How to Determine the Blood Type of a Baby

An individual's blood type is determined by antigens in the blood, the most common of which are A and B. Type A blood has A antigens on red blood cells, type B has B antigens on red blood cells, type AB has both A and B antigens on the red blood cells, and type O does not have A or B antigen on the red blood cells. Blood type is determined by analyzing the blood cells through a blood test. There are a few ways for parents to determine the blood type of their baby, as blood type is genetically determined.

Things You'll Need

• Home blood type test

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Instructions

• 1

  Request to find out the baby's blood type after delivery. All 50 states prick a newborn's heels for basic genetic testing and to determine the baby's blood type.

• 2

  Ask that your pediatrician determine the baby's blood type if you did not find out the blood type following delivery. A blood type test may be performed at the doctor's office, or the doctor can order blood tests that are done at a local hospital.

• 3

  Learn your own blood type. If you are not certain of your blood type or that of your partner, ask your doctor for a blood type test or use a home blood type test. Use online charts to determine the probability of the baby's blood type based on the parents' blood types. For example, parents that both have type A blood could have a baby with type A or type O blood. Search "baby's blood type" to find charts.

• 4

  Order a home blood type test. Home kits require gently lancing the baby's finger to get a drop of blood, which is then smeared on a provided card or placed in a container. The kit will either provide a chart that will tell you the blood type results or have you send the container or card back to the company for testing. The company will notify you of the results within a few weeks.