👶 Newborn — First Weeks
These records come fast and scatter immediately. Most live in the hospital discharge folder — if you still have it.
Birth certificate / hospital birth record
Where it probably is: the envelope from the hospital, a filing cabinet, or the county clerk's office if you need a copy.
Newborn screening results (heel prick test)
Where it probably is: in the hospital discharge paperwork, or your state's newborn screening program can provide a copy.
Hearing screening results
Done at the hospital within the first few days. Results are usually in the discharge summary.
Birth measurements (weight, length, head circumference)
The first data points on the growth chart. Check the birth record or the first well-child visit note.
Blood type (if known)
Sometimes on the hospital discharge form. Not always tested — ask your pediatrician if you're unsure.
🧒 Infant & Toddler — Birth to Age 3
The busiest years for checkups. Visit notes pile up across portals and printouts.
Well-child visit records (all of them)
There are a lot: 3–5 days, 1 month, 2 months, 4 months, 6 months, 9 months, 12 months, 15 months, 18 months, 24 months, 30 months. Check your pediatrician's patient portal.
Vaccination records
Where they probably are: the paper card from the pediatrician's office, the patient portal, or your state's immunization registry. CDC vaccine schedule reference →
Growth chart data (height, weight, head circumference)
Measured at every well-child visit. Your pediatrician's portal usually has these. Ask for a printout if you're switching providers.
Allergy test results (if any)
Blood work or skin-prick test results. If your child reacted to a food, medication, or environmental trigger, the test results are usually at the allergist's office.
Developmental screening results
Typically done at 9, 18, and 30 months. The pediatrician fills these out during the visit — they're part of the visit note.
🎒 School Age — 4 to 12
School forms, sports physicals, and the visits that happen because kids are kids.
School-required immunization form
Your school district has a specific form. Your pediatrician fills it out, but you need a copy. Schools often require updates at kindergarten, middle school entry, and for transfers.
Annual physical / sports physical
Required for school sports. Coaches usually need proof — the form is at your pediatrician's office or in the portal.
Vision & hearing screening results
Schools screen annually, but the results sometimes come home on a slip of paper that vanishes. Pediatrician visits also include screening.
ER or urgent-care visit records
The broken arm, the stitches, the bad fall. Discharge papers come from a different system than your regular pediatrician — request records from the ER separately.
Specialist visit records
Allergist, ENT, dermatologist, orthopedist — every specialist has their own portal. Ask for visit summaries to be sent to your child's records-inbox email.
Dental records
X-rays, treatment history, orthodontia records. Your dentist can provide a summary. Especially important if you switch providers.
🧑 Teen — 13 to 17
The years before the handoff. This is when the record gets complete — or the gaps become permanent.
Adolescent vaccine boosters (Tdap, HPV, meningococcal)
Due around ages 11–12, with boosters at 16. Check the immunization record and your state registry. CDC schedule →
Mental health records (if applicable)
Therapy notes, diagnoses, medication history. These records are often at a separate provider and don't flow to the pediatrician automatically. Ask your teen's therapist for a summary.
Current medication list
Everything they take regularly — prescriptions, inhalers, EpiPens. Dosage and prescribing doctor for each. This is what the ER needs at 2 a.m.
Insurance information
Member ID, group number, plan details. Before they turn 18, make sure you know whose plan they're on and when coverage changes.
Family medical history
Conditions that run in the family — heart disease, diabetes, allergies, mental health history. Your child's future doctors will ask. Write it down now while you can ask your own parents.
🎓 The Handoff — Age 18+
The moment everything you've kept becomes theirs.
Complete vaccination record
Colleges require it. Employers in healthcare require it. Travel requires it. This is the single most-requested document — make sure it's complete.
Full allergy & condition list
Every allergy, every diagnosed condition, every past surgery. Their new adult doctor will need this on the first visit.
Summary of major medical events
Hospitalizations, surgeries, significant injuries, chronic conditions. A narrative they can hand to a new doctor: "Here's what happened."