How we helped our newborn gain weight in a month
This isn't a generic guide — it's our own story. In our daughter's first month, "is she gaining enough?" was the worry that wouldn't leave. Here's the simple, boring routine that got her to a steady 20–30 grams a day — and why it's the reason we ended up building Oh My Baby.
How much weight should a newborn gain?
After the normal early dip (newborns often lose up to ~7–10% of birth weight in the first days), babies usually regain their birth weight by about 2 weeks, and then put on roughly 20–30 grams per day in the first few months. Those grams come from one thing: feeds that actually happen, often enough, day after day.
The problem: we kept losing track
On no sleep, the day blurred. "Did she feed at 1 or 2?" "Which side last time?" "Did we give the vitamin D drops today?" We'd second-guess, sometimes wait too long between feeds, sometimes forget the supplement entirely. None of it was neglect — it was just a tired brain trying to hold too much.
The routine that worked for us
- Never miss a feed. We logged every feed with the time and side, so we always knew when the next one was due — and gently woke her if she slept past the window in those early weeks.
- Feed on both sides / top up when needed. Tracking "last: left/right" meant each side got emptied and stimulated, which kept supply up.
- Vitamin D, every single day. We set a daily reminder so the drops became automatic, not a thing we hoped we'd remembered.
- Watched the output. 6+ wet and 3+ dirty diapers a day told us the intake was landing, between weigh-ins.
- Weighed weekly, not obsessively. One trend line a week, not anxious daily checks.
What the month looked like
| Week | What we focused on | Result |
|---|---|---|
| Week 1 | Regain birth weight, feed every 2–3h | Back to birth weight |
| Week 2 | No missed feeds, daily vitamin D | ~20g/day |
| Week 3 | Both sides emptied, output steady | ~25g/day |
| Week 4 | Same boring routine | ~25–30g/day |
Nothing fancy. The win wasn't a trick — it was simply not dropping the ball, day after day, because we'd taken the remembering out of our heads and put it somewhere reliable.
This is literally why we built Oh My Baby
Log every feed and side in a tap, set a daily vitamin D reminder, and watch the diaper counts — all synced across both parents' phones so nothing slips through. Free, private, no app to install.
start tracking freefree forever · no ads · private to your family · no app to install
When to call your paediatrician
Tracking helps you notice, but it doesn't replace your doctor. Reach out if your baby isn't back to birth weight by ~2 weeks, is gaining very slowly, has fewer than 6 wet diapers a day, or seems unusually sleepy and hard to wake. Bring your feed and diaper log — it makes the visit far more useful.
Related guides
- Newborn feeding schedule by week — how often and how much.
- How many wet & dirty diapers should a newborn have?
This is our personal experience and general information — not medical advice. Every baby is different, and weight concerns should always be discussed with your paediatrician.