Why I love my pediatrician

At dinner on Friday night, my six-year-old announced that his ear hurt. Of course! Because it was Friday, and the doctor's office had closed half an hour earlier.

Fortunately, my pediatrician's practice has Saturday morning office hours; they also have a Sunday morning "triage" clinic. The seven doctors in the practice take turns covering these weekend hours, which means that while we don't always see our pediatrician, we always see someone from her practice. The doctor always has my child's complete file right there, so he or she can see that Henry has ADHD and sensory issues, and that Charlie is prone to recurrent ear infections. It also means that when my kids are sick, I'm taking them to a familiar place, which helps with whatever other fears they may have about throat cultures or eye drops or anything else that's going on.

We found this practice on a fluke; our first son was premature and when he arrived, we hadn't even started looking for a pediatrician. My mother thought to ask one of the NICU nurses, who recommended the doctor we still see today. I still can't believe how well it worked out, and I happily recommend this practice to anyone who asks, but I always wonder if I would have thought to ask about weekend hours when I was searching for a doctor.

What did you ask about when you were shopping for a pediatrician? What do you wish you had asked?