Should you need urgent health advice please contact your GP or call NHS 111. In an emergency please visit A&E or call 999

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Your Baby’s weight and development

Most babies will not need to be weighed frequently and within Hertfordshire we have several contact points during the first two years either with the Health Visiting team or for self weigh which is facilitated by  the Family Support service.

The chart below shows when the contact points are:

Health Visitor appointments

Your Health Visitor will arrange to see you when your baby is 10-14 days and again at 6-8 weeks. To arrange further appointments when your baby is 12 weeks and 6 months, you will need to call 0300 123 7572 to book onto one of our local Well Baby Clinics.  At this appointment we will review your baby’s weight, find out how things are going and give health advice as needed.

Self-weigh

This  is an opportunity to check your child’s weight as well as talk to Early Start staff from the Family Support Service on a variety of health promotions and parenting support topics.

Weighing your baby should happen at a Family Centre using the Self Weigh Stations when your child is 16 weeks, 20 weeks, 8 months and 12 months. These self weigh stations are in partnership with your Health Visiting appointments and will not replace any milestone and developmental checks that you will be offered.

To book your 15 minute appointment for weighing your baby, please click below on the area that you live:

If your baby has crossed over 2 centile lines plotted in the Red Book, please contact your Health Visitor so that they can review your baby’s weight and development.

How to self weigh:

The following video contains a guide about using the self-weighing stations at family centres:

How to record your baby’s weight in your Personal Child Health Record (Red Book).

Download our self-weighing guide.

ChatHealth Logo

Hertfordshire Community NHS Trust runs a confidential secure text messaging service for parents of children aged 0-5 years called ChatHealth. The service operates Monday to Friday between 9am and 5pm, excluding bank holidays. All texts will be responded to by a health visitor within 24 hours. Outside of the service working hours, you’ll receive a message back to inform you that your text will be responded to once the service reopens.

  • ChatHealth messaging service:

    text

    07480 635164
  • Family Centre Service (Health Visiting and Family Support):

    phone

    0300 123 7572

Should you require urgent health advice in the meantime, please contact your GP, visit an NHS walk-in centre or call NHS 111. For emergencies, dial 999 or visit A&E.

This page was last reviewed on 23-01-2023

This page will be next reviewed on 23-01-2026