Newborn Measurements

Assessing a newborn's weight

A baby's birth weight is an important indicator of health. The average weight for full-term babies (born between 37 and 41 weeks gestation) is about 7 pounds (3.2 kg). In general, small babies and very large babies are more likely to have problems. Newborn babies may lose as much as 10% of their birth weight. This means that a baby weighing 7 pounds 3 ounces at birth might lose as much as 10 ounces in the first few days.

Your newborn will be weighed in the hospital and at all check-ups. In most cases, metric units are used to record babies' weight. This chart will help you convert the metric unit grams (g) to pounds (lb) and ounces (oz).

Converting grams to pounds and ounces

1 lb. = 453.59237 grams; 1 oz. = 28.349523 grams; 1000 grams = 1 kg.

Pounds
Ounces	2	3	4	5	6	7	8	9
0	907	1361	1814	2268	2722	3175	3629	4082
1	936	1389	1843	2296	2750	3203	3657	4111
2	964	1417	1871	2325	2778	3232	3685	4139
3	992	1446	1899	2353	2807	3260	3714	4167
4	1021	1474	1928	2381	2835	3289	3742	4196
5	1049	1503	1956	2410	2863	3317	3770	4224
6	1077	1531	1984	2438	2892	3345	3799	4252
7	1106	1559	2013	2466	2920	3374	3827	4281
8	1134	1588	2041	2495	2948	3402	3856	4309
9	1162	1616	2070	2523	2977	3430	3884	4337
10	1191	1644	2098	2551	3005	3459	3912	4366
11	1219	1673	2126	2580	3033	3487	3941	4394
12	1247	1701	2155	2608	3062	3515	3969	4423
13	1276	1729	2183	2637	3090	3544	3997	4451
14	1304	1758	2211	2665	3118	3572	4026	4479
15	1332	1786	2240	2693	3147	3600	4054	4508

What other measurements are taken of the newborn?

Like weight, length and head circumference help your baby's healthcare provider get an idea of their overall health. They may also be measured using metric units, with centimeters (cm) instead of inches (in). To convert inches to centimeters: 1 in = 2.54 cm.

• Head circumference. The distance around the baby's head:

  • The average newborn's head measures 13 3/4 in (35 cm)

  • Generally, a newborn's head is about half the baby's body length in cm plus10 cm. So a baby that's 18 inches long would be 45.7 centimeters (18 x 2.54). Their head would be about 32.9 cm, or a little under 13 inches.

• Length. The measurement from the top of the head to the heel of the foot:

  • The average newborn is about 50 cm or 19 3/4 in long.