Maternal & Child Health — Your 10 Free Visits Explained
Victoria gives every family ten free Maternal & Child Health checks from birth to school. Here's the full Key Ages and Stages schedule, what each visit covers, and how to find your local centre.
Editorial provenance · how this guide was made
- Author
- melbourne.baby editorial
- Review
- Pending — clinical reviewer to be added before public launch
- Last updated
- 1 June 2026
One of the genuinely brilliant things about raising a baby in Victoria is the Maternal & Child Health (MCH) service — ten free visits with a qualified MCH nurse, from your baby's first week to age three-and-a-half. It's universal, free, and run by your local council. Use it.
The 10 Key Ages and Stages (KAS) visits
These are the standard free checkpoints. Your nurse tracks growth, feeding, development, hearing and vision, immunisation, and how *you* are going too.
1. Home visit (first week or two) — the nurse usually comes to you. Weight, feeding, jaundice check, and a first real conversation about how you're coping. 2. 2 weeks — feeding and weight gain, settling, your recovery. 3. 4 weeks — growth, reflexes, and early settling/sleep questions. 4. 8 weeks — development check, plus a reminder for the 2-month immunisations. 5. 4 months — rolling, head control, social smiles; feeding and sleep. 6. 8 months — sitting, solids, babbling; safety as baby gets mobile. 7. 12 months — first birthday check: movement, words, immunisations. 8. 18 months — walking, words, play; a key point for any early-intervention referral. 9. 2 years — language explosion, behaviour, toileting readiness. 10. 3.5 years — the school-readiness check: speech, vision, hearing, fine motor, and social skills before kinder/school.
If you only circle two on the calendar, make them the home visit (sets you up) and the 3.5-year check (catches anything before school).
What to actually do at each visit
- Bring your green book — the *My Health, Learning and Development* record. The nurse writes in it; it's your baby's running history.
- Write your questions down beforehand. Sleep-deprived brains forget. Top of most lists: feeding, sleep, weight, and "is this normal?"
- Be honest about you. Nurses screen for postnatal depression and anxiety (often with the EPDS questionnaire). This is the moment to say if you're struggling — see our postnatal depression guide.
Finding your local centre
MCH centres are run by your local council, usually out of a community or neighbourhood centre. Search "[your council] maternal child health" or call the council directly. If you've just moved, your records transfer — just book in with the new council.
A few inner-Melbourne pointers: - City of Melbourne — centres in Carlton, Kensington, North Melbourne, Docklands. - City of Yarra — Richmond, Fitzroy, Collingwood, Carlton North. - Merri-bek (Brunswick/Coburg) and Darebin (Northcote/Preston) run extensive library-linked services. - Stonnington, Boroondara, Bayside, Glen Eira — strong eastern and southern programs.
The 24/7 MCH Line — 13 22 29
Separate from your scheduled visits, the Maternal & Child Health Line is free, staffed by MCH nurses, and open every hour of every day. Use it for the 2am "is this a fever or am I overreacting?" moments. It's one of the most under-used services in the state. Save the number now: 13 22 29.
Enhanced MCH — extra support if you need it
Families facing extra challenges (very young parents, family violence, isolation, complex health needs) can be referred to the Enhanced MCH program for more frequent, longer visits. Ask your nurse — there's no shame in it; it exists precisely so that the universal service can flex.
For specialist sleep and settling beyond what MCH covers, see our sleep consultants guide or browse early parenting centres in the directory.
Disclaimer: melbourne.baby is a community platform — information is general and not medical advice. In an emergency call 000.