A IMPORTÂNCIA DA CONSULTA DE PUERICULTURA PARA O ACOMPANHAMENTO DO DESENVOLVIMENTO INFANTIL

Childcare constitutes a set of fundamental practices for monitoring child growth and development, carried out mainly in Primary Health Care through the Family Health Strategy. This study aims to analyze the importance of childcare consultations in monitoring the neuropsychomotor, cognitive and socioemotional development of children from birth to nine years of age. This is a literature review that used scientific articles published between 2015 and 2025, indexed in SciELO, PubMed and Virtual Health Library databases, in addition to official documents from the Ministry of Health. The results show that childcare enables early detection of developmental delays, favors timely interventions and strengthens the bond between health professionals and families. The Child Health Record emerges as an essential tool for systematic recording and monitoring of developmental milestones. The main challenges identified are low family adherence to consultations, the need for continued professional training and precarious physical structure in some health units. It is concluded that childcare consultation represents an effective strategy for promoting comprehensive child health, contributing significantly to reducing child morbidity and mortality and to the full development of the potential of Brazilian children.