Kind en Gezin (translates as ‘Child & Family’), together with its partners, aim to create as many opportunities as possible for all young children and their families who live in Flanders and Brussels.
Kind en Gezin focuses on the preventive treatment and guidance for babies and toddlers between the age of 0 and 3 years. We focus both on their physical, mental, emotional and social development, tailor-made for every family.
Our advice and treatments are based on scientifically proven methods and our services are completely free of charge.
Our medical preventive program is available for every child. In addition, we organise individually tailored services depending on each family’s needs and requirements.
Pregnancy
You can get in touch with the Kind en Gezin team in your area during your pregnancy. Together with one of our local team members, you can discuss how Kind en Gezin can best support you after the birth of your child. There’s room to discuss any questions you may have about your unborn baby, parenting, breastfeeding and day care. You can register via mijn.kindengezin.be/home.
Home visits
Kind en Gezin plans two home visits shortly after the birth of your child. During each of these visits, a local team member will make time for any questions or concerns you might have about your newborn. This can be about your baby’s nutrition, health, development, how you feel as a parent…
Hearing test
Kind en Gezin provides a free hearing test in the first weeks after the birth at one of the consultation offices or at your home, depending on the region. The hearing test can detect potential congenital hearing defects shortly after the birth. It’s a safe, painless and extremely reliable test and will be carried out by a nurse.
Consultations and vaccinations
There are several consultation offices per region. You will receive an appointment for a consultation for every important milestone in your child’s development. At some of these appointments, your child will also receive free vaccinations to protect them from severe infectious diseases such as polio, diphtheria, tetanus, the measles, rubella …
Kind en Gezin normally schedules routine appointments for babies/ toddlers at one of the Kind en Gezin consultation officers at the following intervals:
During each consultation, your child will be measured and weighed by a volunteer. After that, you will have the opportunity to talk to a nurse about feeding, development and the social development of your child. There are also several appointments with a doctor to monitor the growth, health and development of your child and administer any necessary vaccinations.
If you have questions, would like further information or would like to make an appointment then please do not hesitate to contact Kind en Gezin via telephone (078 150 100) workdays between 8am – 8pm. You can also find a lot of additional information, brochures, videos and useful addresses on www.kindengezin.be as well as email addresses and our internet “chat” link via the contact us page.
Kind en Gezin is part of the governmental institution Opgroeien (Growing up) www.opgroeien.be/en, which is active in the field of ‘Public Health, Welfare and Family’.
The Kind en Gezin is especially dear to my own heart as I actually met my first ‘new-mum’ friend while in the waiting room at one of their consultations.
Funnily enough, as we chatted (thank goodness Els was very patient with my Dutch at the time) we found out we lived on the same street and our daughters were born on exactly the same day!
Els and her daughter Charlotte joined Kelsey and I at the BCT Playgroup I started up in Overmere (near Gent) and at baby swimming lessons.
19 years later we all still remain good friends!Shelley
The Kind en Gezin nurse who visited us at home after Bastian was born was the single most helpful, supportive, reassuring professional who helped us in those crucial first weeks.
I had gotten so much conflicting advice, regarding breastfeeding and Bastian’s weight gain (or lack thereof) and she gave me the confidence to relax and follow my baby’s lead and kept up with frequent visits to make sure he was on track.!Aimee
By Tory Devos (verpleegkundige Brussel) & Sofie De Beule (Consulent Communicatie)
This article was first published in the Autumn 2021 edition of Small Talk magazine.
Additional information and links:
Kind en Gezin (Dutch-speaking service): www.kindengezin.be
ONE – Office de la naissance et de l’enfance (French-speaking service): www.one.be
ONE provides similar services for the French-speaking population. You are free to choose which service you would like to use, which one is more convenient for you. It’s best to check with branch office is best accessible and whether they offer any English support, if you do not feel comfortable in Dutch or French yet.
