hi I'm dr. Christy rivers one of the
pediatricians here at my do every parent
wonders from time to time if their baby
is developmentally on track but parents
of a premature baby may have serious
concerns about their child's development
they may see their friends children of
the same age taking their first steps
when their baby is just beginning to
crawl so what is a parent to do if they
have serious concerns
pediatricians use developmental
milestones as a guide to determine if
children are following along a path
similar to other babies their age
they look for things such as fine motor
skills gross motor skills language and
social development each baby follows his
own path because development is very
variable in the first year of life
premature babies may appear delayed
compared to other babies their age for
example a term baby may rollover around
four months old however a baby who was
two months early may lag behind by two
months and may not roll over until
closer to six months your child's
pediatrician will be able to evaluate
your premature baby to see if there are
true delays doctors use a corrected age
or the age your baby would be if he was
born on his due date to determine
whether he's meeting his milestones
premature babies are at risk for
developmental problems so be sure to
bring it up at your next pediatrician
visit if you have any concerns for more
information on premature babies and
other great topics visit bundu a-to-z