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FOR AGES 0 MONTHS TO 2 YEARS
The first year of your baby's life can be overwhelming for new parents.
There is so much to think about, and a significant need for flexibility and adaptation of your daily life. So much so that it is completely normal to want to stay on top of monitoring your new child's health and development.
Weighing your little one is a good way of staying attuned to their growth, and to check in with the way that they are developing, ensuring that they are at a good weight and that everything is ticking along with no problems. Of course, doctors will weigh your baby at any appointments, but it can be useful for you to know how to weigh baby yourself, so that you are informed and aware of any issues. Knowing how to use baby scales, and what baby scale is the best to use, is therefore fairly important.
After the first two weeks, your baby should be weighed no more than once a month up to six months of age. Once your baby is over six months, they should be weighed only once every two months up until the age of 12 months. Over the age of one, you should be weighing your baby no more than once every three months, according to the NHS. Your baby will experience the most rapid weight gain in the first six to nine months: this will slow down as they become more active as a toddler.
The best baby scales to measure your child's growth are, inevitably, speciality scales, that have been deemed both accurate and safe for measuring your baby. These are typically shaped so that you can lie your baby down on them with no safety concerns, ensuring a precise reading, and many have different modes that are designed to measure your baby's growth over time, so are great for longevity as your child grows into a toddler. They can be more expensive, however, but we've researched the best, ensuring that you can be confident in your purchase.
There are several key things to look out for with baby scales. A hold button is incredibly useful. Your baby is likely to wriggle around on the scale, which can make getting an accurate reading a challenge. A hold button ensures that the weight is recorded even as your baby squirms, and will even out the weight measurement across the scales. Be aware, also, of potential scale weight limits. Some will only measure your baby up until a certain weight, making them less ideal for longevity, so double check any weight limit before choosing your baby scales. Scales with an LCD display are also preferable to those with a needle scale. A large LCD screen is significantly more user friendly as the pixels of the LCD display are evenly lit, so are more easy to read, even if you are looking at the scales from a slightly odd angle. The scale trays are also hugely important. Consider the safety, comfort, and versatility of your baby scales' tray. Scale trays can be curved, so as to keep your child at their centre, or can have straps to prevent excess rolling - but it's always important to stay aware of your baby's position at all times when they are on their baby scales. If the scale tray is comfortable, your baby is less likely to wriggle, making it easier to get a more accurate reading of their weight. Some scales have padding or foam in order to maximise the comfort of your baby, and a curved shape also tends to be more comfortable. Consider, also, whether the baby scales you are looking at are easy to clean and store. A removable scale tray is far easier to clean, for example, and frequently, if you remove the tray from the baby scales, they can be used to measure your child as they grow up and into a toddler, which is great for you, as it means you have purchased a scale with more value for money.
Remember to look for the tare function on any scale before taking your baby's weight. This function works by ensuring that you are resetting the weight gauged by the scale back to zero, so that your scale is only measuring the weight of your baby, and not accounting for anything else. This is particularly important if you are weighing a baby with health issues, as small fluxes in weight have a significant impact on your child's health. First, weigh any items your baby is likely to be wearing - for example, clothes or nappies - on the scale, and press the tare function so that the scale registers the weight at zero. Then, add your baby. This ensures that the baby scale is measuring only your child's weight. Typically, if your scale doesn't display a button that is labelled 'tare', it should have a 'zero' button which will effect the same thing.
If you are weighing your baby on a bathroom scale, rather than a specially designed baby scale, you must first weigh yourself, and then weigh yourself holding your baby. Then, subtract your weight from the combined weight of yourself and the baby in order to get your baby's individual weight.
Once you are happy weighing your baby on your new set of baby scales, you may be keen to invest in some snazzy new clothes: we've picked the best tracksuits for stylish tots. We've also selected super bath toys to ensure that your little ones can make the most of bubble and bath time.
Chicco are a well-loved and respected brand for providing all things baby and toddler, and this baby scale is no different. It has an ergonomically designed baby tray, ensuring that your child will be comfortable and lie in its centre thanks to the curving sides, but the baby scales are also compact enough that they should not be too bulky to store. The scales themselves only weigh 1.5kg, too, so are easily portable. These scales will weigh any child from 20kg up to 30kg, and is able to detect granular changes in the gram weighting of your baby thanks to its weight stabiliser and vibration damper (basically what this means is that it will account for any wriggling your baby might be doing in order to ensure a more even, accurate reading). We are big fans of the large LCD display, which makes the baby scales super easy to read, and the tare function is adjustable. Plus, this scale has the snazzy extra effect of remembering the last weight it measured, so you can gauge your child's growth and development with ease. Just be aware that these do need two AA batteries, which are included with the first purchase but will need replacing over time.
This digital scale is superb for a number of reasons, but we're particularly taken by it as it is not just a digital baby scale, but will work as a bathroom scale for you long past your baby's need for it. So even though this is a budget scale, it has real longevity and is therefore great value. The scale will measure the weight of both you, the parent, and your baby up to 330lbs. Just step on the scale and record your own weight (a beeping sound will go off as well as a green light), and then step off. Pick up your baby and step back onto the scale, which will automatically weigh your baby by subtracting your own recorded weight from the new one. It really is that simple. Download the 'Hubble Connect For Smart Nursery' App on your phone or tablet and store your child's weight profile, and once your baby has moved beyond needing to be measured, set up multiple profiles on the app to record other family members' weight alongside your own. Plus, the app indicates other key analytics such as BMI so that you can keep a well-rounded view of your child's development.
This is an incredibly clever tool, and the best baby scales to purchase if you are keen on multipurpose kit. Designed by Hatch, a savvy American tech-forward company in which Amazon has invested, these scales are called Grow, and combine a traditional nappy changing pad with a smart digital baby scale. Download the Hatch Baby App, and the scales will work to synchronise their data with the app, meaning you can easily record your bundle of joy's growth and development in one place, and track any changes - plus, Hatch has loads of other great devices to track other aspects of your baby's health, including their sleep and feeding. As a changing pad, this is comfortable for your baby thanks to its curvature and the soft foam from which it is made. There's also a waist strap that you can use to wrap around your little one, ensuring they are safe. The surface of the scales wipes clean with ease, and there are rubber feet on the bottom of the baby scale so that it is no-slip. To turn the pad into digital scales, connect your phone to them via the app, and the pad will record the weight of your baby on its digital growth profile. The app will also work with multiple children at one time - great if you are the proud parent of twins - and multiple caregivers can be added to the one profile, so that each has access to charting the growth of the baby. Just be aware that the scale does require three AA batteries.
This baby scale doubles up as a bath for your little one, so is a fantastic digital baby scale in terms of multi-functionality. As well as being a baby bath and set of baby scales, this is also a thermometer - as if you needed any more persuasion. The sleek shape is suitable for newborns, with an ergonomic body support and non-slip insert at one end against which your baby can lie. For slightly older children who are able to sit up unaided, the scales make a lovely little bath with a plughole for fast draining. We love this because it's great for children of various ages, so it's ideal as either a baby or a toddler scale. There's a digital water thermometer that measures in both degree Centigrade and Fahrenheit so that you can rest assured that your baby is enjoying water that's suitable for sensitive skin, and the weighing scales will measure to either pounds (lb) or ounces (oz) - just place your baby in the tub for an accurate reading, with or without water. The baby scale also remembers the previous weight reading of your child, making growth tracking far easier for you, and will display its measurements on a bright digital LCD screen. The scales clean easily, and are sealed, so if your baby has an accident (it happens) there should be minimal drama. They are also battery powered which is ideal as it means you don't have to place yourself by a power outlet when weighing your baby, and are slim enough to store away without too much hassle. We also think that, for all of these functions, the price of the baby scale is totally reasonable. Just remember your two AA batteries.
These scales are definitely more on the budget side of things, but are still perfectly functional as a digital baby scale. They have a tare function, ensuring that they accurately take the weight of your baby, and the scales are accurate and fast thanks to the high precision sensors. Choose to measure your baby in either pounds (lb) or kilograms (kg), up to 45lb and 20kg respectively, and the scale has an accuracy of around 10g. The scales will switch off automatically when not in use so as to preserve battery life. This digital scale also has non-slip feet to ensure no movement when you're already trying to measure a wriggly baby, and the large surface - around 55cm - is generous enough to weigh baby on, plus it will wipe clean with no problems. The LED display is also easy to read.
The mystical mermaid colourings of this scale are a fun alternative to the white or grey of a standard baby scale, and this ticks all the boxes for what you'd expect in a good one. The tare feature enables you to accurately weigh your child, and the scale overall will measure to a maximum weight of 20kg or 44lbs, to an accuracy of around 10g. Weight is displayed in kg or lbs, and the scale has both an overload indicator and a low power indicator, natty functions to have. It comes with a free tape measure for you to measure your child's length, and it plays music, which is designed to distract your baby from wriggling too much. The baby scale wipes clean easily and has an automatic power-saving function too.
This baby scale is perfect for measuring your child's height and weight. Four high precision sensors provide accurate and stable readings, and will measure a range from 50g - 100kg. There are also two detachable trays which swivel lock onto the bottom of the digital scale's main body. These are marked with height measurements for you to judge your child's growth. The tare feature ensures you can zero out any extra weight, the hold button will stabilise the reading from squirmier children, and the unit feature enables you to convert the unit as you desire. The large LCD screen is easy to read even in the dark, and the scale will store easily, as the two trays are removable. Plus, this works as a toddler scale once your baby is too big to need these trays, making this scale a great investment.
https://geni.us/B9B6
Another baby scale with a removable tray, this scale is ideal for keeping track of your baby's weight and height. The scale will take maximum 220lbs (so is great if you want to weigh yourself once your baby has grown beyond it), and measures heights up to 70cm. There's a zero or tare function and hold function in order to stabilise measurements, and the LCD display is easily readable. Plus, just remove the tray to make it into a toddler scale.
A curved baby tray ensures your child will be as comfortable as possible, and we love the fact that there's an inbuilt tape measure that easily pulls out so that you can take your baby's height. Record your baby's weight on the Beurer BabyCare app, but the scales themselves also store 10 weight recordings, erasing the oldest one with each new measurement. The feet of the scale are non-slip, the surface of the tray is easily cleanable and warms to your baby's body temperature within seconds of contact. The hold function also ensures more stable readings, and the scale will automatically switch off in order to save energy.
The scale has an LCD screen with a large display. The maximum capacity of this scale is 20kg and can be converted to oz/lb/kg easily. The scale is resistant to wear and tear as it has non-slip rubber. The scale has an automatic disconnection mechanism. It is suitable to use from birth to up to two years of age. The reading of the scale can be done done from any angle.
Alice grew up in London where she's now based, but she's happiest by the sea, or reading somewhere snuggled up with her 5 dogs. She has two younger sisters who keep her on her toes, and is passionate about all things art, literature, and culture - she's written a short collection of poems and continues to edit scripts for theatre, tv, and film on a freelance basis.
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September 06, 2021
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