I really like Dr. Washington at Dr. McKnight's office and haven't had any of the complaints that the PPs have had (we've also thankfully had a relatively healthy first year with our DD). We can always get an appointment when we need one, and the doctors have been pretty great about calling back when we call with concerns after hours.

Also - you may want to consider what makes more sense logistically. One of the reasons we picked Dr. McKnight over Childrens was location - we live in Petworth and our daycare is in Petworth so getting to and from Washington Hospital Center (where the office is) is relatively easy for us, whereas Foggy Bottom would have been a slog. This makes a big difference for the amount of time you need to be out of work for wellness and sick appointments.

We like Dr. McKnight and her partners. We also like the office location (yeah, parking in the garage is a bit of a pain, but the proximity to our house outweighs that). We LOVE the fact that McKnight's office will now see sick kids on Saturdays. It sounds to me like both of the peds you are considering are good doctors with many happy clients. From there, I'd take which ever is more convenient for you.

I'm a ped specialist and I love hamurger' practice for their attention to their patients.

I like dr McKnight and I really trust her expertise but like other posters we rarely get her now. I think she only works a few days a week of that. Dr Washington and the newest lady dr werknow are ok but are not as observant ( like missing hand foot and mouth!). If McKnight retired altogether we would probably leave.

The Hamberger practice has a zillion doctors, most of which are fantastic! Even if you don't end up seeing Dr. H exclusively (which you won't), you'll be in good hands.

Love love love dr. Hamburger. Responsive, smart warm... Wish I could find an internist like get for myself.

Anonymous wrote:There is no "right" answer to most questions, and few decisions that you make are irreversible. Don't tie yourself up in knots--make the best decision you can, and if you find out down the road that things aren't working, make a change. This is the recipe to maintain your sanity as a FTM, since there is pretty much an infinite number of choices ahead of you.

Tellmeaboutit... For a couple of reasons (e.g. insurance), we're on our 4th pediatrician in 2 years. Really the only PITA has been keeping track of immunizations. (And realizing that everyone looooves their pediatrician just like they looooove their kid's daycare.)

There is no "right" answer to most questions, and few decisions that you make are irreversible. Don't tie yourself up in knots--make the best decision you can, and if you find out down the road that things aren't working, make a change. This is the recipe to maintain your sanity as a FTM, since there is pretty much an infinite number of choices ahead of you.

I'm the PP who didn't click with Dr Washington. Here's one example that left me thinking, "Huh??": I asked her when my 4-month old's eyes would change color. She said, "What do you mean? They're blue. They'll stay that color."

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:If you are looking for someone warm do not go to dr mcknight. We started off there and were not thrilled. While we don't see Dr. Hamburger we go to that childrens practice and have been very happy.

Interesting - we like Dr. McKnight a lot. She discovered a very serious condition in my child that multiple doctors at her prior (large, well-known) practice missed. You can have warm, I'll take competent.

Dr. McKnight is not the warmest person in the world, but she is perfectly pleasant and professional. Most importantly, she is very knowledgeable and a good doctor. And unlike an earlier PP, I think that Dr. Washington is also excellent. Dr. Workneh, the newest doctor in the practice, is really great with kids. I think she may be my favorite there.

Anonymous wrote:If you are looking for someone warm do not go to dr mcknight. We started off there and were not thrilled. While we don't see Dr. Hamburger we go to that childrens practice and have been very happy.

Interesting - we like Dr. McKnight a lot. She discovered a very serious condition in my child that multiple doctors at her prior (large, well-known) practice missed. You can have warm, I'll take competent.

Dr McKnight came highly recommended by many of our friends. I loved her; she has a natural way with babies. And then with each appointment, we started seeing more of her partner and less of her. Unfortunately, I just did not click with Dr Washington (or, frankly, respect her medical expertise) like I did Dr McKnight. I began to wonder if Dr McKnight isn't turning over her practice in preparation for her eventual retirement, so we left the practice.

Also, the parking garage is a nightmare if you're trying to get out during a mass employee exodus like lunchtime...or frankly just trying to park (e.g. cars taking up 2 spaces). And the med center hallways sometimes look like a VA hospital, with very sad-looking people parked in wheelchairs.

I like Dr. Hamburger but if you are trying to get in for a sick child visit you might have to accept whichever CP&A doc is available. Which has been fine for us. Parking at their Foggy Bottom building is too expensive. I started there when I could push the stroller from the daycare but now it's kind of a painful location traffic/parking wise.

If you are looking for someone warm do not go to dr mcknight. We started off there and were not thrilled. While we don't see Dr. Hamburger we go to that childrens practice and have been very happy.

FTM due in Feb. Trying to select a pediatrician and have narrowed it down to Dr. Hamburger or Dr. McKnight. Not sure I know the right questions to ask in order to know which would be right for us.

Please let me know what factors you think are important to consider and share any feedback you have on either Ped and their respective practices.

Thanks!!