Recite Me Logo Easy Read and Translation

Guidance for home growth measuring (height and weight)

Babies/infants under 2 years of age

How often to weigh your baby
It is normal for a baby to lose some weight in the first few days after birth. Your baby should be weighed in the first week as part of their assessment of feeding – this is often completed as part of your midwife contact.

Most babies get back to their birth weight by 2 weeks of age. This is a sign that feeding is going well and that your baby is healthy.

If you baby's weight has increased or dropped crossing 2 centile lines (the blue or pink curved lines on the weight chart), please contact the Health HUB ( 0300 555 0606) and they can review your this with you.

Weighing your baby too often may cause unnecessary concern; the list below shows how often, as a maximum, babies should be weighed to monitor their growth. However, most children will not need to be weighed as often as this.

For information and advice on Nutrition and Diet - click here

For information on any weigh-in clinics available run by local Children’s Centres, please visit Central Bedfordshire Council’s children’s centre website where you will find telephone contact details for each of the centres.

Children over 2 years of age

Follow these steps when taking height and weight measurements at home for children over 2 years of age:

Measuring Standing Height At Home

  1. Remove the child or young person’s shoes, bulky clothing, hair ornaments and unbraid hair styles that may get in the way with the measurement.Measuring Standing Height at Home
  2. Take the height measurement on flooring that is not carpeted and against a flat surface such as a wall with no skirting boards.
  3. Have the child/young person stand with feet flat, together, and heels against the wall. Make sure legs are straight, arms are at sides, and shoulders are level.
  4. Make sure the child/young person is looking straight ahead (ear hole should be in line with bottom of the eye).
  5. Take the measurement while the child/young person stands with head, shoulders, bottom, and heels touching the wall.
  6. Use a flat object as a headpiece, such as a book or ruler and lower the head piece until it firmly rests on the top of the head.
  7. Make sure the measurer’s eyes are at the same level as the head piece.
  8. Lightly mark where the bottom of the headpiece meets the wall. Then, use a metal tape to measure from the base on the floor to the marked measurement on the wall to get the height measurement.
  9. Record the height in centimetres to the first decimal that is the nearest 0.1 centimetres (for example, 120.4cms).

Measuring Weight At Home

 Use a digital scale. Avoid using bathroom scales that are spring-loaded. Place the scale on firm flooring (such as tile or wood) rather than carpet.Measuring Weight at Home

Have the child/young person remove shoes and heavy clothing, such as jumpers.

Have the child/young person stand with both feet in the middle of the scale.

Record the weight in kilograms to the first decimal place that is the nearest 0.1kg's (for example, 17.4 kg’s).

Next Steps

Once you have these 2 measurements, you can *click here* to check your child’s BMI. This will tell you if they are a healthy weight for their age and sex.

For information and advice on Nutrition and Diet - click here.



FileTypeSizeUploaded onDownload
Information-sheet-on-measuring-length-remotelyPDF147.55 KB29 Sep, 2020 Download
Information-sheet-on-measuring-height-remotelyPDF146.17 KB29 Sep, 2020 Download
Information-sheet-on-measuring-weight-remotelyPDF124.66 KB29 Sep, 2020 Download
Latest News
Compliments and complaints
Patient Experience
"Seen very quickly. The nurse was very understanding, approachable and empathetic"  - Luton community paediatrics