DS is 10 months and I was awaiting the appointment for his 9-12 month review. I was a bit surprised to just receive an Ages and Stages Questionnaire and a prepaid envelope to tick the boxes and return.
The accompanying letter indicates there will be no review, but just a reminder to book 1 year vaccinations and the standard contact details if we have any concerns.
Part of me thinks great - no need to get time off work, we are generally happy with how DS is doing so why waste everyone’s time when resources are clearly limited.
But another part of me thinks it’s a shame that every baby doesn’t get a one year follow up. There were some useful things that came out of DS1’s 2.5 year review (brilliant advice on potty training that worked in a few days for example). I also wanted to mention DS’s allergies and ask if they had any advice or private recommendations for as there are long NHS waiting lists (9 month wait for an allergy clinic appointment!).
Most importantly, if they actually see the child and talk to the parent they could pick up more worrying risk factors - anyone can tick the right boxes on a form!