Weight, length and head: keeping a clear record

Capture the original reading

Start with the measurement as it was given to you, rather than rounding it from memory. If a clinic recorded 4.285 kg, keep that source reading and its date even if a summary later displays fewer decimal places. Avoid adding digits a scale or clinician did not provide.

If you enter an older reading, set its actual measurement date before saving. It is perfectly reasonable to add an appointment's measurements later in the evening. The chart needs to know when the baby was measured, not when you had a free hand to open the app.

Keep the three measurement types distinct

Health checks may include weight, length or height, and head circumference. These are separate observations and should be entered in their own fields. Head circumference is the measurement around the head; it is not another name for body length.

If only weight was measured at an appointment, leave the other measurements absent. Copying a previous height into today's date would create an observation that never happened. A blank space is more honest and useful than a complete-looking row built from assumptions.

Further guidance: Pregnancy, Birth and Baby: Routine health checks

Check units before you save

The same number can mean very different things in kilograms and pounds. When entering lb and oz, keep the two parts distinct: 8 lb 8 oz is not 8.8 decimal lb. For lengths, check whether the source says centimetres or inches before copying a value.

Baby Tracker lets you choose metric or imperial display units while keeping a consistent underlying record. If you later switch the display, the reading is converted for presentation. You do not need to add a second measurement merely to keep a copy in the other unit system.

Record how and where it was measured

WHO's measurement guidance distinguishes lying-down length for children under two from standing height from age two. These methods are not simply interchangeable. Record the method and ask your healthcare team if a measurement does not match the method expected for a chart.

A short note such as ‘clinic; lying-down length’ or ‘home scales; clothing on’ helps explain the source without pretending all readings were taken identically. For head circumference or a difficult length reading, ask your child health professional to demonstrate the appropriate technique rather than trying to infer it from the graph.

Further guidance: WHO Child Growth Standards

Review an unexpected entry before replacing it

If a point looks surprising, compare the saved record with the original source. Check the decimal point, unit, date and selected baby. A reading entered under a sibling's profile or with an extra zero can distort a trend while the original measurement is entirely ordinary.

Correct a confirmed transcription error. If the reading was copied accurately but you do not understand it, keep the source context and ask the professional who measured your baby. Do not replace a genuine reading with a more comfortable number simply to smooth the line.

Build a history without making measurement a chore

Routine health appointments provide useful opportunities to update the record. Ask your healthcare team how often measurements are appropriate for your child rather than measuring repeatedly to make an app chart fuller. A longer series is only useful when its points have a clear meaning.

Keep your child's official health record as well as any app copy. If you want to preserve the digital history, an exported backup and a readable weekly or monthly PDF serve different purposes. The backup can restore records; a PDF is a document to read or share.