A baby scale is not an essential piece of kit: for the vast majority of babies, the weigh-ins done by the midwife, the PMI (the French mother and child health service) or the doctor are enough. It becomes useful in a few specific situations, such as difficult breastfeeding, weight loss that is being monitored or a premature birth. In those cases, renting one from a pharmacy often makes more sense than buying.
This guide helps you decide whether you need one, for how long, and which one to choose if the answer is yes.
Baby scales: what are they really for?
Weight is the simplest way to check that a newborn is feeding enough. In the first few days, all babies lose a little weight: this is perfectly normal. Among its criteria for a safe discharge from the maternity unit, the Haute Autorité de santé (the French national health authority) sets a loss of less than 8 % of birth weight. It then recommends checking that birth weight has been regained during the second week of life.
These checks are carried out by professionals, first at the maternity unit and then during home visits or appointments. A baby scale at home is there to allow more frequent measurements when a professional considers it useful. It does not replace their assessment of your child: muscle tone, alertness, number of wet nappies, quality of feeds.
When it really helps
- Breastfeeding that gets off to a difficult start, with a midwife or lactation consultant asking for frequent weigh-ins.
- Significant weight loss on leaving the maternity unit, or a slow return to birth weight.
- A baby born prematurely or with a low birth weight, closely monitored after coming home.
- Living far away, which makes weigh-ins at a clinic or surgery difficult.
When it mostly adds to your worries
For a baby who feeds well, has wet nappies and is growing along their curve, weighing every day adds nothing. A baby's weight varies by several tens of grams depending on the time of day, a recent feed or the nappy. A drop from one day to the next is often just a measurement artefact. Many parents end up watching the number instead of looking at their child.
Should you buy or rent a baby scale?
The answer almost always comes down to how long you need it. Close monitoring linked to breastfeeding usually lasts a few weeks. After that, routine check-ups take over.
Renting, the most common option
Many pharmacies and medical equipment companies rent out electronic baby scales by the week or by the month. Some models are covered with a medical prescription: check with your pharmacist and your health insurer before paying. Renting also guarantees a checked device with good accuracy.
Buying, worthwhile in only a few cases
Buying can be justified for long-term monitoring, twins, or a second baby arriving soon after the first. A second-hand scale passed between families is a good option, as long as you check its accuracy with an object of known weight. After a few months it is rarely used: it is the perfect example of equipment that is better borrowed.
How to choose a baby scale
- Accuracy. For a newborn, look for increments of 5 or 10 grams. A model with increments of 20 grams or more cannot track weight gain over a few days.
- The tray. A curved, long enough tray with raised edges keeps your baby lying down without slipping.
- Tare function. It lets you reset to zero with a muslin on the tray.
- Hold function. It freezes the reading when your baby moves, so you are not trying to read an unstable number.
- Cleaning. A smooth surface with no nooks and crannies is easy to wipe clean between uses.
Be wary of adult bathroom scales used for ‘double weighing’, first the parent alone, then the parent holding the baby. Their accuracy, often 100 grams, makes the measurement useless for a baby.
Weighing your baby properly at home
A useful weigh-in is one that can be compared with the previous one. Always keep the same conditions:
- the same scale, placed on a hard, flat surface;
- the same time of day, ideally before a feed;
- baby naked, or always in the same clean nappy;
- a routine agreed with the professional, for example twice a week.
Note each reading with the date and time, and show this record at the next appointment. The trend over several days matters far more than a single measurement.
Weighing before and after a feed
This method estimates how much milk your baby has drunk by comparing two weigh-ins. It requires a very accurate scale and careful interpretation. Only use it if a professional has suggested it, and for a limited time.
Where to get your baby weighed without a scale at home
There are several free options. PMI centres often run weighing sessions, with or without an appointment, as we explain in our article on the first PMI appointment. The midwife who follows you after you get home also weighs your baby at each visit. The paediatrician or GP does it during routine check-ups.
For a baby born early, the growth chart is read using corrected age: our article on calculating corrected age explains how.
Weight: a figure that is useful later too
Knowing your child's recent weight remains useful well beyond the first few weeks. The doses of several common medicines are calculated per kilo, as explained in our article on paracetamol doses by weight. The weight noted in your child's health record at the last appointment is enough in most cases.
When to seek advice straight away
A scale at home should never delay getting medical advice. See a professional quickly if your baby:
- has noticeably fewer wet nappies than usual;
- is so sleepy they no longer ask for feeds, or feeds very weakly;
- has not regained their birth weight during the second week;
- seems floppier than usual, or worries you for no specific reason.
Breast or bottle: what helps more than a scale
When weight gain is a concern, adjusting feeds matters more than the measurement itself. A good position relieves the mother and often makes feeds more effective: our guide to the nursing pillow helps you find a stable set-up. With a bottle, an unsuitable flow rate can also hold a baby back, as we explain in our article on choosing the right teat flow.
Official guidance on breastfeeding is gathered in our article on WHO data and recommendations. For any other questions, our FAQ is here to help.
Sources
- Haute Autorité de santé, “Sortie de maternité après accouchement: conditions et organisation du retour à domicile des mères et de leurs nouveau-nés”, good practice recommendation, March 2014.
- Assurance Maladie (ameli.fr, French national health insurance), “Examen du nourrisson dans les 8 jours qui suivent sa naissance”, updated 1 September 2025.
