Most of a new baby's early health care in Ireland happens without you arranging it: the HSE and your GP reach out to you. The exception is the GP visit card, which you apply for once and which makes GP visits free until your child turns 8. Here is what to expect, in order.
The short version
- Within 72 hours
- A full newborn clinical exam by a doctor or specialist midwife
- First days at home
- A home visit from your public health nurse
- At 6 weeks
- A check with your GP, for you and your baby together
- Apply for
- The under 8s GP visit card, so GP visits are free
- From 2 months
- Free childhood vaccines, given at your GP
The newborn exam, within 72 hours
Your baby should have a full newborn clinical examination within 72 hours of birth, carried out by a doctor or a specialist midwife. It is there to catch anything that benefits from early treatment. If your baby is born in hospital this usually happens before you go home; you do not arrange it.
The home visit in your first days
You will usually get a home visit from your public health nurse (PHN) during your first three days at home. The PHN weighs and examines your baby, does a check-up on you as well, supports you with feeding and recovery, and is a point of contact for any worry in the weeks after.
That first visit is the start of a schedule of free developmental checks that runs all the way to junior infants, and those are a separate thing from your baby's first weeks. They have their own guide: developmental checks, by age sets out every appointment with the age it falls at, which ones you have to book yourself, and what to do if none of them arrive.
The 6-week check
At around six weeks you make an appointment with your GP for the six-week check. Your own health and your baby's are looked at in the same appointment. This one you book yourself, so it is worth doing early, and worth having the GP visit card in place first so it is free.
The card is the one thing to apply for. The exam, the nurse visit and the vaccine reminders come to you. The under 8s GP visit card does not, so put it near the top of your list, alongside registering the birth.
The under 8s GP visit card
Every child under 8 living in Ireland can get a GP visit card, whatever the family income. It covers free GP visits, out-of-hours urgent GP care, care for a child with asthma, and free developmental assessments at age 2 and age 5. It does not cover medicines or hospital charges. Your child is covered until the end of the month of their 8th birthday.
To register online you give your PPS number, your child's PPS number, and your GP's name. Two useful details:
- If your baby is under 4 months, you can register before their PPS number has arrived; the HSE asks for it later.
- If your family already has a medical card that covers your child, you do not need to apply: they already have free GP care. A new baby is added to an existing medical card once you have their PPS number.
Not every GP is on the scheme or taking new patients, so check that your chosen GP accepts registrations before you apply. You can also apply by post or by phone.
The childhood vaccines
Ireland's childhood immunisations are free, and the early ones are given at your GP. The first appointment is at 2 months, with further visits over the first year and a bit. The exact vaccines and timing are a clinical matter and the schedule can be updated, so we do not reproduce it here: use the official HSE schedule linked below, and your GP or public health nurse will guide you through each visit.
This guide is about finding and sequencing the steps, not clinical advice. For anything about your baby's health, your GP, your public health nurse and the HSE are the people to ask.
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Official sources
- HSE: Under 8s GP visit card
- HSE: Your child's health and development checks: 0 to 6 months
- HSE: Vaccines for your child
- Citizens Information: GP visit cards for children under 8
Facts checked against the official pages on 30 July 2026. This is general information, not medical advice, and it does not decide your care. The HSE provides these services and, with your GP, makes every clinical decision. Details can change; always confirm on the official pages linked above, and speak to your GP or public health nurse about your baby's health.