Consistent and accurate baby weighing is an important part of monitoring an infant’s growth and development. As such, baby weighing scales are one of the essential instruments for clinics, hospitals, as well as maternal and child health centres.
Why is baby weighing important?
All babies are weighed at birth, followed by regular weighing at the clinic or maternal and child health centres throughout their first year.
Newborns are unable to tell you how they feel or express illness symptoms in any other way besides crying. Establishing a growth chart, therefore, is one of the few ways a doctor or nurse can use to assess the baby’s health.
Through baby weighing, doctors are able to monitor the infant’s weight, and check if the child’s growth is progressing well within a standard range, according to a regular trend. If the infant’s weight does not follow a regular trend, it may be signs of certain health issues.
Why use baby weighing scales
There are a few reasons why baby scales, and not just any other personal or bathroom scales, should be used to weigh babies.
Firstly, baby scales are specifically designed for baby weighing. These scales have the child’s comfort and safety as priority, and usually have a curved shape to allow baby to lay down comfortably and securely.
Secondly, a good baby scale is made to be robust and durable, and is able to fit children from birth all the way up to two years of age.
Baby scales also come with specific functions and features required to help medical professionals get a baby’s weight and perhaps even length quickly and accurately. One such useful function is the movement compensation technology, as babies wriggle all the time, even when on the scale.
How to choose the right baby scales
A good quality baby scale can not only make the process of measuring and monitoring a baby’s weight easy and quick, but also deliver accurate and reliable results.
Here are a few things to look out for when choosing a baby scale:
- Go for a levelled pan scale with an ergonomic design
- The scale should be able to weigh up to 20kg, in 0.01kg increments
- Ensure that the tray is large enough to support children from birth till 2 years of age
- The scale should have a motion detector and stabiliser, or movement compensation technology
- The scale should be easy to clean, without hard-to-reach gaps or corners
- A lightweight and portable baby scale is useful for home visits or work in remote locations
- Functions such as Tare, Hold, and Re-weigh are good to have
Some quick tips to remember when weighing babies:
- Place a light sheet or paper towel on the scale for hygiene purposes
- Ensure that the scale is on a sturdy, flat surface
- Undress the baby completely, with nappy removed, if possible
- Check that the reading is zero before putting baby on the scale
- Place baby in the centre of the scale
- Wait till the reading settles
- Record the weight immediately, to the nearest 10 grams
- Calibrate and clean the scale regularly
Accurate and reliable baby scales
Anyscales understands the importance of using high quality baby scales for accurate weighing. We offer a range of well-designed baby scales that will meet all medical requirements and are suitable for use in clinics, hospitals, as well as private practices.
The Healthweigh H650 Neonatal Baby Scale uses Shekel’s advanced technology for precision weighing, and provides 100% accuracy even when baby wriggles during weighing. The Anyscale EBSL Baby Scale is battery operated and lightweight, making it easy to store and carry around.
For more information about our baby scales, give us a call on 1300 738 705 or email us at [email protected] today.
