Infant Assessment Components at 10 - 14 Days

1. General Assessment

  • General appearance
  • State of alertness, behavior
  • Muscle tone
  • Symmetry
  • Response to sound and movement

2. Skin

  • Colour
  • Rashes, lesions, petechiae
  • Birthmarks
  • Peeling, dryness
  • Turgor
   

3. Measurements

  • Weight

4. Head

  • Bones of skull
  • Fontanels
  • Sutures
  • Cephalhematoma
   

5. Eyes

  • Colour of sclera
  • Pupil size, position and reactivity
  • Tracking and abnormal gaze

6. Mouth

  • Lesions
   

7. Neck

  • Masses

8. Heart

  • Auscultate heart sounds over the five areas of the heart: aortic, pulmonic, 3rd left interspace, tricuspid and mitral
  • Rate and regularity
   

9. Abdomen

  • Palpate the abdomen for liver, spleen, distention, masses and hernia
  • Observe umbilicus

10. Genitalia and Rectum

  • Male newborn: palpate for descent of testes if not present at initial exam
   

11. Arms, Legs and Hips

  • Assess hips for congenital dislocation
  • Symmetry and movement