As a parent, you may choose to have a pediatrician handle the medical care of your children, or you may use a family practitioner. While both professionals are equally trained to care for children, a pediatrician is set up to deal with children exclusively. You may feel more comfortable with a family practitioner because you have been to them yourself and have known them for a long time. However, there are times when your child may need something extra, and they will need a specialist. A pediatric specialist understands their special area of medicine as it pertains to children. Here are just a few situations that call for a pediatric specialist.

Allergies

While anyone can have allergies at any point in their lives, when it is a young child, having a pediatric allergist is more beneficial than sending them to a general allergist. Some allergies behave differently in young children. Some are much more severe, while others are milder. It is possible to treat a child's allergies in a way that can help the allergies from becoming something the child must suffer from their entire life. 

Neonatologist

This type of doctor specializes in very young infants. They work with newborns and those still in the womb. Because of how tiny these patients are, the neonatologist has to have a lot of training and practice working with them. An example would be a cardiologist. They are not used to working on such tiny hearts and may miss something or cause more damage. 

Emergency Doctors

Any time a child has to go to an emergency room, it is best if you can go to one that has pediatric emergency doctors. Any emergency situation is stressful and emotional. When the patients are very young, they need to have a doctor who is used to working with children and knows how to best communicate with them. This will not only help to calm the child so the medical personnel can perform the needed procedures, but it will also help to calm the very nervous and scared parents.

Some doctors are not cut out to work with children all the time. They may have to adjust their attitude and demeanor when suddenly presented with a young patient. Pediatricians know that every patient they see will be a child. They understand children and how to work with them. That is not to say that a doctor who is not a pediatrician should not work on your children. However, if you have the choice, go with the one who is definitely ready to treat your child.

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