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Decoding The Red Book

Shortly before or just after your baby is born, your health visitor will give you a free Personal Child Health Record (PCHR), more commonly known as the 'Red Book'.

This is an important record of your child's health and development from birth up to 4 years old, giving professionals easy access to information they may need and simplifying communication between them and you.

For many mums, it is not only a source of vital parenting information, but a unique memento of your little one's early years too, and it should take pride of place in your changing bag.

How does it work?

The purpose of the book is simple: to keep a central record of your baby's growth, development and measurements, but it can be a bit confusing to know how and when to use it. Health visitors and doctors will need to review it and add to it regularly, so bring it with you to medical appointments as well as emergency hospital visits.

But it isn't only for professionals to use – parents are actively encouraged to note down any illnesses, allergies and accidents their child suffers. The book is divided into four sections, to make it clear and easy for parents to navigate…

Section 1: Child, family and birth details

This lists important personal details, such as your baby's name, NHS number, and date of birth, as well as your name, her father's name, home address, birth description, and notes on your discharge from hospital after delivery. You'll even find information about handy local and national services, such as NHS Direct and SureStart children's centres.

More like this Section 2: Immunisations

This gives you important information about your baby's upcoming jabs. A vaccination time plan is provided so you know exactly what immunisations your baby needs, when and why. Your nurse will note down each jab, but it's important to keep the record as up-to-date as possible, as there will be times when you'll need to show proof of your child's immunisations, like when she starts school.

Section 3: Screening and routine reviews

Screening and other health checks will be noted in the third section of the Red Book. Everything from her sight to hearing will be tested and the results will need to be noted each time your child is checked. It's also the part of the PCHR where your health visitor will record the findings of your little one's yearly and two-yearly review meetings. This is so you and your child's health professional can keep a good eye on her progress and discuss any areas of concern.

Section 4: Growth charts and other information

The final part is about monitoring your baby's development in areas such as speech and behaviour, with charts to record her height, weight and head circumference as she grows. Graphs show the average pattern of growth for healthy children, so medics can compare your child's progress against other children her age. The most important thing for you to grasp is a good understanding of the measuring system.

The graphs are divided into centiles. If your child is on the 50th centile for her height, it means that when 100 girls of her age are arranged in ascending order of height, she's at the 50th position. It means she is shorter than 50 and taller than 49, and her height is within the normal limits. For children with specific health conditions, such as Down's syndrome or Achondroplasia (restricted growth), inserts are available to ensure any special health needs are taken into account by parents and professionals.

How it all began

Although we think of the Red Book as a traditional part of British family life, it hasn't always been the case. Nor did the concept even originate in this country. "The first parent-held record developed was in the late 1950s by a paediatrician called Professor David Morley, for use in Nigeria," says Dr Helen Bedford, chair of the Personal Child Health Records Committee, a medical body which constantly reviews and updates the book. "It was a simple book that included a growth chart, space for notes (usually on the birth and immunisations), and a few simple health instructions."

In the 1980s, several areas of the UK developed their own version but by 1990, a standard record was developed by the British Paediatric Association (now known as the Royal College of Paediatrics and Child Health). "Over the years more and more districts adopted books and although usually red, the colour of the book could vary depending on where you live," explains Helen.

A time of change

While the colour of the book can vary, so too can the information contained within, as medicine advances. In May 2009, the PCHR was adapted in England and Wales to incorporate the new UK-WHO (World Health Organisation) Growth Charts, as the old ones were based solely on the growth of bottle-fed babies. The new charts now refer to the growth of both breast- and bottle-fed babies. These also came into use in Scotland in January 2010.

Did you know?

An electronic version of the Red Book is being developed. It'll be similar to the printed version, but will allow parents to book appointments and check results online.

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5 Ways 'Red, White & Royal Blue' Is Different From The Book

Prime Video's adaptation of Casey McQuiston's Red, White & Royal Blue is as fluffy and sweet as the original novel, but that doesn't mean there aren't some major differences between the book and the film.

Directed by Matthew López, the movie still focuses on the relationship between Alex Claremont-Diaz (Taylor Zakhar Perez), First Son of the United States, and Prince Henry of Wales (Nicholas Galitzine). What begins as a contentious rivalry soon develops into an international romance, with both Alex and Henry struggling to maintain their public personas while keeping their love a secret.

As with any adaptation, Red, White & Royal Blue makes a few tweaks here and there. For example, instead of first meeting each other at the 2016 Olympics in Rio as they do in the book, the film versions of Alex and Henry first met at a climate conference in Melbourne. Both characters have also been aged up, as Henry is now fully in law school instead of undergrad.

However, these are relatively small changes. What's most interesting here are Red, White & Royal Blue's biggest deviations from the book, like removing or adding entire characters. How do these shifts alter character dynamics and plot arcs? And, most importantly, do they work in the context of the film? Let's dive in, and take a look at the five biggest changes between McQuiston's novel and López's film.

Has anyone seen June Claremont-Diaz?

Someone is missing! Credit: Courtesy of Prime Video

Right off the bat, the film version of Red, White & Royal Blue is missing a major character: Alex's big sister, June Claremont-Diaz. She, Alex, and the Vice President's granddaughter Nora Holleran (Rachel Hilson) make up the high-powered "White House Trio." More than that, though, June is a major supportive presence in Alex's life. She encourages him to think beyond what their mother, President Ellen Claremont (Uma Thurman), asks of them, and she even pretends to date Henry when the media suspects Alex and Henry's relationship.

In the movie, June has been cut completely, with Nora taking on some parts of her role — including her romance with Henry's best friend Percy Okonjo (Malcolm Atobra). Notably, the film makes no mention of Nora and Henry's in-book romantic history. The two dated before deciding to just be friends, but their comfort with each other leads to the two of them sharing a joking kiss on New Year's Eve, right in front of a jealous Henry. (In the movie's New Year's Eve sequence, Alex gets kissed by two unnamed women.)

If you were coming into Red, White & Royal Blue without having read the book, you wouldn't notice June's absence at all: Nora fills in the role of best friend and confidant nicely. However, book fans will surely miss her quips and her tight-knit bond with Alex, as well as the dynamic of the entire White House Trio.

Red, White & Royal Blue features some very different family dynamics.

Not the best circumstances for meeting anyone's family. Credit: Courtesy of Prime Video

With the omission of June, it's only natural that the Claremont-Diaz family dynamic changes a little. For starters, there's less of the challenging push and pull between Ellen and June, who refuses to work on her mother's reelection campaign so as not to jeopardize her journalistic ambitions. In the film, Ellen is completely focused on Alex but seemingly less willing to involve him in policy matters until she gets wind of his Texas Memo (a whole binder in the book, because Alex is nothing if not extra). Also, crucially, Ellen and Alex's father Oscar Diaz (Clifton Collins Jr.) are not divorced in the movie, meaning that there's no tension between the two, and one less stressor for Alex. Like with June's removal, cutting the divorce (and Alex's stepdad Leo) streamlines the story for the screen.

Shifting family dynamics are also at play in Red, White & Royal Blue's take on the Royals. Henry's mother Catherine never appears, so we don't get the scene where she basically blackmails Queen Mary into letting Henry go public with Alex. We also don't get Queen Mary at all! She's been replaced with a King (Stephen Fry), likely in an attempt to lessen any comparisons to Queen Elizabeth. (Don't worry, the King plays the same role in the film as Mary does in the books.)

The character who suffers most in this transition is Princess Bea (Ellie Bamber). In McQuiston's novel, we learn about Bea's prior struggles with addiction — earning her the nickname "Powder Princess" — and her subsequent charity work. Like June, she proves a wonderful support system for her brother, standing up for him and encouraging his relationship. Unfortunately, in the movie, she feels more like a cardboard cutout of a generic supportive sister, with none of the grit of her book counterpart.

Red, White & Royal Blue gives us more of Henry's perspective.

Sing it, Henry! Credit: Courtesy of Prime Video

Red, White & Royal Blue is written from Alex's point of view, but the movie takes the leap from page to screen as an opportunity to show us some key events from Henry's perspective. For example, in the moments leading up to Alex and Henry's meeting at the royal wedding, we hear Henry tell Bea how irritating he finds Alex — a conversation paralleled by Alex's own complaints to Nora. Henry even criticizes the inordinate wedding expenses, such as a $75,000 cake (a fact June originally pointed out in the novel). These moments, which are not in the novel, allow us to see past the facade of Prince Henry before Alex does, giving us a better idea of his true character right off the bat.

The biggest use of Henry's perspective comes when his and Alex's private email correspondences leak. Instead of learning about the leak from Alex's point of view, as we do with everything in the book, the movie shows us Henry's reaction first. It's a solid change that hammers in Henry's devastation as he realizes that what little privacy he thought he had as Prince has been entirely shattered.

Rafael Luna is nowhere to be found.

Where's your buddy, Alex? Credit: Courtesy of Prime Video

Joining June in the cut character club is Rafael Luna, an openly gay Latino senator from Colorado who Alex views as a role model. Rafael plays a pivotal role in the book's version of the 2020 election, supporting Republican Senator Jeffrey Richards' bid for President. It's a major betrayal for the whole Claremont-Diaz family, disillusioning Alex in the process.

Of all the adaptation changes Red, White & Royal Blue makes, the removal of Rafael hurts it the most. Alex loses a mentor figure, and we lose the story of his friendship with an older queer man, who has been through a fair share of difficulties himself. (Like being sexually harassed and then blackmailed by Richards, who is barely in the movie anyway, and far less Trumpian.) The film does try to replace Rafael with a new character, Miguel (Polo Morín), but the change is messy and ends up dulling the climax.

Miguel changes Red, White & Royal Blue's entire third act.

Look at the damage Miguel did. Credit: Courtesy of Prime Video

A character created entirely for the film, Miguel is a political journalist and former partner of Alex. Think of him as a mash-up of Rafael and Liam, Alex's friend from high school who he used to hook up with. In the film, it's Miguel who's responsible for leaking Alex and Henry's emails — whereas in the books, Rafael learns that the Richards campaign orchestrated the hack. He then leaks it to the press, a move that sows disfavor for Richards and helps Ellen win reelection.

However, in the movie, Miguel faces no consequences, nor does he get any Rafael-esque redemption arc. Instead, he's just a sinister journalist looking for a scoop at any cost, while Richards remains a background player who doesn't end up making much impact.

That's where Rafael's absence and Miguel's addition work the least. In the book, learning that Richards was behind the leak is a terrifying moment, one that solidifies the hack as an insidious attempt to out two men — neither of whom is running for office — and use the following scandal to win an election. What reads as an indictment of governmental abuses of power in the novel becomes an indictment of an annoying journalist in the film — a strangely anti-media turn made even stranger by cutting the book's aspiring journalist, June.

If anything, Miguel's involvement in and motivations for the leak also diminish the final messaging of Red, White & Royal Blue. This is a film that is political by nature given the positions of its two leads. Yet in removing clear political motivation from the leak and pinning it on a petty ex, it fails to make as impactful of a statement as it could have.

Red, White & Royal Blue is now streaming on Prime Video.

8 Differences Between The Red, White And Royal Blue Book And The Movie

The Red, White and Royal Blue movie has not only been one of the most anticipated upcoming book adaptations for 2023,  it has been since the development stages. Now fans with a Prime Video subscription can watch and rewatch the Prime Video adaptation of Casey McQuiston's book any time they want to see Henry (Nicholas Galitzine) and Alex (Taylor Zakhar Perez) fall in love.

The Red, White and Royal Blue movie is a fairly faithful adaptation of Casey McQuiston's book. It keeps the essence of the story and many major moments that define this love story. However, the team behind this Prime Video original does make some significant changes from the book to the movie. Let's discuss some of the major and important changes in the Red, White and Royal Blue movie. (Spoilers from the book and movie ahead!)

Taylor Zakhar Perez and Rachel Hilson in Red, White and Royal Blue

There Are Characters Not In The Movie That Appear In The Book

In the book, Alex is not the only child. He has an older sister named June. In fact, June, Nora, and Alex are a pretty famous trio in the book. Their dynamic is part of Alex's identity. Unlike Alex, June doesn't have political ambitions. She wants to be a journalist. The film completely eliminates June from the story, and basically combines her storylines and personality with Nora.

In the Red, White and Royal Blue movie, Nora acts as a replacement sister for Alex. She also takes June's place in the movie as Pez's love interest. June is one of the most significant character absences in the movie, but she is not the only major character not in it.

Rafael Luna also doesn't appear in the Red, White, and Royal Blue movie. Luna is an openly gay politician who acts as a mentor and role model for Alex. He's also very close with Alex's family, especially his father. He has a big part in the political aspects of the Red, White and Royal Blue book. He's also just a key figure in Alex's life.

I really liked the trio and Luna, so it was disappointing not seeing these characters in the Red, White and Royal Blue cast. However, the story doesn't change much without them.

Juan Castano and Taylor Zakhar Perez in Red, White and Royal Blue

Miguel Doesn't Exist In The Book

The Red, White and Royal Blue movie got rid of two significant characters in Casey McQuiston's book but added one that only slightly has a purpose. The journalist Miguel (Juan Castano) is not in the book. His main purpose in the movie seems to be to act as a way to leak the letters in a more personal way. Additionally, he's a character to allow viewers to understand Alex's sexuality early in the film.

He's not a terrible movie character, but if I had the choice between having Rafael Luna and June in the movie over Miguel, I would pick Rafael and Luna. They at least have more of a purpose and are enjoyable characters.

Nicholas Galitzine and Taylor Zakhar Perez in Red, White and Royal Blue

Alex Obsesses Over A Magazine Photo Of Henry In The Red, White And Royal Blue Book

In the Red, White, and Royal Blue book, Alex talks often about how the first time he saw Henry was in a magazine. He used to steal the magazine from June and stare at it and touch it. This is one reason why he was so excited to meet Henry, and then let down when Henry immediately dismisses him. The movie makes no mention of the magazine photo and Alex's fondness for it.

This isn't that relevant of a detail, so it makes sense why the movie omits it. However, it is an interesting detail because it showcases Alex's obliviousness to his own attraction to Henry and men in general. It demonstrates that both of them were drawn to each other long before they became fake friends turned real friends turned boyfriends. The photo also helps create their enemies-to-lovers trope. Without  Alex's obsession with the photo, he may not have been as hurt by Henry's actions after their first encounter.

Taylor Zakhar Perez in Red, White and Royal Blue

Alex Doesn't Panic About His Bisexuality In The Movie

Movie Alex is a lot more comfortable with his sexuality. He mentions having two encounters with men before: One in high school and another with Miguel. Alex seems at least aware and accepting of his sexuality. His confusion comes from his attraction to Henry. However, in the book. Alex doesn't realize he is bisexual until Henry kisses him. He did have encounters in high school with his male best friend but kind of just thought of it as a thing that happened, not a defining moment.

Like many other great LGBTQ+ novels, Alex's discovery, understanding, and acceptance of his sexuality play a major role in his character development. This is one of the book-to-movie changes that I wish didn't happen. It felt important to the story for Alex to explore how the kiss helped him define his sexuality. Therefore, the film not including it felt like a missed opportunity to show self-discovery through sexuality. His bisexual awakening is part of his coming-of-age journey. 

Clifton Collins Jr. And Uma Thurman in Red, White and Royal Blue

Alex's Parents Are Divorced In The Red, White And Royal Blue Book

Another interesting change from the movie to book is the status of Alex's parents' relationship. In the book, they are divorced. His mom is also remarried. Additionally, Alex's parents are very combative in the book, and that contributes to part of Alex's personality and mission to defuse conflict. He has a happy and loving family, but it's not perfect.

The Prime Video movie makes Alex's family more ideal with his parents still being happily married and unified. This isn't a breakup movie, so it doesn't necessarily need his parents to be divorced. It doesn't affect Alex and Henry's story, but it definitely plays a part in Alex's personality in the book.

Taylor Zakhar Perez in Red, White and Royal Blue

Alex Only Goes On A Campaign Tour In Texas In The Movie

Alex gives a major speech at the end of the Red, White and Royal Blue book that helps sway Texas to vote for his mother. In the movie, Alex goes on a campaign in Texas to get votes on her side. Both acts help influence the Texas vote, but one shows Alex being more of an active force in changing the votes.

He's kind of more reactive in the book, as he gives the speech only when his mother may lose the race because of Texas. The film needed this sort of moment because it feels a bit anticlimactic when Ellen (Uma Thurman) is losing the race, then suddenly wins it. We do hear that Alex's Texas campaign is the deciding factor, and then we get the nice shot of Henry on stage with Alex's family moment, but the final plea to Texas at the end could have really driven home Alex's impact on the race.

Taylor Zakhar Perez and Juan Castano in Red, White and Royal Blue

The Emails Are Leaked In A Different Way In The Movie

In the movie, Miguel plays a major part in leaking the letters. It's shown that he suspects something is going on between Alex and Henry. Then he decides to hack and leak the emails. The email leak is a lot more devious and calculated in the book.

Ellen's presidential race opponent Jeffery Richards is the one to find and leak the emails. He has Alex watched by a third party and hacks his emails to dig up this information to try to make sure Ellen loses her re-election.

Stephen Fry in Red, White and Royal Blue

The Red White And Royal Blue Book Has A Queen, Not A King

It's clear that Red, White and Royal Blue takes some influence from real-life political events. One of them being the 2016 election and another being the real-life British monarchy and their complicated relationships. This is likely why Henry has a grandmother, the Queen, who isn't happy with him causing a scandal by having a relationship with an American public figure, especially a male one.

In the movie, it's his grandfather, The King (Stephen Fry) who runs the royal family and hates Henry possibly causing scandal.

Red, White and Royal Blue is one of the best movies on Prime Video right now. It's not a perfect adaptation and makes many changes, some major ones like the ones listed, and some small ones like Alex kissing random women on New Year's Eve. However, overall it gets the tone right, the leads have great chemistry, and it doesn't shy away from the book's embracing of sex and sexuality.

Stream Red, White, and Royal Blue on Prime Video.  Buy Red, White, and Royal Blue by Casey McQuiston on Amazon.

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