Welcome to Hatch Grow
Congratulations on your new baby and thanks for choosing Hatch Grow. We're parents too and we understand the incredible joy (and the challenges) that you'll experience as a new parent. We have worked tirelessly to make sure that your Hatch Grow can help you track weights, feedings, and growth over time.
Still need help? Head to the top menu to send us a message! Seriously - if you have problems and don't reach out to us, it'll just hurt our feelings...
How does Grow work?
Your Hatch Grow is not your average scale -- it has been meticulously engineered to weigh sleeping babies, swaddled babies, screaming babies, and wiggly babies. So how do we do it?
First, there’s a big difference between weighing an adult and weighing a baby. Quite simply, an adult knows how to stand still on a scale. Your baby, on the other hand, loves to wiggle! Weighing an object that moves is tricky, and requires extra-special engineering to filter out all those wiggles to give you a precise weight.
Unlike a traditional scale, Grow expects that your baby will move (because, babies). Our Hatch Smart Weight Algorithm, designed with a baby’s movement in mind, adjusts based on the amount your baby moves. The scale senses just how wiggly your baby is and factors that into the calculation when weighing your baby. We’ve honed this by taking over a million measurements of babies (this is not an exaggeration - we’re seriously passionate about getting it right!)
Beyond being able to (magically) filter out your baby’s wiggles, Grow is also a super-precise, sensitive device capable of taking measurements from 0 to 44 lbs, at up to a quarter of an ounce of accuracy (we round for convenience!). The “load cells” (aka the things that detect weight) embedded within Grow are sensitive enough to detect minute changes in weight and send signals from the feet of your Grow, spitting out a number that gets calibrated into your baby’s weight. It’s a little piece of engineering magic!
Watching your baby Grow is seriously awe-inspiring. So, as parents, we believe Grow should be used as a tool to monitor and track your baby’s feeding amounts and growth over time. Your baby’s weight and feeding amounts will fluctuate day-to-day (just like an adult!) -- that’s totally normal and no cause for concern. Grow is intended to help you track your baby’s trends.
Hatch Grow accurately measures within .25 ounces so any changes in your baby's clothing or diaper can impact the weight.
Setting up your Grow
Grow is a super-precise, finely engineered instrument of baby-weighing magic. In order for it to do its thing, it’s gotta be set up right:
1. Set it up on a FLAT and LEVEL surface. It’s a scale, after all!
2. Be sure NOTHING is touching it. No walls, no lamp cords, no diapers, no cute onesies -- zip, zilch, nada! (Seriously though, nothing should touch it).
3. Click the safety belt into place. #babiesarewiggly #safetyfirst
4. Download the Hatch app in the App Store to take your first weight.
5. Want to try out your Grow’s amazing weighing capabilities? Test it
P.S. A flat changing pad cover is ok to keep on Grow, but it should stay on the pad when you weigh your baby. If you remove it, your readings will be off (a.k.a Grow won’t work right!)
How often should I weigh my baby?
A healthy baby should steadily gain weight over time. You can compare weights day-to-day, or even a few days apart, to monitor your baby’s growth trends. Each day, your baby’s weight will change a bit, just like an adult’s would!
*A Little Note about Newborns: Know that it’s normal and expected that a newborn baby will lose some weight in the first week of life (We get it can be scary!). A 7-10% loss in weight is considered normal for breastfed babies. Most babies should regain this lost weight after two weeks of life. Concerned? Always check in with your pediatrician if you have questions about your baby’s weight.
Why does my baby's weight seem to fluctuate?
Simply being a baby requires a ton of energy! Your baby is burning calories all day long (all that sleeping, eating, and pooping is hard work). For fun, weigh your baby right after a big meal and again after a huge diaper change – your baby should clock in at different weights all day long. What is most important is that you are seeing overall weight gain over a series of days.
How do I know my weights are accurate?
Test your Grow
If you’re ever concerned about the measurements your Hatch Grow is giving you, we recommend that you test it by weighing a two-liter bottle of a Coca-Cola product (Coke, Diet Coke, or Sprite).
Here’s what to do:
- Fire up your Hatch app. Tap the Grow icon in the upper right-hand corner.
- Let the scale zero out by tapping “Zero” in the upper corner of the app, then place your two-liter bottle on Grow.
- Tap “Record Weight” and note the weight. Take the two-liter bottle off your Grow.
- Tap the Grow icon again (the app will take you back to the home screen after your first weight).
- Zero out your scale and weigh your bottle again!
- If the weights match, you’re good to Grow! (Thanks! You’ve just sent helpful diagnostic info about your Grow to our team!).
How did we come up with this test?
It’s amazing how much variability there is between the weights of common household objects. We tested nearly every object we could think of (really!), and found that even amongst items you’d guess would be consistent (say, hand weights), there are significant discrepancies in weight.
Which brings us to the two-liter bottle of Coke. Of all the common, affordable products we measured, we found that this one, while not exactly consistent, was more consistent than other products. We measured over 20 two-liter bottles of Coke, Diet Coke, and Sprite, and found that there is some slight variance between any given bottle, based on the plant in which the bottle was manufactured and even between any two fresh bottles (evaporation happens fast and a bottle that’s been sitting around for just a few months will lose some mass). What we expect to see is:
- Diet Coke weighs in from 4lb 8.25oz to 4lb 9.75oz
- Coke clocks in from 4lb 11.25oz to 4lb 12.75oz
- Sprite tips the scales from 4lb 11.50oz to 4lb 12.75oz
If your Grow is showing that your two-liter bottle of Coca-Cola beverage is in this range, you can rest assured that all is well in the weighing world.
How does Grow measure a feeding amount?
To measure a feeding amount, Grow calculates the change in your baby’s weight before and after the feeding. (Don’t worry, Grow does the math for you). In order to get the most precise measurement, keep your baby in the same outfit and diaper (if possible! #blowouts) for both weighings. Major spit up, fresh diapers, outfit changes, etc. can affect your baby’s weight, and as such, affect accurate measurements for feedings.
Measuring a feeding using Grow
Ready to know exactly how much your baby is eating? Grow makes it easy! Our exclusive Hatch Smart Weight Algorithm takes away the guesswork, so you know exactly how much milk your baby is getting.
1. Fire up your Hatch app. Tap the Grow icon in the upper right hand corner.
2. With your baby ON the scale, tap “Start a Feeding.”
3. Go feed that baby!
4. Come back when you’ve finished and tap the Grow icon again. Tap “Calculate a Feeding.”
5. Save the amount in your Hatch app.
Note: If you're having trouble measuring feedings, try to zero out Grow before both the pre and post-feeding measurements.
What should I do if my baby's weight doesn't exactly match the doctor's office?
If you weigh your baby on two different scales, it's likely that there will be slight variation. Your baby's weight changes throughout the day - and remember that even calm babies produce a lot of variation in force. Usually, your doctor waits until your baby is still and tries to get a good weight to see if your baby is growing over time. As long as your setup is good (see above) and weights are consistent and trending in the right direction, you should be all set.
A note about traveling with Grow
It’s probably best to leave Grow at home when you travel - it is a very sensitive and highly tuned piece of equipment. If you do have to transport your Grow, please pack it in the original box (it has special foam padding) for best results. We don’t recommend checking Grow with your luggage, as the feet on the pad may break or even break off if the pad is not packed and transported properly. If the feet break, the device will no longer weigh accurately. Just a reminder: we do not yet ship internationally.
If you travel with Grow, any damage incurred is not covered under our warranty.