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A Guide to Baby Scales…

By Carol on Jan 18, 2008 in Baby Hardware

Baby scales are used to measure breast milk and the weight
of babies.

When a baby is delivered early or with medical issues,
medical staffs use the Medela Baby Weigh Scale to gauge the
intake of breast milk. Using this scale, you weigh the baby
before and after breastfeeding, and with a touch of a
button, the Baby Weight Scale calculates how much the baby
has eaten. The Baby Weight Scale can actually measure the
variance of one-half teaspoon of breast milk in a smaller
baby.

It is a very serious issue if your baby is not gaining
weight. Ensure that your child is being weighed correctly.
When you are weighing it should always be done on the same
scale due to the slight differences and irregularities that
can be found from scale to scale. You will discover that it
is best to use a baby scale to weigh an infant. You should
also set a schedule to weigh your baby once a week, due to
the daily weight difference from feedings and bodily waste,
etc. If you notice that the weight remains accurate then
you will be able tell if your baby is gaining or losing
weight. If there is a problem with weight loss, then you
should take your baby to the pediatrician immediately.

If your baby’s weight has a slight increase and you do not
think it is enough, judge if you think your baby is eating
enough. Are you presenting food at least five or six times
a day? Is your baby taking breast milk or formula? If you
are breastfeeding, does the baby seem full when finished?
If you are using formula is the mixture correct? By the
time your baby is 6 months old they should be getting
supplemental calories from solid foods. Are you providing
solid foods throughout the day? Does your child have any
problems with keeping the food down? If after answering
these questions everything seems to be as it should be, you
might still consider having the doctor take a look just to
make sure the weight is appropriate. All medical
professionals that deal with babies will use a special baby
scale to monitor their weight.

If a baby’s heart or blood vessels near the heart didn’t
develop properly before birth this is known as “congenital
heart defect” and is sometimes called “congenital heart
disease”.

When a baby is healthy their weight will, as a rule be
double their birth weight between the ages of four to five
months. When a child has a congenital heart defect they may
grow more slowly, however this can vary according to the
severity of the condition. Generally a weight gain of
eight-ounces to one-pound per month for a baby with a heart
defect is acceptable. You need to keep a check on your
baby’s weight, and your baby’s doctor can do this for many
other conditions as well. Normally your baby is weighed
every month and measurements taken so you can see what
percentile your child is growing.