The first year

During the first year, premature babies grow really fast, considering their size at birth.

Little by little, premature babies ‘catch up’ with their toddler peers, and once they are fully grown, if there is a difference it really is negligeable.

Pediatricians speak in terms of the real (correct) age of the baby, even though a 12-month-old premature baby may only really be 10 months old in terms of development, so don’t worry if your premature baby doesn’t start walking at 14 months if he/she should really be 12 months old!