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AIBU?

Share your dilemmas and get honest opinions from other Mumsnetters.

Original poster

... To have no idea what my 11mo weighs?

38 replies

bumperella · 16/03/2012 10:52

LO hasn't seen HV since July & hasn't been weighed since then. She's v long but "narrow"; she's active, cheery, and has a small appetite. I can tell by looking at her that she's much taller than average and much lighter than average, but she's healthy and happy. She has the same build as me and DH (however did THAT happen? :-). I don't really see a set of scales telling me something I don't already know.
But at a toddler group yesterday someone was horrified that I'd no idea what she weighed. And I've heard so many mothers talking as if weight gain is THE goal.
So am I being cavalier to the point of negligence?

OP posts:
familyfun · 16/03/2012 10:55

i dont go very often but i wouldnt leave it that long just incase she has dropped too many centiles. dont you have an 8 month check? dont you need to check if she is ready for the next car seat?

WorraLiberty · 16/03/2012 10:55

YANBU

With my first DS I got him weighed religiously every week because I thought it was the 'done thing'...I never had any concerns though.

Fast forward to DS2 and DS3 and I never took them to see the HV or get them weighed ever.

Original poster
bumperella · 16/03/2012 11:01

I live in a rural area so their's nowhere to go to get her weighed: the HV would come to the house. I could call and ask her to stop by, but I've not done so saw her at 8 weeks, then 5 mnths, and not since.

OP posts:
TheCinnamonGiraffe · 16/03/2012 11:02

I've never weighed mine much to be honest. You can pretty much tell by looking at them, especially at 11 months plus. We were really ill this winter and a few weeks ago the 2 bigger DC's looked skinny so I have embarked upon a fattening up program (good healthy eating, not lots of pies!).

Pinkiemum · 16/03/2012 11:04

My son is only four months so not the same, but he was not putting on enough weight and then lost it, I wasn't too worried about him putting weight on as I was like that as a baby, but losing weight at his age is not good, he also was still growing but not gaining weight. He put on a lot of weight this week so the nurse was happy. I am assuming you will have a check up at a year if your not worried then wait til then but you should get him weighed at soem point.

valiumredhead · 16/03/2012 11:04

I never weighed mine - he was growing out of his clothes so that was what I went on. I have no idea what percentiles mean either in the baby books Grin

TheCinnamonGiraffe · 16/03/2012 11:04

...actually most of the times that they have been weighed is when I have put them in a bumbo seat (or in a bucket Blush) and popped them on my electronic scales (you set them to zero with the empty bucket in place). Job done.

HappyCamel · 16/03/2012 11:04

YANBU I stopped taking dd to be weighed after enduring a half hour lecture on her not gaining weight before realising they'd made a conversion error and she was bang on her centile. I then spotted four other errors in her record including her first weight being dated ten days before she was born Hmm

BUT, get on you home scales then pick her up and calculate the difference because she may well be on the borderline for needing a new car seat at that age. She may also be reaching the weight limit for things like a jumperoo if you have one.

WorraLiberty · 16/03/2012 11:05

Kids should look skinny though!

It's strange how we tend to forget that now and panic when we can see their rib cage and hip bones...but actually we should be able to.

That's kids though...not babies.

MuslinSuit · 16/03/2012 11:08

Ah this thread is reassuring, I cba taking my 3mo to get weighed - have been once and the HV annoys me with her lectures on 'make him wait 3 hours for his milk even if he's crying'. He's happy, healthy and growing like a weed so apart from being a long skinny sausage like his dad, I'm not worried.

What is the deal with being supposed to be obsessed with weight anyway? Confused

TheCinnamonGiraffe · 16/03/2012 11:13

It depends on your definition of skinny though, my definition of 'normal' my be somebody else's skinny!

Skinny for my is gaunt looking and a bit unhealthy, you need them to have enough meat on their bones to withstand another few days without eating if they catch a sick bug (which we have had an entire winter of at DD's school).

BoFo · 16/03/2012 11:13

YANBU. I hate taking mine to be weighed. I think if kids are happy and healthy, eat ok, look about right for their age and you've noconcerns as a parent, it probably isn't worth worrying about.

urbanturban · 16/03/2012 11:14

YANBU
I'm another one who had DD1 weighed regularly until her first birthday and just couldn't be bothered doing it for DD2 past the six month mark!
I think, as another poster said, that you think it's the 'done thing' for your first DC and then realise that looking at them and how their clothes fit is just as good an indicator!
Obviously if you DO have any concerns, you can take them to the HV to get weighed or do what I do and stand on my own home scales with and then without DD2 Grin

SomethingSuitablyWitty · 16/03/2012 11:17

Well, actually I disagree and think it is good to have at least a ballpark figure - particularly as paracetemol and other medecines that your child may occasionally need are generally dosed by weight. But maybe 'no idea' is a bit of an exageration?

I also have a small and light baby and have been known to worry about it a bit when she stopped gaining weight and it's true that height and growth and general well-being are more important indicators and worry about weight shouldn't be something to beat yourself up with.

WorraLiberty · 16/03/2012 11:19

True Cinnamon it's down to the individual eye I suppose

Another good indicator was the size of their nappies as that has the approx age in months on the pack (or used to anyway)

TheSurgeonsMate · 16/03/2012 11:31

YANBU, I don't think. I came up to the year without much idea how we were doing weight / car-seat wise. Took her to the gym to weigh us together and then me alone. Not heavy enough. When I tried a few months later, I found my local chemist had a scales in their private consulting cubicle, they let me use those.

MamaGeekChic · 16/03/2012 11:40

i've no idea how much my 10mo DD weighs... hasn't been done sice her 16week jags. Shes in 9-12m clothes and looks perfectly healthy- I'm happy with that.

Cuddler · 16/03/2012 11:42

my 3 were only ever weighed at birth!they are 4 3 and 2 now.I dont bother with scales and centiles,if they have lots of wet and dirty nappies,sleep ok and eat well and seem healthy overall,its not needed.If i ever had concenrs then i woulld take them but if i dont then i dont see the need.

bonkersLFDT20 · 16/03/2012 11:47

I did get mine weighed at around the year mark so I knew when they were 20lb and could move to the next car seat. Both mine did not get over 20lb until over a year and were unhappy being rear-facing so I was keen for them to chub up a bit.

Other than that I do weight at birthdays just out of curiosity.

Voidka · 16/03/2012 11:48

I hardly ever took DD - only when I knew that I would be getting free books.

DS2's is the only book that has regular weights in it, and thats because of different paeds clinics we were weighed in, and at one point he was losing weight because of his limited diet so we had to go every week for months.

SofaKing · 16/03/2012 11:50

Yanbu. I worried myself sick because ds1 was so huge, and DD so skinny, but they have even ed out and ds1 is tall and well built while DD is willowy. They are both perfectly healthy and I worried for nothing, although ds1 was very podgy at around one he is one big muscle now!

Ds2 is also 11 months and he hasn't been weighed since he was six weeks, he looks perfectly healthy and in proportion even though he is always stuffing his face.

Remember they usually do weights and measurements at the same time as mmr, so you will find out what he weighs in a month or so anyway. If there are any problems you can have his weight monitored more closely, otherwise there is no reason to worry!

BartletForAmerica · 16/03/2012 12:23

Gosh, I got DS weighed a good bit at the beginning because BFing wasn't going well and I was giving him FF/EBM top ups, but as his weight sorted itself out after his tongue tie was snipped (got back to EBF), I didn't have him weighed after 7 weeks until the HV came for his 1 year check. I don't plan on weighing him again. I have no concerns about his eating or health.

CarpeJugulum · 16/03/2012 12:30

DS was last weighed at his 1 year check up, and he's now 17mo.

Our HV's basically said they didn't want to see him again until he was 2yo, unless I had any concerns.

Am considering taking him at about 18mo as he's starting to look a bit big for his car seat, but I don't think he's heavy enough for the next one up.

He's dotting between 12-18 and 18-24 sized clothing depending on where it's bought from, and he's a 5+ size for nappies so I'm not concerned.

minimisschief · 16/03/2012 13:00

We did for a few months with the first child and haven't bothered with the second child. I think those things are more to make sure the child is developing properly but if you look at them and can see they are perfectly fine then what is the point.

spiffysquiffyspiggy · 16/03/2012 13:06

After being obsessed with DS1's weight with no good reason I decided I was not going to get back into that. DD was weighed 3 or 4 times in her first year. DS2 is 9 months and last weighed at birth. He is developing fine, growing out of his clothes on a regular basis and is generally just a happy baby. If I thought there was a problem then I'd take him in but there isn't. But then I have no idea how much I weigh and don't have any scales in the house. If he needed to be weighed for any medication then that could be done at the docs. YANBU.

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