Skip to main content

Weighing a Baby

For accurate growth monitoring, nutritional assessment and assessment of fluid therapy, nursing staff should record and document weight of neonates every day.

IMPORTANT POINTS​

  • For better assessment of breastfeeding, weigh the baby before and after feeding.
  • A weighing scale can also be used to measure the urine output of the babies.

EQUIPMENTS REQUIRED​

  • Clean weighing scale
  • Spirit swab for cleaning the weighing scale

PROCEDURE​

  • Wash hands properly before and after touching each baby.
  • Put the weighing scale on a flat, stable surface. Use the same scale every day.
  • Weigh the baby at the same time daily, preferably before feeding.
  • Detach as many tubes/ equipments as possible.
  • Undress the baby and put on a new diaper. Make sure to subtract diaper's weight (20 g) from the total weight.
  • Lift up the baby. Take the old linen from this baby’s bed and put it on the weight. Make sure all of the linen is placed on the weight. Press <0> to get the scale reading to zero. Put the baby gently on the weight, and keep the baby in the midline. Use the linen to support the baby while weight is stabilizing.
  • After taking the weight, the weighing pan should be cleaned with spirit swab.
  • Document daily weight on growth chart for all babies.
tip

You can use Ehrenkranz growth charts to document weight changes in hospitalized very low birth weight babies.

References​

  • Practical Procedures for the newborn nursery. 3rd edition, 2010
  • www.newbornwhocc.org
  • Merenstein and Gardner: Neonatal intensive care, 7th edition
  • Richard A. Ehrenkranz, Naji Younes, James A. Lemons, Avroy A. Fanaroff, Edward F. Donovan, Linda L. Wright, Vasilis Katsikiotis, Jon E. Tyson, William Oh, Seetha Shankaran, Charles R. Bauer, Sheldon B. Korones, Barbara J. Stoll, David K. Stevenson, Lu-Ann Papile; Longitudinal Growth of Hospitalized Very Low Birth Weight Infants. Pediatrics August 1999; 104 (2): 280–289. 10.1542/peds.104.2.280

Document Information​

Current Version

Version: 2.0
Published: August 20, 2015
Revised by: Dr Chetan Meena and Johanne M. E. Huurnink
Contributors: Nurse Ajeeta George and Norwegian teaching nurses
Previous Versions: v1.0