What is My Baby's "Corrected" Age?

As babies grow into childhood, they become able to do things (develop) in a pattern that is mostly the same from one child to another.

We look for signs called "milestones" to see if the baby is growing and changing at the same rate as other children, so that any problems can be identified and fixed as soon as possible.

An example of an early milestone might be the first time the baby looks at their mother and follows with her with his/her eyes as they move around the cot.

Later examples might include the first time a toddler is able to pick up a spoon and use it, pull himself up to a standing position, or use real words and put them together properly when talking.

A premature baby or "preemie" may have a pattern of milestones that is different from a full-term baby. The early delivery of your infant may affect the way he or she develops for at the first year of life or more.

Children who are born very early, who need more medical support, or who have other medical problems are more likely to have longer delays. Some, such as thinking ability (cognition), may not be easy to spot until school age.

All premature babies should have their development monitored for the first two years from their due date.

Because your baby was born early, he or she may not meet all of the milestones as soon as a full-term baby. For this reason, you should always use the "corrected" age when looking for milestones.

To measure your baby's corrected age, take the number of months since birth (age) and subtract the number of months that the baby was born early (premature).

For example, if they were born 5 months ago, and they were born 3 months early, then: 5 months (age) - 3 months (premature) = 2 months corrected age.

Your doctor and paediatrician should follow your child's progress using this corrected age for the first year or two of life.

______ Your baby's actual age in months
______ Number of months premature
______ Your baby's corrected age in months

Go to the Development Milestones section in this website for more information about your preemie's development.

Age: 1 month corrected age

Gross Motor: Lifts head for a few seconds when lying on stomach
Fine Motor: Hands make fists with opening and closing; brings hands to mouth; stares at objects and lights
Cognitive: Begins to react to stimulation (light, sound, touch)
Communication: Cries to make needs known; listens and calms down to your voice; gives eye contact
Social: Regards face; enjoys being talked to and held

Age: 3 months corrected age

Gross Motor: Fairly good head control on tummy and in supported position; lifts head and chest when lying on stomach; uses both arms and both legs in play
Fine Motor: Holds on to a rattle; follows slow-moving objects with eyes; brings hands together on the chest
Cognitive: Begins to use body movements on purpose (bats at mobile, bounces in seat); tries to repeat these movements
Communication: Coos and laughs; has different cries for different needs (hungry, hurt, bored)
Social: Smiles easily

Age: 6 months corrected age

Gross Motor: Rolls and begins to sit well without support; rests on one arm while lying on side; pulls forward with arms while lying on side; pulls forward with arms while lying on stomach
Fine Motor: Reaches and grasps with both hands; moves toys from hand to hand
Cognitive: Shakes rattle; starts to copy your movements and begins smiling and frowning; more interested in surroundings and in the results of actions
Communication: Babbles, laughs, coos; turns to look at new sounds
Social: Awareness of strangers; smiles at reflection in the mirror

Warning Signs: Consult your paediatrician if your child shows any of these signs at this age:

• has difficulty lifting his/her hand and pushing up on her arms while lying on their stomach
• cannot stay lying on their side to play with toys
• is not sitting, even with support
• is not rolling or is rolling by arching their neck and back
• makes no effort to reach or bat at objects
• does not move their head towards a sound or search for objects with their eyes
• grasps an object weakly or holds only for a moment
• keeps their hands fisted and/or keeps their thumb inside their fist
• is not able to get their hands to their mouth or together
• continues to have trouble taking a bottle or first solids
• does not coo or babble

Age: 9 months corrected age

Gross Motor: Gets into and out of sitting position on all fours independently; crawls on hands and knees
Fine Motor: Points with index finger
Cognitive: Takes toys in and out of containers
Communication: Begins to use simple baby words ("dada" or "mama")
Social: Worried about strangers; strong attachment to parents

Age: 12 months corrected age

Gross Motor: Walks alone (may take up to 15 months)
Fine Motor: Uses thumb and pointer finger to grasp small finger foods; drops objects into a small container
Cognitive: Begins to use objects for specific functions (comb to comb hair); begins to understand that behavior will cause a response
Communication: Says at least 2 words in addition to "mama" and "dada"; recognizes own name; imitates familiar words
Social: Shy, but enjoys attention and play; gives affection and cuddles

Warning Signs: Consult your paediatrician if your child shows of these signs at this age:

• is sitting but not able to sit independently
• is crawling or "bunny hopping" by moving both legs forward at the same time
• is not easily able to pick up small objects, such as finger foods
• does not search for a hidden object
• does not use hard and soft sounds together ("ba","da")
• does not look at books for short periods of time. (Keep in mind that if they are busy learning to crawl and walk, they may not have much interest in sit-down activities. Encourage them to spend some time doing "quiet" activities, such as looking at books.)
• does not respond to simple familiar speech routines, such as pat-a-cake
• uses one side of their body much more often than the other

Age: 18 months corrected age

Gross Motor: Walks up steps while holding on to support; "runs"
Fine Motor: Builds tower with 3-4 blocks
Cognitive: Begins thinking ahead; begins to understand the difference between good and bad behaviour
Communication: Points to three basic body parts; follows simple requests; knows and names 2-5 familiar objects; uses 10-20 words, including names; combines 2 words ("all gone" or "bye-bye") Social: Helps with simple tasks; copies other peoples' actions

Warning Signs: Consult your paediatrician if your child shows any of these signs at this age:

• does not walk, or constantly walks on tip-toe
• does not copy sounds or make any sounds that mean a word ("doodie" for cookie)
• cannot build a tower with blocks
• is more interested in putting toys in their mouth during play than playing with them using their hands
• understands less than eight words

Age: 24 months corrected age

Gross Motor: Changes feet while going up stairs; kicks ball
Fine Motor: Stacks 6 cubes; turns book pages one at a time
Cognitive: Matches circle, square, triangle; understands the use of many objects
Communication: Puts two words together; understands simple questions; asks for a drink
Social: Washes and dries hands; helps get dressed

Warning Signs: Consult your paediatrician if your child shows any of these signs at this age:

• does not use any words together
• does not identify basic objects or pictures of basic objects
• plays mostly by copying others and does not begin play
• has poor balance and control (falls or trips a lot more than other children her age)
• cannot complete a simple puzzle or shape sorter
• does not follow simple commands, such as "give me"
• does not know basic body parts