Enrollment, Well-Child Visits, and Milestones for Your Baby (East Region)

This article contains information specific to beneficiaries living in the East RegionAlabama, Arkansas, Connecticut, Delaware, the District of Columbia, Florida, Georgia, Illinois, Indiana, Iowa (Rock Island area), Kentucky, Louisiana, Maine, Maryland, Massachusetts, Michigan, Mississippi, Missouri (St. Louis area), New Hampshire, New Jersey, New York, North Carolina, Ohio, Oklahoma, Pennsylvania, Rhode Island, South Carolina, Tennessee, Texas (excluding El Paso area), Vermont, Virginia, West Virginia, and Wisconsin.. Check the map to find your region.

Congratulations, new parents! The birth of a child is a joyous event. It can also be a busy one. You’ll need to make regular trips to your pediatrician to check on your baby’s development. Read on to learn how to enroll your newborn in a TRICARE health plan, schedule well-child visits, and check for developmental milestones.

Enrolling your child in TRICARE
Giving birth or adopting is a Qualifying Life Event (QLE), which means you can add your child to your TRICARE health plan. You have 90 days from your child’s birth, adoption, or court appointment to register them in the Defense Enrollment Eligibility Reporting System (DEERS) and enroll them in a health plan.

Once your child is registered in DEERS, what happens next depends on your sponsor’s status: 

• Active duty sponsors: Your child will be automatically enrolled in TRICARE Prime or TRICARE Select, depending on your location. Call Humana Military within 90 days if you’d like to change your child’s plan type. 
• All other sponsor types: You must call Humana Military within 90 days to enroll your child in a TRICARE health plan. 

You can call Humana Military at 800-444-5445. When you call, please say “enroll newborn” when prompted. Go to Getting TRICARE for Your Child to learn more.

Scheduling well-child visits
Well-child visits are regular visits to a pediatrician from a few weeks after birth until age 6. During these appointments, the doctor will examine your child and take note of their developmental milestones. At some appointments, your child will get certain health screenings and immunizations. You can ask the doctor questions about your child’s health, nutrition, and development.

How you schedule well-child visits depends on your child’s health plan. Go to Book Appointments to learn more.

Developmental milestones
First steps, the first smile, and other firsts are key signs, or milestones, of a child’s developmental health. During well-child visits, your child’s provider will ask you questions about your child’s movement, sleep, nutrition, and ability to make sounds or talk. These questions will vary based on your child’s age. Here are a few common questions a doctor may ask you:

Newborn

• Does your child follow and watch objects? 
• Does your child babble, coo, and make gurgling sounds?
• Does your child imitate your facial expressions and sounds?
• How many hours does your child sleep during the day and at night?

Infant

• Does your child roll over or attempt to roll over?
• Does your child respond to sounds by making sounds?
• Does your child know familiar faces and like to play?

Toddler

• Is your child cruising (walking while holding on to furniture)?
• Does your child use their fingers to feed themselves?
• Does your child use gestures or say a word or two to get what they need?

Your questions for the doctor will also change as your child grows. If you aren’t sure what to ask, check out one these well-child diaries (click the “Toddlers” tab). You can download a checklist for your child’s visits from ages 2 to 12 months and keep track of your questions and the pediatrician’s answers. 

Learn more about developmental milestones (click the “Milestones” tab).