Health checks for children and young people

Regular health checks for the benefit of your young ones

With us, you can expect to take advantage of more than just the legally required health checks to give you the added peace of mind that your child is progressing just as they should. After all, many illnesses and developmental disorders in children and young people can be treated properly if they are picked up early enough. This is exactly why health checks are so important. U-Check-ups and J-Check-ups (health screening for children and adolescents) are designed to support your child’s development and are included in our health checks. These are one of the most essential foundations of any comprehensive healthcare service along with the necessary vaccinations and dental care.

Health checks for children and young people – your SBK benefits:

You will receive additional health checks with us that go beyond the statutory minimum standard in the form of the U10, U11 and J2 health checks with participating SBK practitioners. To find out which paediatricians offer these services, contact your personal consultant.
If you have any questions regarding your child’s development or health checks, you can call the SBK Health Telephone for Expectant Mothers and Children at any time on 0800 072 572 570 01 (free of charge within Germany).

Please note: if you are not connected directly, unfortunately, all lines are busy at the time of your call. In this case you will hear an announcement in German and be directed to an answering machine. You are welcome to leave your name and telephone number after the tone and we will call you back as soon as possible.

'We offer you additional health checks for your child. Simply get in touch with your personal consultant for more details.'

Health checks for children and young people – the details

Examination type	Age	Scope of examination
U1	After birth	Skin colour, breathing, muscle tone, reflexes, heartbeat
Advanced newborn screening	1–3 days old	Blood test to check for metabolic disorders
Newborn hearing screening	1–3 days old	Exclusion of hearing impairments from a hearing loss of 35 dB
Cystic fibrosis screening	1–3 days old	Generally a blood sample taken during advanced newborn screening
Pulse oximetry screening	2 days old, by U2 at the latest	Measurement of the blood oxygen levels using a light sensor on the baby’s foot. Low oxygen levels can be a sign of congenital heart defects.
U2	3–10 days old	Body measurements, abnormalities in the skin, chest, stomach and genitals, skeleton, sensory organs, motor skills, reflexes, formation of the hip joint, check for metabolic or hormonal imbalances
U3	4–5 weeks old	Physical examination similar to U2, age-appropriate development, nutritional state, weight, ocular response, hearing, reflexes, motor skills development, vaccination advice
U4	3–4 months old	Motion, coordination, response to visual and acoustic stimuli, vaccination advice
U5	6–7 months old	Head posture, motor skills and coordination (gripping ability), hearing and eyesight, interest in surroundings, vaccination advice
U6	10–12 months old	Motor skills and coordination, hearing and eyesight, response to strangers, vaccination advice
U7	21–24 months old	Motion behaviour, language development, comprehension, vaccination advice
U7a	34–36 months old (shortly before 3rd birthday)	Detection of allergies, socialisation problems, behavioural disorders, overweight, language development, dental, oral and maxillofacial anomalies, vaccination advice
U8	46–48 months old (shortly before 4th birthday)	Organ check, thorough eye examination and hearing test, dexterity test, language development, independence and interpersonal skills, vaccination advice
U9	60–64 months old (after 5th birthday)	Ability to hear, see and speak, comprehension, behaviour, motor skills, coordination, vaccination advice
U10	7–8 years old	Detection of dyslexia, motor skills development disorders, behavioural disorders
U11	9–10 years old	Detection of problems with academic achievement, socialisation and behavioural problems, dental, oral and maxillofacial anomalies, advice on nutrition, exercise, stress, addiction and media
J1	13 years old	Detection of physical and mental developmental disorders, advanced or delayed onset of puberty, early detection of physical and psychosocial risk factors, behaviours hazardous to health
J2	16–17 years old	Detection of disorders in puberty, sexual disorders, postural disorders, goitre, risk of diabetes, socialisation and behavioural disorders

You can download an overview of all health checks as a PDF here:

Health checks for children PDF, 478 KB

Additional preventative care services

Advanced newborn screening: These health checks are primarily designed to facilitate the early detection of congenital illnesses such as metabolic disorders. Your child will generally have this check prior to leaving the birth clinic.
Dental health checks: We cover the annual costs of two health checks for children between the ages of three and six to identify dental, oral and maxillofacial illnesses. Children and young people between the ages of six and 18 may visit the dentist once every six months free of charge. From the age of 12, children will also receive a bonus booklet from their dentist.

Here’s how your child can take advantage of health checks

Health checks on newborns take place shortly after birth – there’s no need for you to do anything here. For health checks from U2, please make an appointment with your paediatrician. If you would like to take advantage of health checks U10, U11 and J2 with a participating SBK practitioner, please contact your personal consultant. They will be able to tell you whether your paediatrician is a participating SBK practitioner or whether there is a participating practitioner in your area.

Covering the costs of health checks for children and young people

Statutory health checks are conveniently covered through the SBK health care card.

The U10, U11 and J2 health checks, which SBK offers beyond statutory requirements, are also conveniently covered at any participating practitioner through your child’s health care card. You therefore do not incur any private costs for these additional health checks.
However, please keep in mind that private invoices for the U10, U11 and J2 health checks cannot be reimbursed if they are issued by non-participating practitioners. Your personal consultant will be happy to help you find a suitable participating practitioner in advance.