10-12 Years of Age
What to Expect at the 10–12 Year Well Visits:
- Tdap vaccine at the 10-year OR the 11-year visit (at the provider’s discretion)
- First meningococcal meningitis vaccine at the 11-year visit
- First human papillomavirus (HPV) vaccine at the 11-year visit
- Blood test for hemoglobin level at the 11-year OR the 12-year visit (when entering 6th grade)
- Second human papillomavirus (HPV) vaccine at the 12-year visit
See the full immunization schedule ›
- Protect your child properly in the car. Refer to this handout for car seat information.
- Teach your child traffic and bike safety.
- Make sure your child understands water safety and always supervise them near water.
- Keep potentially harmful household products, tools, equipment (especially lawnmowers), and firearms out of your child’s reach.
- It is best to keep guns out of the home. If you choose to keep a gun, it should be kept unloaded and in a locked place. Ask if the homes where your child visits have guns and how they are stored.
- Use a sunscreen with an SPF of 30 or higher, reapplying every 2 hours.
- AAP recommends insect repellents should be less than 30% DEET and used for infants 2 months old and older. Wash off skin with soap and water when done. Wash clothes before wearing again. Do not use combination DEET and sunscreen products. Apply permethrin for ticks to clothes, not to skin.
Social Media Safety:
- Address what type of and how much media is used and what media behaviors are appropriate for each child.
- Place consistent limits on hours per day of media use as well as types of media used.
- Recommend that children not sleep with devices in their bedrooms, including televisions, computers or smart phones. Avoid exposure to devices for 1 hour before bedtime.
- Engage in selecting and co-viewing media with your child.
- Have ongoing communication with your child about online safety, including treating others with respect, avoiding cyberbullying, sexting and being wary of online solicitation.
- Teach your children that everything they post, including pictures, will be “remembered” on the internet. Talk with them about leaving a “digital footprint,” and that they should not post anything they would not want remembered for a very long time.
- Teach them to avoid communications that can compromise personal privacy and safety.
- Resource for social media management
- Peer relationships and acceptance will become increasingly important. Help your child to learn how to handle peer pressure.
- Children respond to stress in different ways. As they mature, children improve their ability to handle stress. Having emotionally supportive family and friends will provide a strong base for coping with stress.
- Signs of puberty will begin to appear. Have a frank discussion with your daughter about menstruation. Use correct terminology for all body parts. Answer your child’s questions about sex in a matter-of-fact way. There are many books to assist parents. We recommend for girls, from the American Girl Library, “The Care and Keeping of You.” For boys we recommend “The Boys Body Book.”
- Talk to your child openly and honestly about dating, sex, and gender identity. Keep the lines of communication open between you and your child. If your child can talk with you about the “little things,” it will make it easier to discuss any problems or issues that arise later.
- Each year your child should take on more responsibilities like making their bed, keeping their room clean, and helping out in the yard or kitchen. Consider a small allowance so your child can learn to manage money.
- Limit access to foods and drinks with added sugar, trans fats and salt.
- Caffeine intake should be minimal and energy drinks avoided.
- Aim for 16-20 ounces of low-fat milk per day or other foods with calcium such as yogurt, cheese, soy or almond milk. Calcium supplementation is an option as well.
- At home, serve meals and snacks at the kitchen table; limit eating in other rooms of the house or while watching TV.
- Have family meal times and keep mealtimes pleasant.
- Help your child decide when they are hungry, full, thirsty, or bored. Do not use food as a reward or to deal with their emotions.
- Be a positive role model for healthy eating.
- Discuss concerns about your child’s weight with your provider. Please let us know if you observe any preoccupation with weight or food choices.
Watch Out For:
- Contact your provider if your child has problems dealing with stress or seems overly anxious or depressed.
- If you feel your child is at risk of hurting themselves or others, the State of Connecticut’s 211 Infoline has an Emergency Mobile Psychiatric Service for Children and Youth: www.211ct.org.
Mobile crisis intervention team for children and youth will go to homes, community sites, and emergency rooms to assess psychiatric emergency and to provide emergency intervention and brief in-home follow up when indicated for children and adolescents ages 0 through 17. Will also take 18- and 19-year-old adolescents who are still in school. Mobile response is provided M-F: 6 am–10 pm; Sat, Sun, and holidays: 1–10 pm. Phone response is provided 24/7.