There is nothing more exciting and beautiful than having a child, except when that child becomes sick and the feeling turns into fear. Taking your child to the pediatrician regularly can help to prevent dangerous diseases and help with certain disorders. Here are three areas that doctors regularly check children.

Ears
It is not uncommon for children to get ear infections, as nearly 83% of children will have at least one by their third birthday. If left unchecked however, the ear infection can turn into a much greater problem including chronic ear problems and even hearing loss. Genetics are responsible for over half of hearing loss in children, with infections, complications, and other issues during birth accounting for 30% of babies with hearing loss.

Mouth
Since your mouth is responsible for both breathing and eating, doctors place extra special care when it comes to issues dealing with the mouth and throat. One of the most severe defects is that of a cleft palate or lip, which affects breathing and eating. There are around 2,650 babies in the U.S. born every year with a cleft palate and 4,440 born with a cleft lip too. Early surgery can successfully repair the cleft lip and palate if done during the first year of life, giving the child a normal life. Another rare occurrence is vocal cord paralysis. Vocal cord paralysis occurs when there is some sort of abnormal nerve output to the voice box. Although vocal cord paralysis typically results in difficulty breathing and loss of voice, there are voice training options available to help those affected speak again.

Nose
While some parents watch their babies sleep and dream, some children have difficulty sleeping or are in danger while they sleep. Although 10% of all children snore regularly, about 2-4% of children suffer from sleep disordered breathing, or sleep apnea. In some cases, a tonsillectomy can be done to cure obstructive sleep problems, in contrast to 30 years ago when tonsillectomies were done to prevent reoccurring infections. Other, non-surgical options include breathing machines which introduce constant pressure to maintain open airways and a variety of medications. Don’t stay up all night worrying about your children, take them to see specialists regularly and let children be children.