Once you have the name of a pediatrician who you are interested in, try and set up a 'new mom consult.' These are preliminary visits that many doctors will schedule so that you can meet each other and ask questions, so that you can find out about their general practice philosophy (position on breastfeeding, circumcision, discipline), their style of practicing medicine, and details about how the office is run (office hours, when and how quickly appointments are scheduled, emergency and after hours procedures, etc.).

You should make every effort to find a pediatrician before your baby is born, instead of just using whoever is on call in nursery at the time. If there is a problem with your newborn, it is this doctor who will be making your baby's medical decisions. In the event that something does happen, you will feel more comfortable and confident with a doctor that you are already familiar with.

Here are some questions that you should consider asking when looking for a new doctor:

If you have a child with special needs, make sure that the doctor is comfortable taking care of any complex medical problems that your child may have.

Family practice physicians are also qualified to take care of children. If you decide to have a family physician as your child's primary care provider, look for one that is board certified by the American Board of Family Physicians and that has a lot of children in their practice. Avoid family doctors who only see a few pediatric patient's each day. Also, make sure that your family physician will care for your child in the nursery and if he is ever hospitalized, or you may be left in the care of a physician you do not know.

Will the doctor refer you to a specialist if you want a second opinion?

Also visit:
ADHD advice and information
Expert Pediatrician - child health and parenting advice
About Pediatrics - Expert Pediatric Parenting Advice
Father's First Year - read about Dr. Iannelli's new book