your pediatrician works with both of you to help your child take an active part in staying healthy.

Developmental monitoring

While your school-age child goes through milestones less frequently, it’s still essential to assess their development at least once a year. Your doctor may ask about school topics such as grades and activities. Other screening includes looking for:

• Autism spectrum disorder (ASD)
• Attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD)
• Depression and anxiety
• Developmental delays
• Preventable illnesses

Preparing for an annual well-child exam

You can use the annual physical exam to get a full picture of your child’s health. The more prepared you are, the more you and your doctor can accomplish. Key items and information to bring to a well visit are:

• Child’s health history
• Family health history
• Medications
• List of activities
• Descriptions of behavioral challenges or other issues
• Questions you or your child have about health and well-being

Common conditions we treat

In addition to routine visits, our pediatricians help with common childhood problems. Some of the many issues we work with are:

• Sleep problems
• Minor illnesses and infections
• Minor injuries
• Bladder control

When to take your child to the emergency department

Go to the emergency department if you think your child’s illness or injury is life-threatening or could cause permanent harm. We can use your routine visits to talk about how to handle emergencies.

If possible, call your child’s pediatrician before going to the emergency department. They can talk to you about your child’s symptoms, give you advice, and even call ahead. Learn more about when your child needs emergency care.