Curious to get your thoughts on this now that we’re a bit further into our parenting journey.
When my partner and I were looking for a pediatrician for our daughter Bianca (now 7 months), we had a whole spreadsheet comparing candidates. Project manager habits die hard, I guess. We tracked things like which hospital they were affiliated with, their exact office hours, their educational background—all the things you’re supposed to look for. We thought we had a bulletproof selection process and found someone who checked all the boxes on paper.
Fast forward to today, and I realize how little most of that list actually matters in our day-to-day reality. What has proven to be mission-critical? The efficiency of the front desk and their online portal for booking last-minute sick visits. The responsiveness of the nurse’s line and their ability to give clear instructions without making you feel like an idiot for calling about a low-grade fever. The doctor’s practical, non-alarmist communication style has been far more valuable than which med school she attended. The things that reduce friction and provide clear solutions have been the real lifesavers, not the prestige factors.
This has me thinking about what else we might have overlooked. We’re raising Bianca to be bilingual in English and Spanish, and it never even occurred to us to ask about a provider’s experience with multilingual families. Has anyone found it beneficial to have a pediatrician who understands the nuances of bilingual language development, or is that a topic best kept separate from healthcare? I’d be interested to hear what ended up being the real non-negotiables on your list that you only discovered after your baby was born.