Health

Avoiding M.D. Rush Hour

By Stephanie Wood, Babytalk
Rule number one: Try not to schedule well visits for Mondays or Fridays  -- that's when everybody with a sick child calls to come in, says pediatrician Ari Brown, M.D., author of Baby 411.

Your best bet for checkups: One of the first morning appointments any other weekday (before naptime and before the doctor falls behind schedule).

Skip after-school hours (between 2 and 5 p.m.), as well as evenings, since they're the most crowded.

Utilize the call-in hour and you may get the help you need without making a trip. If the call-in hour is early and the doctor wants to see your baby, you may even get to slip in before the day's appointments!



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