When do i get my baby weighed

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See all in Getting Pregnant. See all in Pregnancy. See all in Preschooler. See all in Life as a Parent. See all in Video. Back to Blog. As a parent, it provides peace of mind in those early months and years when you want to know that your child is healthy. In the UK, as part of the National Child Measurement Programme, a child is then weighed when they first start primary school. The two readings will make it look like your baby has gained little or no weight - and the last thing you want is unnecessary worry.

For babies upto six months old, once a month is the recommended frequency, or if you feel that you would like to see more frequent readings, maybe once a fortnight.

As we say though, you may want to weigh your baby more frequently - but it is worth bearing in mind when they are actually weighed. If you are weighing your baby at home and this is worth bearing in mind when your baby is weighed by the health visitor, too take into account feeding times. Ideally, you should weigh your baby at the same time of the day each time - and either always before or always just after a feed.

This will build a better picture of their growth. You may find some websites, or some parents, suggest using a bathroom scale to weigh your baby. We strongly advise against this. Weighing scales intended for adults will not have the accuracy of baby scales. For example, a typical Marsden baby scale is accurate to 2g or 5g. But a baby born much larger than average may have special medical problems that need attention.

Some very large babies — especially those born to mothers with diabetes, including gestational diabetes — may have problems for a few days keeping blood sugar levels up. They might need extra feedings or even IV given into a vein glucose to keep those levels from falling too low. Yes, at first. Babies are born with some extra fluid, so it's normal for them to drop a few ounces when they lose that fluid in the first few days of life. During their first month, most newborns gain weight at a rate of about 1 ounce 30 grams per day.

Many newborns go through a period of rapid growth when they are 7 to 10 days old and again at 3 and 6 weeks. Newborns are so small, and it can be hard to know if your baby is gaining weight the way he or she should.

You may worry that your baby has lost too much weight in the first few days or isn't taking enough breast milk or formula. If so, talk to your doctor, who may ask you about:. Being small or large at birth doesn't mean a baby will be small or large later in childhood or as an adult.

Plenty of tall teens began life as small babies, and the biggest baby in the family can grow up to be a petite adult. By the time they're adults, kids tend to resemble their parents in size. Genetics , as well as good nutrition and your attention, will play a large part in how your baby grows in the years to come. Whether your baby starts out large, small, or average, in the next few months you can expect your little one to keep growing fast. Reviewed by: Madhu Desiraju, MD.

Larger text size Large text size Regular text size. How Big Are Newborns? Other factors include: Size of parents. Big and tall parents may have larger-than-average newborns; short and petite parents may have smaller-than-average newborns. Multiple births. If you have twins, triplets, or more, you can count on your babies being a bit small. Multiples have to share their growing space in the uterus, and they're often born early, which leads to small size at birth.

Birth order.