Babies tend to develop in approximately the same biological sequence--that is, they control the muscles nearest their heads first and gradually learn to control the muscles further from their heads. While this is true for premature infants, too, parents of these babies should understand that many preemies reach their developmental milestones later than babies born at term. Infant development clinics follow preemies' development using both their chronological age and their age adjusted for prematurity.
Age
The medical establishment expects babies to be born at about 40 weeks gestation. If your baby was born before 37 weeks gestation then he is considered premature. Your baby's chronological age is the age you calculate from his date of birth. His adjusted age is calculated by determining how old he would be if he had been born at 40 weeks gestation.
Senses
Your baby's hearing is one of the earliest senses to develop in the womb. If you ring a bell a foot or two from each of her ears, she will react to the sound. Your voice is her favorite sound of all. Your infant can see your face when you cradle her in your arms. When you hold her this way she will look intently at your face.
Babies born extremely early are more likely to have retinopathy of prematurity, which is "a potentially blinding eye disorder that primarily affects premature infants weighing about 2 3/4 (1250 grams) or less that are born before 31 weeks of gestation," says the National Eye Institute. Fortunately, the condition is usually treatable.
Motor
By the time your preemie has an adjusted age of 3 months, he should lift his head to look around when placed on his tummy, move all four limbs actively and hold a rattle or other toy with each hand. At about 6 months adjusted age, he should hold a toy in one hand while reaching for another, sit up alone for a few seconds, roll over from his tummy to his back and vice versa and attempt to crawl or roll over repeatedly to get toys. Most babies of 9 months adjusted age are crawling and some will use furniture to pull themselves to a standing position. Your baby should also be able to pick up small objects using his thumb and index finger together, bang two objects together and hold his own bottle or grasp the breast if he nurses.
Communication
Your tiny baby will communicate with you from the beginning. She will smack her lips when she begins to feel hungry and eventually cry to get your attention. Soon you will notice that she has a different cry for different needs--one for hunger, another for discomfort. She will look at your face and before long will concentrate on your mouth; by the time she is 6 months adjusted age, your infant will have progressed from cooing to repeating consonant-vowel combinations like "mamama" and "dadada." By the time her adjusted age is 9 or 10 months your little one will say "mama" and "dada" with meaning. She will also understand some of what you say, recognizing a few familiar words.
Social
The foundation of your baby's social and emotional development is his secure attachment to you. Ross A. Thompson, professor of psychology at UC Davis, notes that "the temperamental qualities that make each newborn unique become elaborated in the development of close attachments, the unfolding of emotional life, and the growth of self-regulation, self-awareness, and social understanding." He will feel secure when you respond to his needs and care for him tenderly. He will smile and then laugh; he will imitate your facial expressions from the time he is just a few weeks old.
