01
History
Interval health, medications, caregiver concerns, feeding, sleep, behavior, family/social context, safety and exposures.
Academy · Prevention · Pediatrics
A high-yield reference for the routine 12-month visit.
Verify history, growth, development, screening, immunizations, oral health, safety, and age-specific lifestyle counseling without opening a full guideline document.
Quick view · Practical workflow
A 20–30 second orientation. Detailed recommendations, qualifiers, and evidence follow below.
01
Interval health, medications, caregiver concerns, feeding, sleep, behavior, family/social context, safety and exposures.
02
Weight, supine length, head circumference, weight-for-length and WHO trajectory; complete age-appropriate examination.
03
Surveillance at every visit; assess 12-month milestones and regression. MEB screen is due; routine formal developmental/autism screening is not.
04
Iron decision by nutrition and risk; lead by Medicaid, jurisdiction and risk; TB risk-based; hearing surveillance; vision examination.
05
Review record. MMR, varicella, Hep A, PCV and Hib enter routine windows; verify season, intervals, products and contraindications.
06
Oral health and fluoride, rear-facing car seat, water, falls, burns, poisoning, firearms, choking and early detection.
07
Feeding transition and iron-rich foods, cup/bottle plan, active play, sleep, responsive relationships, reading and exposure avoidance.
08
Prematurity, abnormal growth, developmental concern, lead/anemia/TB risk, chronic disease, immunocompromise, travel and psychosocial risk.
Medical prevention
Assess, screen, vaccinate, prevent injury, and detect concerns early.
Lifestyle prevention
Counsel on feeding, play, sleep, relationships, and exposure avoidance.
Detailed reference · History
Detailed reference · Growth & physical assessment
Anterior fontanelle; red reflex, fixation/following, pupils, alignment, corneal light reflex.
Otoscopy and middle-ear effusion; erupted teeth, caries, gingiva, oral injury.
Murmur; hips and gait when ambulatory; tone, symmetry, motor behavior and emerging gait.
Birthmarks, rashes and signs of injury; routine genital examination including cryptorchidism assessment in males.
Detailed reference · Development
Waves bye-bye; plays games such as pat-a-cake.
Uses a special parent name; briefly pauses or stops at “no.”
Puts an object in a container; looks for a hidden object.
Pulls to stand; cruises; drinks from an open cup with help; pincer grasp.
Developmental surveillance plus standardized parent-completed MEB screening.
Routine standardized developmental and autism-specific screening. Do not wait when concern or regression is present.
No babbling or gestures; no response to name; loss of skills; not pulling to stand; no eye contact or social engagement; caregiver concern about hearing or vision. Failed milestones, regression, or concern warrant evaluation and possible formal screening or early-intervention referral.
Detailed reference · Recommended screening
Routine, risk-based, timing-dependent, and uncertain recommendations are deliberately separated.
Standardized parent-report screening at 12 months under the 2025 AAP clinical report.
AAP timing: 6, 12, 24, and 36 months. Example tools include ASQ:SE-2 and BITSEA.
AAP 2025 [S7]
AAP timing is nutrition-specific within 9–18 months; individual risk may move testing earlier or add testing.
Human-milk-fed: 9–12 months. Formula-fed: typically 15–18 months after transition to cow’s milk. AAP prefers CBC plus ferritin; if unavailable, hemoglobin at minimum with reflex ferritin if abnormal. USPSTF: I statement for asymptomatic ages 6–24 months.
AAP 2026; USPSTF 2015 [S2][S3]
Universal at 12 and 24 months for Medicaid-enrolled children; otherwise jurisdiction- and risk-dependent.
Consider older housing in poor repair, high-prevalence area, known hazard, immigration/refugee status, and imported foods, cosmetics, or remedies. CDC blood lead reference value: 3.5 µg/dL. USPSTF: I statement for average- and increased-risk asymptomatic children.
CMS/Medicaid; Bright Futures; USPSTF 2019; CDC 2021 [S4][S5][S30]
Test only when exposure, travel, household, immune, or epidemiologic risk is present.
For children younger than 2, AAP guidance identifies TST as preferred and IGRA as acceptable.
AAP 2021 [S14]
Surveillance and risk assessment at every visit; no routine objective hearing screen at 12 months.
Prompt audiology for risk factors or concern. Risks named include NICU stay longer than 5 days, family history, congenital CMV, craniofacial anomalies, and caregiver or clinician concern.
AAP 2023 [S9]
Examination-based assessment for all; instrument-based screening may be used when available at approximately ages 1–3.
Assess red reflex, fixation/following, pupils, and alignment. USPSTF: insufficient evidence below age 3; grade B for at least one screen at ages 3–5.
USPSTF 2017; AAP guidance [S10]
Oral-health risk assessment; fluoride varnish after tooth eruption; dental home by age 1.
AAP/Bright Futures interval: varnish every 3–6 months, every 3 months when high risk. Fluoride supplementation depends on water fluoride status.
AAP 2020/2023; USPSTF 2021 [S11][S12][S13]
Surveillance at 12 months; no routine standardized developmental or autism-specific screen at this visit.
AAP formal developmental screening: 9, 18, and 30 months. Autism-specific screening: 18 and 24 months. Evaluate immediately for concern or regression.
AAP 2020 [S6]
Formal postpartum-depression screening is scheduled at 1, 2, 4, and 6 months; no separate universal 12-month mandate was identified. Continue surveillance. Assess SDOH; formal tool choice varies by practice.
Detailed reference · Immunizations
Verify minimum ages, intervals, products, contraindications, travel, and immunocompromise. The list below is intentionally not a replacement for the complete schedule.
Dose 1 at 12–15 months; minimum age 12 months. Travel can alter timing.
Dose 1 at 12–15 months. Live vaccine; contraindicated in significant immunodeficiency.
Begin the 2-dose series at 12–23 months; dose 2 at least 6 months later.
Booster generally dose 4 at 12–15 months; product history and medical conditions can change the schedule.
Booster at 12–15 months; dose 3 or 4 depends on the product series.
Ordinarily due at 15–18 months; may be given at 12 months if at least 6 months have elapsed since dose 3.
Both have doses within a 6–18-month window; the record determines whether either is due.
Annual for children 6 months and older; number of seasonal doses depends on lifetime influenza-vaccine history.
AAP recommends vaccination for all infants and children 6–23 months without contraindications; CDC uses individual-based/shared clinical decision-making for people 6 months and older. Apply product- and history-specific guidance and keep the positions separate.
Monoclonal antibody, not a traditional vaccine. Eligibility depends on RSV season, age, prior protection, and qualifying risk for some children entering a second season up to 19 months.
CDC/ACIP recommends separate MMR and varicella for dose 1 at ages 12–47 months unless the caregiver prefers MMRV. AAP 2026 expresses no preference, with counseling about the small increased febrile-seizure risk 1–2 weeks after MMRV. Preserve both formulations.
Detailed reference · Anticipatory guidance & lifestyle
Breastfeeding to 2 years or beyond when mutually desired; otherwise whole cow’s milk at 12 months. Prioritize iron-rich foods, varied textures, cup use and responsive feeding. Work toward bottle weaning by 12–15 months; avoid added sugars before 2 and limit juice after 1 to 4 oz/day.
Encourage floor play, crawling, cruising, standing and walking practice. Limit unnecessary time in confining equipment. No structured daily exercise target is established for this age.
Assess duration, routine and environment. Age ranges bridge infancy and toddlerhood: 12–16 or 11–14 hours per 24 hours, including naps. Continue safe sleep through 12 months.
Responsive caregiving, positive discipline, predictable routines, reading, talking, singing and play. Normalize developmentally appropriate separation anxiety and stranger wariness; assess caregiver stress and support.
Avoid tobacco/nicotine/e-cigarette exposure, impaired caregiving, and screen media before 18 months except video chatting. Assess lead, water and environmental toxin risks.
Rear-facing car seat; water supervision; poison, fall, burn and firearm prevention. Fluoride varnish after eruption, rice-grain smear of fluoride toothpaste, water-based supplement decision, dental home by 1.
Before the 15-month visit
Feeding transition, mobility childproofing, poison prevention, sleep routine, language-rich interaction, oral care, and low-screen daily life are the highest-yield anticipatory priorities.
Detailed reference · When routine care changes
Use corrected age when appropriate; individualize iron, growth, nutrition, ophthalmology and related follow-up.
Assess and refer without waiting for the routine schedule; abnormal growth needs nutritional evaluation and closer follow-up.
Apply the specific coverage, jurisdiction, exposure, feeding and epidemiologic rules described above.
Conditions can change growth, nutrition, vaccination, screening and referral; MMR and varicella are contraindicated in significant immunodeficiency.
May require accelerated vaccination; an MMR dose before 12 months for travel does not count toward the routine series.
Increase support and referral when caregiver mental health, substance use, IPV, food, housing or other needs affect the child.
Evidence conflicts retained
COVID-19
AAP universal recommendation for 6–23 months vs CDC individual-based/shared decision-making.
MMRV dose 1
CDC/ACIP preference for separate vaccines vs AAP no preference with febrile-seizure counseling.
Iron
AAP nutrition-timed screening and preferred CBC + ferritin vs USPSTF I statement.
Lead
CMS Medicaid requirement and AAP/Bright Futures risk/program approach vs USPSTF I statement.
Development
AAP scheduled universal screening vs USPSTF insufficient-evidence positions for selected asymptomatic screening questions.
Other uncertainties
New 12-month MEB recommendation; milk-fat choice at 12–24 months; caregiver-depression timing; instrument vision screening before age 3.
S1 · AAP
2025 Preventive Pediatric Health Care periodicity schedule
S2 · AAP
2026 Iron Deficiency clinical report
S4 · USPSTF
2019 Elevated Blood Lead Levels recommendation
S6 · AAP
2020 Developmental Surveillance and Screening
S7 · AAP
2025 Mental Health, Emotional, and Behavioral Screening
S9 · AAP
2023 Hearing Assessment
S11 · AAP
2023 Oral Health of Young Children
S13 · USPSTF
2021 Dental Caries Prevention
S14 · AAP
2021 Tuberculosis Infection in Children
S15 · AAP
2026 Child and Adolescent Immunization Schedule
S16 · CDC/ACIP
Child and Adolescent Immunization Schedule
S17 · AAP
2025 COVID-19 Vaccine Policy
S18 · CDC
2025–2026 COVID-19 Vaccination Guidance
S22 · AAP
2022 Safe Sleep Recommendations
S23 · AAP
2018 Child Passenger Safety
The full evidence review includes 30 references. The CMS/Medicaid lead citation was provided without a publication date or URL and therefore remains unlinked.
References & review
This clinician reference was last reviewed August 10, 2026. It is educational and does not replace individualized clinical care.
Evidence reviewed includes guidance from the American Academy of Pediatrics, CDC/ACIP, USPSTF, CMS/Medicaid, and Bright Futures. Where recommendations differ, those differences are identified explicitly.