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Well-baby care in the first year
Well-baby care is preventive medicine: vitamin D and iron supplements, safe sleep, vaccines, screening for development and the hip, and caries prevention — most questions test what is recommended for every infant and what only for an infant at risk.
Why it matters in the exam
Family medicine papers ask "which recommendation is correct for every infant in Israel?", what lowers the risk of sudden infant death, how to manage fever in a child, what to do about prolonged crying in a healthy infant (colic), and about screens, the first tooth and an undescended testis.
Wrong answers usually contain "sensible" advice that is incorrect: sleeping prone to avoid choking on vomit, giving honey, lowering every temperature under 38, or waiting with an undescended testis until school age.
The family doctor sees the infant and the parents over time, so every visit — even for a cold — is a chance to check growth, development, vaccines and the mother's mood after delivery. Further questions deal with vaccine-hesitant parents and an unvaccinated infant.
Key points
- Vitamin D 400 units from the first days until one year.
- Iron from 4 months (7.5 mg, then 15 mg from 6 months) until 18 months.
- Back sleeping, in the same room but not the same bed.
- Fluoride from the first tooth; no screens under 18–24 months.
- Undescended testis — refer by 6 months.
Summary table
| Topic | Recommendation | Age | Exam note |
|---|---|---|---|
| Vitamin D | 400 units a day | From the first days until one year | For every infant, breastfed or formula-fed |
| Iron | 7.5 mg a day of elemental iron from 4 months, and 15 mg a day from 6 months | Until 18 months; preterm — from 2 weeks, 2 mg/kg a day | Blood count for every infant between 9 months and one year |
| Safe sleep | On the back, firm mattress, no soft objects, same room but not the same bed | Until one year | Smoking at home and overheating raise risk |
| Caries prevention | Fluoride toothpaste from the first tooth (a thin smear, and from age 3 — a pea-sized amount) | From the first tooth | No bottle in bed |
| Screens | Avoid under 18–24 months (except video calls); up to an hour a day at 2–5 | Until age 5 | Co-viewing with a parent |
| Undescended testis | Refer to a surgeon by 6 months | Surgery by 12–18 months | A testis not descended by 6 months will not descend by itself |
In the full version for subscribers
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Sources
- Israel Ministry of Health, current edition — Guidelines for mother and child health stations (Tipat Halav): vitamin D and iron supplementation, safe sleep, developmental surveillance
- Israel Ministry of Health, 2024 — Circular 3/2024: prevention of anaemia and iron deficiency in infants and toddlers
- American Academy of Pediatrics, 2022 — Sleep-related infant deaths: updated recommendations for reducing infant deaths in the sleep environment
- American Academy of Pediatrics, 2014 (reaffirmed) — Fluoride use in caries prevention in the primary care setting
Sources are given for further reading; the text is written afresh and not copied from them.
Reviewed by the Examqo AI Professor · 2026-11-06. The text may contain errors; when in doubt, check the source.