Active discussions

Meet the Other Phone. Only the apps you allow.

Meet the Other Phone.
Only the apps you allow.

Buy now

Please or to access all these features

Talk
AIBU?

Share your dilemmas and get honest opinions from other Mumsnetters.

Original poster

To not weight my baby every month?

43 replies

applesisapple5 · 28/09/2018 21:09

I've been recommended to weigh my baby every month, and fill in the WHO charts.
Why? What will it tell me about my baby's health, and how will that information affect how I care for my baby? If I don't weigh him what's going to happen?!

For what it's worth he's above the top percentile for weight and height, the Dr is happy that he's just a bigger baby, it's stressed me out and I just think I can tell myself if he's happy and healthy, his weight doesn't give me any additional information.
AIBU?

OP posts:
Idontbelieveinthemoon · 28/09/2018 21:11

I don't think I weighed either of the DCs except for the times when the HV/Dr did it. I don't know off the top of my head now exactly what they weigh and they're 12 and 7, so it can't be that important.

Mindchilder · 28/09/2018 21:12

Who has recommended you do that?
If he's literally off the chart and your hcp wants to monitor him then maybe it is a good idea?

Dreamingofkfc · 28/09/2018 21:13

I didn't weigh my second after the 6 week check. I exclusively breastfed him and could see and feel he was growing. HV has told me not to weigh this one more than once a month...didn't tell her that i didn't plan to have him weighed again. For us I knew he was gaining weight, I'm not overly concerned by centiles and charts

TheDarkPassenger · 28/09/2018 21:14

Barely weighed any of mine!

AnnabelTheAntelope · 28/09/2018 21:17

Who recommended it, if not the doctor?

HelloSnow · 28/09/2018 21:19

How old is your baby? Was he born on the percentile he's on now?

HolesinTheSoles · 28/09/2018 21:20

My youngest was always dead centre 50% for everything, my eldest was completely off the scale - especially for weight. I remembering them calculating a baby BMI (which made me giggle) and it being in the 99.9 percentile. He also apparently had a disproportionately massive head. Not sure why he was average at birth and exclusively breastfed and he's average and normally proportioned now - about to turn 7.

Welshmaiden85 · 28/09/2018 21:21

No. I didn’t even for my first. It’s entirely unnecessary for a baby that is clearly gaining weight, on a good centile and meeting milestones. Just a fuel for anxiety/some random HV making random comments.

Lazypuppy · 28/09/2018 21:22

I love taking my baby to get her weighed, plot it on the chart, and then sit and have a play with all the other babies. Nice couple of hours out, and then i get contact time with HV

CherryPavlova · 28/09/2018 21:27

I think excessive weighing undermines parental confidence and breastfeeding. Mine were weighed at birth but not much after that until we were concerned about one at about eight years of age.

kaytee87 · 28/09/2018 21:29

I didn't weigh my ds at all until he turned one then I did out of curiosity then I weighed him again recently when he turned 2.

Who has told you to weigh him monthly? The HV?

Dangermouse80 · 28/09/2018 21:29

Mine were all chunky babies and breastfed. I didn't bother past the six week one as they were healthy and gaining. All 3 now normal weights.

Hellywelly10 · 28/09/2018 21:30

It used to drive me around the bend.

tor8181 · 28/09/2018 21:32

neither of my 8 and 14 y old ever had a hv as i opted out so we have never attended a weigh in clinic
both mine were big babies from birth(always over 100% for weight and height) and put on weight quick due to having 11 oz a time,when ever they wanted it and i knew my parenting choices(fully cosleeping,attachment parenting and milk when they wanted)would be frowned upon so i never went.

and tbh i don't agree with the concept of hvs as i feel they are there to check up on you and tick certain boxed and if you dont fit their criteria or way of parenting they moan at you to do things their way(happened to my sister)

i used to weigh and height measure them myself monthly

LisaSimpsonsbff · 28/09/2018 21:38

If he's at such a high centile then you might want to keep a little eye on his weight because he's likely to outgrow stuff with like car seats or bouncers or whatever before he 'should' by age and that can be a safety issue - that's what my health visitor told me about my 91st centile DS and it makes sense to me (though if I'm honest I'd weigh him anyway because I'm a bit of a worrier)

kaytee87 · 28/09/2018 21:40

That's a good point @LisaSimpsonsbff

2b1c51 · 28/09/2018 21:40

DC2 is 2nd centile- after a rapid post-birth plummet (8lb 13 when born!!) he's tracked that since 4 months old. I couldn't bear the horror on the HV face every time I got him weighed- the comments about fattening him up, questioning how much I breastfeed him and having to explain every time that he eats like a horse and just has very lanky genes from his dad. It used to really get to me and make me paranoid about how much he was eating and feeding. So I stopped getting him weighed, and was so much happier and more relaxed. 19 months on and haven't had him weighed in at least a year Grin Judging on clothes I reckon he's probably around the 20 lb mark (so still 2nd centile) and the happiest, healthiest, most active toddler you'll see.

Thesnobbymiddleclassone · 28/09/2018 21:42

I did DDs once at a clinic when she was about 5 months old as was looking into car seats.

I never saw the point in obsessively weighing my baby. She fed well, was developing on course and was healthy.

Happygummibear · 28/09/2018 21:54

I did but more so I could see the health visitor to have a chat. Stopped going at about 9 months when I was happy and didn't need the support

Original poster
applesisapple5 · 29/09/2018 05:02

The general recommendation is to weigh your baby once a month, that's here in Scotland.

Thanks all for responses, you're absolutely right @LisaSimpsonsbff for car seats is the only real reason I can see to weigh for safety. I emailed a car seat safety person and they said he should be 13kg AND able to sit for long periods OR have his head above the current seat, so I'll keep an eye on that and pop him on the self weigh when he's sitting unaided.

OP posts:
ConsiderHerWaysAndOthers · 29/09/2018 05:11

Never once weighed my baby past the 6 week check (that I had to go to a private GP for as the NHS couldn’t manage it in our area) except for the very technical stand on scales holding baby; pass baby to DH; subtract method. The next weigh in was at 12 months with the paediatrician since we’d moved abroad by then.

kaytee87 · 29/09/2018 07:23

@applesisapple5 I'm in Scotland and I do know other people that took their babies to get weighed but no one ever mentioned it to me.

TeacupTattoo · 29/09/2018 07:47

I'm in Scotland, youngest is 16months, I've never been told to do this by either GP or HV. Maybe it's different health boards? I think ours trust us enough as adults to weigh kids if concerned. At each booked HV development-review they are weighed/measured so can see if they are following their percentiles then.

MimiSunshine · 29/09/2018 07:54

Every area is different. Here baby is weighed at birth and 6 week check. If all looking good then no more weighing.

Another area near me has weekly clinics you can go to, mine stopped that as it was the same people every week and it was excessive monitoring (I would have quite liked some clinics though so I could at least know out of idle curiosity).

The thing to keep in mind though are that bloody charts aren’t even designed for bf babies who dont always track nicely along them anyway.

I forgot OP if you said baby was ff or bf. If the former then it may be good to monitor a bit as ff can be over fed (they drink the milk much quicker so get more in before realising they’re full) but either way try not to let it stress you out

Jent13c · 29/09/2018 07:56

I’m Scotland too, just got him weighed at the times when HV came to house. I can see he’s eating fine but still a skinny boy, think it’s jhst how he is supposed to be!

Swipe left for the next trending thread