The 7 health checks you should think about for your children

In short There are several different types of standard health checks your children will need. See what they are and when they need them.

On this page

• Why it's good to get health checks for children
• Newborns and early childhood
  • Immunisations
  • Dentists
  • Hearing tests
  • Eye test
• Teenagers
  • Immunisations
  • Mental health
  • Sexual health checks

Health checks for kids – from newborns to teenagers

Health checks for children—from newborns through adolescents—are essential for tracking their growth, development, and overall wellbeing.  

These checks help ensure your child is hitting important milestones, staying up to date with immunisations, and detecting any health issues early, when they’re often easier to treat.  

Regular visits  with health professionals also give parents the chance to ask questions, raise concerns, and build a strong relationship with a trusted healthcare provider.  

By keeping up with scheduled health checks, you’re giving your child the best start for a healthy future. 

Newborns and early childhood

Health checks are extra important for your newborn baby. Every state and territory government have a range of recommended health and developmental checks. 

This includes overall health and weight, eating and physical activity, eyesight and hearing, teeth and gums, sleeping habits, language and physical development, and social and emotional wellbeing.   

There may be small variations from state to state, but most commonly they are at; 

• Birth
• 1-4 weeks
• 6-8 weeks
• 6 months
• 12 months

You can find more information for your state or territory through the links below; 

Go by the book

These checks and other important information will be recorded in an infant health book. Depending on where you live, they're often referred to by their colour – eg Blue Book, Red Book. 

They're usually provided free of charge in hospitals at birth or by a midwife. 

Immunisations

While immunisations aren't strictly ‘health checks’, these are provided at a regular schedule and protect newborns and young children from serious illness.

Usually health professionals giving immunisations will also conduct a general health check during the same appointment, such as measuring growth and developmental milestones.  

Where to get immunisations for newborns and children

These are free under the National Immunisation Program. Newborns are typically given their immunisations in hospital, after that immunisations can be given at GP clinics, child health clinics, local council immunisation clinics, or Aboriginal Community Health Services.  

Recommended immunisations by age

The Federal Department of Health recommends the following schedule of immunisations for newborns and young children; 

• At birth: Hepatitis B (1st dose)
• 6 weeks: Hepatitis B (2nd dose), DTaP, Hib, PCV, RV, and Meningococcal B
• 4 months: DTaP, Hib, PCV, RV, Meningococcal B
• 6 months: DTaP, Hib, PCV, RV, Meningococcal B, and potentially Influenza (2 doses, 4 weeks apart for the first year)
• 12 months: MMR, Pneumococcal, Meningococcal ACWY
• 15 months: DTaP (4th dose)
• 18 months: Hepatitis A (1st dose)
• 2 years and older: Hepatitis A (2nd dose)
• Yearly: Influenza (from 6 months onwards) 

When do you start taking your child to the dentist?

If you go by government and industry advice, there are many different answers to this question. Most dentists say it’s never too young to start practicing good dental hygiene, including visiting a dentist – so some parents choose to take their children as soon as they start teething.  

However, there are some common grounds that parents can do to ensure their newborn's dental health is maintained at home; 

• Regularly check your child's teeth by lifting their lip and looking for any changes to their teeth
• Have their teeth checked at all child health appointments
• Once your child has their first dental checkup, ensure there are regular check ups
• Australian Dental Association NSW says it’s also important to remember that young children and teenagers face unique challenges when it comes to oral health. 

Child Dental Benefits Schedule

The Child Dental Benefits Schedule (CDBS) is a government program that helps cover the cost of basic dental services for eligible children aged 0 to 17.  

If your family receives certain payments, like Family Tax Benefit Part A, your child may be eligible. The CDBS provides financial help for services like check-ups, cleans, fillings, and extractions.  

It can be used at most dentists who accept Medicare, and there are no out-of-pocket costs as long as the total stays within the benefit limit.  

It’s a great way to keep your child’s teeth healthy without extra expense—just check with your dentist before the appointment to confirm they bulk bill under the CDBS.  

Regular dental visits help spot and treat issues early, so it’s worth finding out if your child qualifies. 

For more information about who can get it, who's eligible and more, visit https://www.servicesaustralia.gov.au/child-dental-benefits-schedule  

Not eligible for CDBS or need more dental help?

Emergency Services Health's Rolling Extras or Gold Combined can help with covering dental costs for those who can't access the CDBS. It may also help for more significant dental work, as outlined in our table below.

You can read more about our dental cover here, or learn about our health cover here.  

Terms and conditions, waiting periods and other conditions my apply. 

How Emergency Services Health can help

Low risk children should visit their dentist at least once a year, while other children may need to visit the dentist every 3 to 6 months until their risk of decay has been stabilised. 

Timing can be important for correction of orthodontic (bite) problems, so regular dental check-ups are important during the transition from baby teeth to adult teeth. 

Meanwhile, teenagers are more at risk of other issues such as poor brushing habits and regular checks up can help identify the needs for braces. 

For more information about costs, how to choose and dentist and what we cover, read our dental benefit guide. 

Hearing tests: how often and when to start

Hearing tests are very important and can help identify a range of issues. Early intervention may help improve your child's speech, language, learning and social development. 

Most state health authorities recommend the following hearing tested at the following intervals; 

• Newborn – usually done within a week of birth
• Your child's next development and health check as outlined above 

In addition to those intervals, annual check ups with your GP or health professional are recommended. If they identify issues, they can refer you to a public or private specialist. 

Raisingchildren.net.au also recommends that children should get hearing tests before starting primary school, and yearly thereafter. 

Under current Australian Government legislation, private health insurers are unable to pay benefits towards hearing tests, as these are classified as out-of-hospital diagnostic services.

These tests may be funded through Medicare or other government programs when eligibility criteria are met, or paid for in full by the patient. 

Private health may be able to help

Emergency Services Health members have cover for some of the cost of hearing aids and hearing aid repairs. This includes devices that children require for school - specialised accessories that help them hear clearly in classroom settings, such as a Phonak Roger Device. 

Limits, terms and conditions apply, and you can read more in our Hearing Aids and Hearing Aid Repairs Benefit Guide. 

Speech pathologists

If your child shows they may need extra support with speech or language development, Emergency Services Health can help.  

We provide benefits towards speech pathology services under our Rolling Extras or Gold Combined.  

This helps you access qualified speech pathologists to assess and treat speech impediments, language delays, or communication difficulties.  

Often, you don’t need a GP referral to see a speech pathologist. However, you may be able to access Medicare-subsidised speech pathology services, you must have a health plan issued by your GP. 

Please note that any consultations claimed under Medicare cannot also be claimed through your Emergency Services Health membership. 

Eyesight and vision tests

Children’s eyes are checked from birth as part of regular health and development checks. These early checks help identify major eye conditions like cataracts or retinoblastoma, but they don’t pick up everything.  

As your child grows, it’s important to continue monitoring their vision, especially before they start school. Kids don’t always know if their eyesight is blurry, so issues like short-sightedness or a lazy eye can go unnoticed.  

When to get tests

It’s recommended children have a full eye examination by an optometrist at around 3–5 years of age—even if there are no obvious signs of a problem.

Early detection means better outcomes, and eye tests for kids are usually free under Medicare.  

Get help from Emergency Services Health 

If your child does need glasses or contact lenses, our optical benefits can help cover the costs. 

To read about our cover, extra discounts and more, read our optical benefits guide. 

Teenagers: 13-19

Many health checks that children start with can continue through their teen years, including; 

• Dental
• Eyesight and vision
• Hearing 

However, there are some extra health intervals that you may want to consider for teenagers. 

Immunisations

The National Immunisation Program schedule provides a series of free immunisations for adolescents (teenagers). 

Some of these may be administered in schools, for teens aged between 12-16 years old. 

For more information, visit the Department of Health's website. 

Mental health

While it's  not an age-based check, it's a good practice to look out for any warnings signs, and if required to see their GP. 

A GP is the best first point of contact because they'll know the child's health history, can refer them to specialists, or talk about mental health plans. 

Here are some helpful links for parents navigating this space 

• Beyond Blue – Raising a teen and mental health 
• Healthdirect – Teenage mental health

Sexual health checks

If teenagers are sexually active, they should speaking to their GP or a sexual health clinic about any aspect of their sexual or reproductive health. 

They can talk to them about tests for sexually transmitted infections (STIs), like chlamydia, and others.  

They can also discuss contraception, periods, safe sex any other concerns teenagers may have.