When did you stop weighing your baby at Well baby clinics?

[Cinai]

I used to weigh my baby regularly at our local well baby clinic. However I’m back to work now and little one is in nursery (he just turned 1). I wonder if I’m supposed to take an afternoon off once per month to attend a baby clinic with him, or if it’s ok not to? I don’t have any concerns about his weight, he’s been around the 75th percentile throughout the last year, eats well. I took him with me on our scale at home (which obviously isn’t as accurate as the scales in the clinic) and he seems to weigh between 10 - 11kg which looks like he’s still around the 75th percentile. Should I still take him to be weighted and would I be questioned by health professionals if I don’t show up there?

Absolutely no expectation to take babies if they are tracking their centile and you don’t have concerns. I stopped taking my daughter at about 4 months old to be honest so I cannot believe there would be any red flags raised if you stopped going now x

I wouldn't be taking time off work just to do this if there is no medical reason to continue and it sounds as if you haven't specifically been asked to continue taking him for weighing. So you could just stop. It's been a year after all.

If you're anxious about future questioning from healthcare people then I would go once more and have that conversation with them along the lines of ' it's been a year, his weight is stable, so this will be my last visit unless anything fundamentally changes in the future which I don't expect.'

If the doctors want to know your baby's weight they will contact you.

If your son is going to a nursery then they may be able to weigh him there so then you wouldn't have to take the time off to go to the usual place.

I wouldn’t be taking a young toddler to a baby weighing clinic no. If I had some kind of concern I’d contact the HV or GP separately but you know if they’re eating well and you know if growing as expected because they need new clothes and shoes! And when they’re bigger you don’t need to quite so accurate so the home scales will suffice if you need their weight for car seat fitting or anything like that. The only person I know that did it beyond 6 months was going through an awful split with an abusive dickhead who was making all sorts of accusations and it was really just to get evidence for court.

I didn’t at all with my second child after the regular health visitor appointments so he didn’t get weighed from 6 weeks until his 1 year check. I used to get on the scales holding him and then on my own and do the maths occasionally though.

Ok thanks all, it was also my feeling that it’s not necessary anymore but I needed a sense check, glad that I’m not unreasonable to stop the weighting.

I went once with my first and never with my second.

Mine were only weighed at the actual appointments, I never took them to be weighed.

First DC - the first 6 months weekly due to weight gain issues.
Second DC got weighed at the hospital and 6 week check and that was it.

After they were 1 I would weight sporadically at home on home scales, mainly to keep a check for car seats or nappy sizes etc.

DC1 when they stopped scales at boob group
DC2 never, they started an appointment system and I never got round to it. Then they said was referral only.

We had regular HV appointments where she was weighed up to about 13-14 months. She had reflux and allergies and was slow to wean. She stopped gaining weight at 7 months and it took until 13 months for her to eat. Once she was eating and having milk she started gaining once we had two weigh ins with good weight gain the HV stopped coming. I was back at work by this point

She has been weighed and measured every 3-6 months at the hospital for paediatric and dietician appointments. We had some extra HV appointments at 2 as she has dropped from the 25th percentile for length at 1 to the 1st percentile height at 2. We just wanted to check that she wasn't still actively dropping percentiles. I missed that she had been in 9-12 months clothes for an entire year!

As long as not having reasons to suggest there is a problem with weight you don't need to go to have them weighed. Repeated illnesses, poor eating habits, not out growing clothes that sort of thing. If you did want to track weight, the recommendation after 12 months is weight checks no more than every 3 months.