Weigh your own babies to save money new mothers are told
- Mothers will be asked to write all measurements in their baby’s ‘red book’
- The cost-cutting idea will be introduced in Nottingham in April
- Campaigners criticised the move as ‘counter-productive’
Fionn Hargreaves For Mailonline
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Mothers have been asked to weigh their own newborns without any help from medical professionals as a cost-cutting measure.
Instead of letting health workers track their baby’s progress, parents will have to use weighing scales at children’s centres without any supervision.
Even though the cost-cutting plan will be introduced in Nottingham in April, new mothers are already being told to take the measurements themselves.
Mothers are being asked to weigh their own newborns instead of medical professionals in a cost-cutting measure. Healthcare workers will only have to take measurements at six and eight weeks
Parents will also have to enter the information in their child’s red book, which measures their progress until they turn four.
Campaigners have criticised the move as a waste of time and said that children’s health problems may be missed by parents.
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Hannah Herrick, 35, from Bassetlaw, Nottinghamshire, said the scheme has already been introduced at her children’s centre.
What is the red book?
A baby’s red book tracks their progress and development until they are four years old.
It lists the vaccinations your child needs until they turn four.
The book is also a useful way to track their weight and growth.
Mothers need to bring the red book with them whenever they take their child to the doctors or AE.
The mother of eight-month-old twins told the Sunday Express: ‘There was just a set of scales there and no instructions. There was no one to talk to if you felt there was a problem.
‘It’s horrible. I feel like new mothers are just being left to get on with it.’
Elizabeth Duff of the National Childbirth Trust told the Sunday Express the move is ‘counter-productive’.
Babies should be weighed once a month until they reach six months, then once every two months until they reach 12 months, according to NHS guidelines.
But under new guidelines, medical professionals will only be required to weigh the babies themselves at six and eight weeks.
MailOnline has contacted Nottinghamshire County Council and the National Childbirth Trust for further comment.
Newborns should be weighed every month until they are six months old, then every two months until they reach 12 months, according to NHS guidelines
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