Your baby will be weighed during their first 2 weeks by your midwife to make sure they’re regaining their birthweight.

Most babies are at, or above, their birthweight by 2 weeks. After that time, for a well-baby, they only need to be weighed at the time of routine checks and injections (that is at around 2, 3, 4 and 13 months of age). Your baby will usually only be weighed more often than these recommendations if there are concerns about their health or growth.

Some parents ask to have their babies weighed more often than this for reassurance that their baby is healthy. However weight is a late indictor of your baby’s progress and it is more important to observe their feeding, general behaviour, stool and urine output, and whether they are growing into bigger clothes.

Regular weighing is not always helpful, and can cause unnecessary worry especially if over a short period of time. For example, if one week your baby was weighed just after a big feed but the next week they were weighed after a big nap and before a feed, this could make it look as if they had not gained weight.

Weights measured over a longer time are more likely to show the true weight change. This is why it is recommended that babies should preferably be weighed at the times recommended above and not be weighed more often than once a month from 2 weeks to 6 months of age, no more than every 2 months up to 1 year of age, and no more than every 3 months after that, unless there are special reasons. The time between weighing is longer for older babies because they are growing less quickly.

Your midwife or health visitor will support you if your baby loses a large amount of weight or does not regain their birthweight by 2 weeks, or if there are any concerns about feeding or weight gain as your baby grows. Your baby will usually only be weighed more often than these recommendations if there are concerns about their health or growth.