For many new parents, their baby not gaining weight as expected is one of their biggest worries. The reason is simple: normal baby weight gain is an important indicator of a baby's health. Lower than expected baby weight gain may sometimes mean that the baby is ill, or is not feeding well, or has some other underlying medical condition. So it is a good idea to keep an eye on a baby's weight, particularly in the early stages of his life. Do bear in mind that a new born baby usually loses weight during the first few days after his birth, and it usually takes around 10 days to regain his birth weight.
Factors like feeding method, schedule and diet composition can affect a baby's growth. Sometimes a baby simply needs to be fed more food or more often. Sometimes it is a matter of changing the choice of food given to the baby as some foods contain a lot less calories than others.
Measuring the weight of a baby at regular intervals can be quite helpful in certain situations. For example:
- Your baby was born with a low birth weight. You have been advised to closely monitor his growth.
- Your baby is breast feeding. However you are not too sure how much milk your baby really is taking in.
- You are beginning to wean your baby off breast milk and gradually introducing solid foods. You would like to monitor the impact of this change in diet on his weight.
- Your baby is now almost entirely fed on solids. You are wondering if your baby is eating enough and putting on weight normally.
In situations like these, having a digital baby scale at home can be reassuring. Now you don't have to wait till the next health check appointment to find out your baby's weight. You no longer have to spend time in between clinic visits worrying if your baby has put on sufficient weight. Baby weight gain problems, if any, can be identified earlier and steps taken to deal with them.
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