Children generate a surprisingly large health record from birth — the Red Book in the UK, the Health Card in the UAE, vaccination booklets, school medical forms, paediatric specialist letters and more. Parents are the custodians of this record until the child is old enough to take over, and the quality of that record directly affects the care the child receives.
Here's a guide to what to gather, how to organise it, and when you'll need it.
Documents to collect from birth
- Birth summary — weight, APGAR score, any neonatal issues
- Neonatal blood screening results — newborn heel-prick tests for metabolic conditions
- Vaccination record — every dose with date, brand and batch number if possible
- Growth charts — height, weight and head circumference percentiles
- Hearing and vision screening results
- Paediatric check-up notes from the 6-week, 9-month, 2-year and school-entry assessments
School-age and adolescent records
- School medical forms — most schools require these annually or at entry
- Allergy action plans — for children with known allergies, an up-to-date plan signed by a doctor
- Medical letters — any specialist correspondence relevant to school (e.g. ADHD assessment, asthma plan)
- Dental records — often overlooked but important continuity
- Sports medical clearance — required for many competitive sports
- Mental health notes — therapist summaries, any diagnoses
Vaccinations: the most requested record
Vaccination records are consistently one of the most-requested health documents — for school entry, travel, university enrolment and military service. Missing records often have to be reconstructed from GP notes, which takes weeks.
Photograph the physical vaccination booklet and upload it to Looms. If you have digital vaccination certificates (as issued during COVID-19), keep both the PDF and the QR code accessible. For a broader look at what vaccination records contain and why they matter across your lifetime, our guide to understanding your vaccination records is a useful companion read.
For children with chronic conditions
Children with asthma, diabetes, epilepsy, severe allergies or other ongoing conditions benefit most from a complete, portable record. Emergency departments and school nurses need to know what medications the child takes, what triggers to avoid, and what the emergency action plan is — without having to call the GP.
Organising records in Looms Family Hub
The Looms Family Hub allows you to create a separate health profile for each child in your family. Upload their records, keep their vaccination history up to date, and set the Emergency Card with their allergies, blood type and your contact details. When they're old enough, the records can be transferred to their own account. You may also want to read our guide on keeping your family's records organised and our article on what to include in an emergency health card.