How often do/did you weigh your baby?

Every week it seems the Mom's at Mother's group are comparing their bub's weight gains for the week, when I talk to my girlfriends with bubs they always tell me what their bub weighs that week. When they ask me what DD weighs I always find I'm saying 'at our last health nurse appt. she was....' Earlier on the phone my friend seemed mortified that I hadn't weighed DD since her 16wk check (only 3 weeks ago mind you!)

I just said that I'm feeling happy that she's feeding enough, she has enough little rolls on her body, skin colour is good, output good, she seems to be thriving, so I'm happy to weigh her just every now and then. She still seemed shocked.

Now I think it's a case of to each their own, and I completely understand weight gains needing to be monitored in different cases, or just for personal interest sakes, but it got me thinking, how often does everyone else do it?

(Here's where I hope I don't find out I'm being neglectful in not closely watching it!)

With my first baby I did the "done thing" and had her weighed regularly... drove me nuts. I always got a lecture about "not enough weight gain according to the charts"... she was only on the "5th percentile" and all that rubbish. She was happy and healthy, weeing and pooing lots and sleeping well enough though.... I was BFing. But my MCHN was still not happy so referred us to a paed. DH came along. Now he isn't a big man and the paed took one look at DH, one look at me, and one look at our DD and said "what's wrong? She looks fine. She looks like Dad and will probably never be a big baby get out of here". Ok, well, great, relief but that was about $100 later!!!! :wall:

So with my next two babies I didn't bother with the weigh ins much. They were healthy, they fed well and they slept well. I trusted my mumma instincts.

ETA: Just to add, I believe weigh ins have a place.... but it's like fetal monitoring, it has its place but I don't think it should be routine. I think it's lazy. Health professionals need to find the time to actually LOOK at the child and ask the right questions... not just rely on numerical data to assess health. Oh but no, my MCHN would put me through in about 10 minutes... just enough to time for a weigh in and some quick questions... wrong wrong wrong.

I also only weigh him at nurses appointments or doctors appointments. So birth, 5do, 2wo, 6wo, 2mo, 4mo, 6mo.

Parents I know who weigh their kids a lot are usually at the doctors' a lot, they aren't doing it themselves so often. (The reason for the doctors' visits varies, some because the baby wasn't gaining well, but in other cases it was just getting a lot of colds or whatever.)

I only got DD weighed at her checkups, so our 6 week post natal checkup, then when she had her first lot of needles (at 10-12 weeks), 6 month checkup, I did have a checkup at 8 months, then last one was at 12 months only a few weeks ago.

I think if you weigh them too often you get all caught up in weight gains etc and just stress yourself out..especially if you were comparing them all the time like the mum's in your MG!

HB, it's the same at our mother's group. It drives me nuts. The comparison doesn't stop with the firstborns either. Most of us are onto our second and they are still comparing. WIth DS, I got into weighing him weekly because he started off gaining very little weight, very slowly so I was always paranoid. With DD, she has only been weighed at her CHN appointments. There were a couple of weeks at the 4-5 month where I weighed her weekly because she did stop gaining weight for a bit there. But now she is back on track and probably won't be weighed until her next CHN appointment next month. I know she is growing now because her clothes are becoming smaller on her!

With my first I used to go every week for 6 months, then fortnightly and then monthly by 12 months. With the rest I didn't bother as much because I just couldn't be bothered LOL. Probably would have been once a month. With DS2 though I went every 2 weeks for a bit and then monthly. By the time you have #4 you probably don't need to go as much, but I like the MCHN and didn't mind just going in for a chat and a catch up.

It would have been lovely to have had a chat about other things instead of only about the weight thing! Thinking back there was soooo much more I needed to talk about other than my DDs weight. But when you know that there are 5 other women waiting behind you I guess you just allow yourself to be led by the nurse... and all she wanted to do was talk numbers :( If my baby had "failure to thrive" or any other weight-related issue there would have been other clues not JUST low weight. But I guess they must be told how to monitor child health... maybe MCHNs hands are tied and they have to do it that way? :dunno:

With my first he was weighed every time we saw the CN. My second was weighed when he was born and then again when he was 3 weeks old but I didn't like my CN so after that he was weighed about once a year - didn't stop him growing lol.

I can't remember the last time my LO was weighed!! I think it was at his last MHCN appt which was at 4 months. I know he's getting bigger because he keeps growing out of his clothes.

I don't think you would weigh weekly unless there's a problem, particularly after the first month or two. I guess we weighed DS every week or two till 8 weeks, then maybe at 3, 6 and 12 months. Really can't remember. It's not like it's a biggest winner competition

I weighed weekly for the first 6 weeks but only because of my anxieties about the issues we had with breast feeding, I was worried missy wasn't getting enough (she was, gaining 300g+ per week!!). After that I have been getting her weighed only at her health checks - 2 months, 4 months etc. And maybe a couple of times in between that but that's because I've maybe been at the Drs myself or have been passing the pharmacy where there is a nurse some days.

I was annoyed one day at one of the nurses who told me one week that 110g wasn't sufficient weight gain - she clearly didn't look at missy's previous 300g++ weight gains. After that I just thought "stuff it".

Sue x

When DD was new, I was crazy about weighing her, it was exciting to me.
After 3months I decided it was a waste of time and now I haven't weighed her for a few months and no intention of weighing her anytime soon. I just feel like it's not an accurate way of checking progress or growth, and often would make me freak out unnecessarily if she hadn't gained a 'normal' amount.

With DD as a first time mumma I had her weighed as often as you were 'supposed to'. But on the upside I loved my MCHN and we always had a great chat.
DS on the other hand only got weighed at the required immunisations...only because there was nowhere to have it done outside those times.
I actually wouldn't have a clue how much he weighs now he's actually decided to eat (and eat and eat and eat) and couldn't figure out why his nappies weren't cutting it anymore - cos he was 2 and a bit kgs heavier than I thought lol.

In the early days my DS was slow to gain weight, so we were getting him weighed weekly up until about the 6 week mark. After that I tended to go to the drop in day at the MCHN in the middle of his scheduled appts. So I think he was weighed monthly up until about 8 months and then again at 10 months and 12 months. I'm thinking that I probably won't bother again until about 15 months (next scheduled app isn't until 18 months). Personally, I find it reassuring just to pop in and make sure everything is on track (even though the signs are good) especially when the scheduled appts get further and further apart. I also find it's a good opportunity to discuss his development and have any concerns I have alleviated. But that's just me, and yes I am a first time mum. But TBH I think getting them weighed weekly when there aren't any weight gain issues is wasting peoples time.