When your baby is still in your womb, you wait for your ultrasound scan days to find out how well your baby is doing. But after you give birth, your full attention is focused on normal weight gain in your newborn. You check which percentile he is in. These are markers of his good health and well-being. That’s where the baby weight chart in Singapore comes in.
It’s too easy to fret about your baby’s weight — including losing it and not gaining enough (in your eyes). Interestingly, newborn weight loss is quite common and usually happens in the first few days after birth.
However, by familiarising yourself with the information presented in this article about newborn baby weight gain and loss and the baby weight chart in Singapore, you can spare yourself of this worry — and also know when worry is warranted.
Average Baby Weight Chart In Singapore: Newborn Weight Loss And Gain
Your Baby’s Weight At Birth
Before checking the baby weight chart in Singapore, parents should know that genetics, as well as your health and nutrition during pregnancy, will determine your baby’s birth weight.
According to the Health Promotion Board of Singapore (HPB), the average baby weight chart in Singapore (at 40 weeks) weighs 3.2 kg, with most healthy newborns weighing between 2.5 to 4.5 kg.
Premature Baby Weight
Babies born before 37 weeks of pregnancy are considered premature or preterm. According to Singapore Pediatrics, a premature newborn might weigh 5 pounds (2.26 kg) or even considerably less. The earlier your baby arrives, the smaller they will be, the larger their head will seem in relation to their body, and the less fat they will have.
Aside from having a low birth weight, premature babies also gain weight on a slow, steady process. It also depends on several factors such as their birth weight and gestational age and if they were born with any health conditions.
They may also have a hard time learning to suck and breastfeed, which can affect their weight gain. Not to worry though, because most premature babies catch up to their full-term friends by age 2.
Newborn Weight Loss During The First 14 Days
According to the American Academy of Pediatrics, “a 5 per cent weight loss is considered normal for a formula-fed newborn and a 7 to 10 per cent loss is considered normal for breastfed babies.” The Australian Breastfeeding Association reiterates this: a maximum weight loss of 7 to 10 per cent is considered normal in breastfed babies.
In fact, according to a study published in Pediatrics, exclusively breastfed newborns (in the study cohort) lost as much as 10 per cent or more of their birth weight in the first few days post-birth.
The same study noticed a slight difference in weight loss among vaginal and C-section-born babies. With 5 per cent of the former losing at least 10 per cent of their birth weight and 10 per cent of the latter losing the same amount of weight.
This immediate weight loss in your newborn is generally no cause for concern because babies are born with extra weight to sustain them until you get breastfeeding.
Dr Jennifer Shu, paediatrician and co-author of Heading Home With Your Newborn, also reassures new mums by pointing out that the colostrum your breasts produce immediately after delivery has everything your baby needs at this point.
Two to five days after birth, your breast milk should come in. Following this, you should notice a gradual climb in your baby’s weight — and he should regain his birth weight when he’s around 14 days old.
During this time, neonatal experts say you should document a normal weight gain in your newborn of at least half an ounce daily.
Image Source: iStock
5 Reasons to Monitor Your Baby’s Weight
Monitoring your baby’s weight is crucial for their overall health and development. Here are five key reasons why it’s essential to keep track of your little one’s weight.
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Growth and Development: Regular weight monitoring helps ensure that your baby is growing and developing at a healthy rate.
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Nutritional Adequacy: Monitoring weight allows you to assess if your baby is receiving adequate nutrition and whether adjustments to feeding routines may be necessary.
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Early Detection of Health Issues: Sudden weight loss or inadequate weight gain could be a sign of underlying health concerns, and monitoring helps identify potential issues early on.
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Feeding Assessment: Weight monitoring provides valuable insights into how well your baby is feeding, helping you make informed decisions about breastfeeding, formula feeding, or introducing solid foods.
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Medical Guidance: Healthcare professionals use weight as a vital indicator of your baby’s health, and regular monitoring helps them provide appropriate medical guidance and support.
Baby Weight Chart In Singapore: Making Sense Of Your Baby’s Growth Chart
From the day your baby is born, his weight will be assessed and recorded in a weight-for-age growth chart of Singapore. The most common chart (and the one that is used in Singapore) is a percentile chart based on World Health Organisation growth standards.
Importantly, the World Health Organization’s growth standards are based on healthy, exclusively breastfed babies from six countries across five continents and can be used whether your baby is breastfed or formula-fed.
They more accurately show how a healthy baby should grow in comparison to older versions based on information gathered from only formula-fed infants.
Child Health Booklet
Here’s a graph for the percentiles of weight-for-age for baby boys and baby girls in Singapore, by the Health Promotion Board. You can also find these on your child’s CHB or Child Health Booklet:
Image Source: Child Health Booklet
Image Source: Child Health Booklet
You can find the World Health Organization child growth standards for baby weight chart that can be used for your child in Singapore with percentile charts and tables here:
But don’t immediately start to worry if the results you find in your baby are not what you expected from the weight chart of Singapore. Children will grow along their own ‘curve’, and as long as your baby follows his curve consistently, there is no cause for concern.
For example, a baby in the fifth who has always been in the 5th percentile is less concerned than a baby in the 50th percentile who suddenly starts to drop.
“If we see an infant falling significantly on the chart, say from the 60th to the 10th, we’ll have the baby come in for more frequent weight checks and try to feed her more,” says Dr Shu.
“If she’s eating well but still not gaining [weight], we’ll run tests to rule out an underlying cause, like a food allergy.”
Factors Affecting Your Baby’s Weight
The weight of a baby at birth and throughout the first year is an important aspect of their health and development. While each baby is unique, there are several factors that can influence their weight. Understanding these factors can help parents and healthcare providers monitor the baby’s growth and ensure they are thriving. Here are some key factors that can affect your baby’s weight:
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Length of the Pregnancy: Babies born closer to their due date tend to have a higher birth weight compared to those born prematurely. Full-term babies typically weigh between 5 pounds 11 1/2 ounces and 8 pounds 5 3/4 ounces at birth.
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Genetics: The size of the parents can influence the baby’s birth weight. If one or both parents are tall or large-boned, the baby may be larger than average at birth. Conversely, if the parents are short or petite, the baby may be smaller.
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Birth Order: Subsequent babies in a family tend to have a higher birth weight compared to the firstborn. This is because mothers often gain more weight in subsequent pregnancies, resulting in larger babies.
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Gender: Boys tend to have slightly higher birth weights compared to girls.
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Maternal Health: Certain maternal health conditions can affect the baby’s birth weight. High blood pressure, heart problems, diabetes, obesity, and unhealthy maternal habits such as smoking, alcohol consumption, or drug use during pregnancy can influence birth weight.
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Diet during Pregnancy: A poor diet or inadequate weight gain during pregnancy can contribute to lower birth weights. Conversely, excessive weight gain during pregnancy may result in larger babies.
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Baby’s Health: Underlying medical conditions or infections during pregnancy can impact the baby’s size at birth.
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Ethnicity: Ethnicity can play a role in determining the baby’s birth weight. Different ethnic groups may have varying average birth weights.
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Multiples: If you are expecting twins or more, each baby is likely to be smaller compared to a single baby due to the limited space in the womb.
While there are several factors that can affect a baby’s weight, it’s important to remember that every baby is unique, and their growth should be assessed based on their own individual pattern.
Average Weight on the First Year
While the general understanding is that a baby should gain, on average, between 140 to 201 grams (five to 7 1/2 ounces) per week in the first three months, Dr Newman advises parents not to get too obsessed with monitoring these averages.
Instead, Dr Newman suggests you should keep in mind that:
“A baby following the 95th percentile on the growth chart will be gaining significantly more. A baby following the third percentile gains significantly less than that. That’s one reason growth curves are a better way to judge how the baby grows.”
Remember that your baby’s average growth rate will slow to between 105 and 147 grams per week between three and six months of age. And between six and 12 months, it further slows down to 70 to 91 grams per week.
In general, babies will double their birth weight by around five months and triple it by a year.
If your baby is not latching on properly, this could interfere with his weight gain.
When Your Baby Is Not Gaining Enough Weight
There may be several reasons for inadequate weight gain** in an infant or newborn weight loss (also known as failure to thrive), including the following:
1. Your Baby Is Not Latching On Properly
It may look simple enough, but helping your baby latch on properly takes practice for mummy and baby. If you think your baby is not getting enough breastmilk, Dr Newman says the first step is to improve your little one’s latch.
“It’s important that the mother know when the baby is getting milk rather than just ‘nibbling’ at the breast. When the baby is not drinking much, using compression can help,” he advises.
Breast compression means squeezing your breast while the baby is sucking but not drinking. It’s like hand-expressing milk into the baby’s mouth.
If you are struggling with getting your baby to latch on, please consult your paediatrician, or a lactation consultant/nurse without delay, as they can guide you with the correct techniques.
Tongue tie. Image from LLLI/Pinterest
2. Your Baby May Have Tongue-Tie
Some babies have tongue-tie, meaning the lingual frenulum. It’s the piece of skin that attaches the tongue to the bottom of the mouth. Is it too thick or too short? This interferes with the movement of the tongue, making it hard for the baby to breastfeed.
A clue to watch out for that may indicate he has this condition is if the tip of his tongue curls under when he cries with his mouth open.
If you suspect your baby has a tongue-tie, mention this to your paediatrician or lactation consultant, who can check. The remedy for this condition is a doctor’s quick clipping of the frenulum.
Tongue-tie is more of a problem for breastfed babies than bottle-fed ones, as the latter use their tongues to get milk from the bottle. This might help in having normal weight gain in newborns.
Is your baby too sleepy to nurse?
3. Your Baby Is Not Nursing Often Enough
Newborns should be nursing around every two and a half hours, or, according to La Leche League International (LLLI), about eight to 12 times in 24 hours.
Dr Shu says some little ones tend to be sleepy and forego some feeds. But at this stage, the need to feed him regularly overtakes your need for a long stretch of sleep — at least until your paediatrician says you can reduce feeding frequency.
When your little one doesn’t frequently nurse, especially at the initial stages, your body doesn’t get enough stimulation to make more milk, meaning your baby may not get enough nourishment.
Prevent supply issues from occurring by making you you get plenty of breastfeeding support at the outset
4. You Have Supply Issues
While it’s difficult to tell if your baby is getting enough breastmilk, as long as he produces the recommended amount of wet and dirty diapers frequently, you’re doing a good job.
5. You Aren’t Mixing the Formula Properly
Dr Shu explains that some parents add extra water to the formula to save money or because they think formula constipates their baby. Stick to the correct measurements. Too much water and not enough nutrients can be fatal to a newborn.
Always mix your baby’s formula following instructions precisely.
Why is your baby is so skinny? Are you giving her enough milk?”
“Wow! Your baby is so chubby! I think you are over-feeding her”
We’ve all heard these comments from well-meaning family members and friends, and as parents, we will naturally worry about our little one’s health and development.
But when you hear others commenting about your baby’s weight, it can sometimes make you feel even more concerned, and you may question whether you are feeding your bub too little or too much.
However, your baby’s growth cannot be determined simply by physical appearance alone. A more accurate gauge would be to regularly weigh your baby, as this will allow you to note whether she is growing as expected.
But how often should you weigh her, and how can you do it accurately?
How Often Should You Weigh Your Baby?
Don’t add unnecessary stress to yourself by getting obsessed with weighing your little one every day.
A tiny baby’s weight may fluctuate daily due to how much milk she’s had right before the weigh-in or even how much she’s pooped!
You should only have her weighed at specific times according to her age:
- Two weeks to six months – Only once a month
- Six months to 12 months – Once every two months
- Over 12 months – Once every three months
Your baby’s doctor will be weighing her at each scheduled visit anyway, so you don’t have to worry too much about keeping track of her growth by weighing her every morning.
Three Ways to Weigh Your Baby
If you want to know just how well your little one is growing, there are three easy ways for you to determine her weight:
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Schedule a visit to the clinic
Singaporean babies are required to get vaccinated and go for regular health check-ups at a family clinic, polyclinic or paediatric clinic — so when you are there, your baby will get measured and weighed to keep track of her growth.
If you are not scheduled for a visit but want to find out your baby’s weight for that month, you can call the clinic to schedule an appointment, or some places will provide the service for free.
Pros: Very accurate; Can be done free of charge at most clinics.
Cons: Hassle of scheduling an appointment and travelling down to the clinic.
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Get a baby scale
You’ve seen the fancy-looking baby scale at the clinic and have wondered if you can get your hands on one to keep at home so you can weigh your little one as and when you want.
Well, you’ll be happy to know that it is possible to buy a baby scale for personal use, and this method of weighing your baby is probably the most convenient one of all!
Pros: Very accurate; Convenient for you and your baby.
Cons: Expensive investment; Bulky item which takes up space at home.
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Use your weighing scale
You probably already have a weighing scale at home, so this is quite a convenient (and cost-efficient) way to weigh your baby.
You simply have to weigh yourself first, take note of the weight (for example, it is 60kg), then weigh yourself once again while carrying your baby as well (you might get something like 65kg) and the excess weight (in this case, it is 5kg) is how much your little one weighs.
Pros: Free or cheap method; Your baby is less likely to fuss while being weighed since she is happily in your arms.
Cons: Not 100% accurate.
Is a Heavy Baby a Healthy Baby?
Image Source: iStock
Most babies born in Singapore weigh around 2.8kg to 3.5kg, and any neonate weighing more than 4kg at birth is considered large.
Dr Christopher Chong, who owns Chris Chong Women and Urogynae Clinic at Gleneagles Hospital, says that the weight of newborn babies in Singapore has increased by nearly 13 per cent compared to that of newborns 15 to 20 years ago.
“Women have better food, nutrition and supplements, so their babies tend to be larger”, he explains.
But experts warn that if your baby is too heavy, this might delay crawling and walking, and even though a large baby may not necessarily become an overweight child, a child who is obese has a higher chance of growing up to be an obese adult.
On the other hand, according to SGH, having an underweight baby who had a low birth might also pose a lifetime of health challenges as they are generally more prone to diseases such as hypertension, type 2 diabetes and coronary heart disease as adults.
When to Expect Baby Growth Spurt
Babies typically experience growth spurts during their first year of life. These growth spurts are short periods of intense growth when babies rapidly increase in size. During the first 12 months, babies can triple their body weight and gain around 10 inches in length.
Growth spurts can occur at different times for each baby, but there are common periods when they are more likely to happen. These include around 1 to 3 weeks old, 6 to 8 weeks old, 3 months old, 6 months old, and 9 months old.
Signs that your baby may be going through a growth spurt include increased hunger, with your baby wanting to eat more frequently and seeming more ravenous. Babies may also experience more frequent night wakings and increased fussiness, particularly at the breast, where they may latch and unlatch more often.
Growth spurts usually last a few days, and after that, your baby’s feeding pattern and behaviour will return to normal. It’s important to monitor your baby’s weight gain and diaper output during these periods to ensure they are getting enough nourishment.
How to Know If Your Baby Is Healthy
It’s no wonder parents get so anxious about their baby’s weight. Being too heavy can lead to obesity and developmental delays, but too light might spell severe other health issues!
Here’s what the doc says:
Don’t worry too much about weight!
Dr Jay Gordon, MD FAAP from the UCLA Medical Center and Cedars-Sinai Medical Center and the medical consultant for CBS TV, reassures parents that as long as your baby is nursing, peeing clear urine and wetting her diapers well in the first weeks of life, she will probably turn out fine.
His advice to parents is to go through this checklist:
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Is your baby eager to nurse?
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How is her pee and poop?
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Is her urine either clear or very pale yellow?
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Are your bub’s eyes bright and alert?
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Is her skin a healthy colour and texture?
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Is your baby moving her arms and legs vigorously?
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Are her fingernails and toenails growing?
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Is she meeting her developmental milestones?
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Is your baby generally happy and playful?
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When your baby is awake does she have periods of being very alert?
If you have answered yes to the above questions, you should also ask yourself: How tall is mum and how tall is dad?
Besides comparing your baby to the normal weight gain in newborns according to the growth chart, you also have to consider a range of factors which will affect her growth. These are factors like height, bone structure, ethnicity, gestation period duration, genetics, whether she drinks formula or breast milk, and more.
“I cannot recall seeing a baby for whom slow weight gain in the first 2 to 6 weeks was the only sign of a problem. Older babies grow at varying rates at 2 to 12 months of age. Weight gain should not be used as a major criterion of good health”, he says.
Dr Gordon adds that your baby’s developmental milestones and interaction with you and others are more important than her weight.
But if you have any concerns about your little one’s growth and development or other health issues, always seek professional medical advice.
Parents, we hope you found this information useful. Remember not to compare your baby’s size or weight to other babies. Each little one is unique and will gain weight at a different rate. If you are worried that your baby is not gaining enough weight or is gaining too rapidly, do not hesitate to consult your child’s paediatrician.
Updated by Pheona Ilagan
American Pregnancy Association, La Leche League International, Australian Breastfeeding Association, What to Expect
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