Concierge care, sleep, sport
Money buys access, not health. It buys a paediatrician who answers the phone at midnight, a physiotherapist on the tennis court and time. What you do with the time is the interesting part.
The short version
The families we write for can see any doctor they like. What they often lack is a plan: which check-ups at which age, who coordinates the specialists, how much sport is too much and when a quiet child needs help rather than another activity. This section is that plan.
In this section
Health · 8 min read
A paediatrician who answers the phone at midnight, comes to the house and coordinates the specialists costs 3,000 to 15,000 euros a year per child in Europe. For families who travel, it is the best money in the health budget. For families who do not, it may be a luxury.
Health · 7 min read
Ten activities, three time zones a year, a phone by the bed and a 6 a.m. school run: affluent children sleep less than their peers, and it shows in the classroom and the clinic. The cure is cheap and unpopular.
Health · 8 min read
The children of families who can afford the best coaching train like professionals at twelve and break like professionals at fourteen. A sports physician who works with adolescents, and a rule about hours, prevent most of it.
A private paediatric practice with a small patient list, same-day appointments, home visits, direct phone access to the doctor and coordination of specialists. Annual membership fees range from 3,000 to 15,000 euros per child in Europe and considerably more in New York or Los Angeles.
Eight to ten hours, and most get seven. Boarding schools with a 22:30 lights-out and an 07:00 wake-up manage it better than families at home. Late training sessions, screens in the bedroom and 06:00 school runs are the three usual thieves.
From the moment they train more than eight hours a week or compete at regional level. Growth plates, overuse injuries and nutrition need someone who works with adolescents, not the family doctor and not the club coach.
