You finally have your bundle of joy home! You will now be fascinated as you watch your baby grow and develop. What you have to remember though is to take into account the degree of prematurity of your baby. Your doctor will use the concept of "corrected age".

Corrected age means the age your preterm baby would be if he or she had been born at term.

You will have to take into consideration the corrected age of your baby until he or she is at least twenty months old. Please keep in mind that each baby is different and if you have growth and development concerns always consult with your doctor or paediatrician. The milestones listed are very general and will serve only as a guideline. Many parenting books on the market have extensive lists of milestones.

Enjoy watching your baby grow!

-May lift head for short periods while on tummy
-Head turns to one side on back, puts arm out to that side, flexes other arm
-Will grasp a finger or object put into her hand
-Likes adult faces, especially the eyes, bright colours, patterns
-Can play for short periods of time
-Enjoys being sung and talked to
-Can be overstimulated and need rocking or being bundled in a blanket to settle down

-While on tummy can lift head and move side to side
-Knows the difference between real faces and pictures
-Can move a rattle placed in his hand, looks for sound
-Starts to babble and smile spontaneously
-Enjoys rattles, bells and mirrors, crib activity centre

-Has almost complete control of head movements
-Likes to make bicycle movements with legs
-Can push up on forearms
-Will put her fist in mouth
-Can voluntary grasp an object
-Follows slow moving object with head and eyes
-Makes lots of different noises and tries to imitate adult sounds
-Gives you a 'real' smile
-Is awake for up to 20 minutes an hour
-Has discovered hands and feet
-Enjoys toys with chimes and jingles
-Parents voice and face most important

-Can sit up supported for up to 15 minutes
-Is trying to roll over from tummy to back
-Likes bearing weight on legs
-Will look at a toy in her hand
-Prefers familiar voices
-Laughs
-Toys with noise and texture are favourites
-Can focus easily and will reach with both hands

-Starts moving towards objects that get her attention
-Lifts up chest easily and make get up on all fours
-Waves arms up, down, back and forth
-Attempts to move toys from hand to hand
-Smaller objects and toys become interesting
-Can extend fingers and hold a toy between them
-Is really vocalizing
-Becoming more interested in the outside world
-Hates being left alone

-Easily transfers toys from hand to hand
-Can sit without support, but needs help getting to sitting position
-Likes to bear weight on legs
-Can feed herself crackers
-Has a pincer like grasp, good for holding small objects
-Knows which toy he wants and reaches for it
-Will imitate her own sounds
-Might say "mama" or "dada" but to no-one specifically
-Likes to laugh and has sense of humour
-Can be stubborn about doing things she doesn't want to

-Could begin crawling, will go both forwards and backwards
-Makes bouncing movement with legs when held up
-Likes putting toes into mouth
-Develops depth perception and is intrigued with very small objects
-Vocalizes to get attention, toys and generally to socialize
-Puts arms up to be picked up
-Is fascinated by his reflection in a mirror
-Noisy and rolling toys are becoming favourite

-Crawls easily and can stand holding onto something stable
-Is very adept at using forefinger and thumb to pick up objects
-Can find partially hidden objects and may start to stack blocks
-Vocalizes even more
-Is shy with people she doesn't know
-Makes attempts to feed herself and is getting good at finger foods
-May become quite possessive of toys
-Likes toys with music, that pop-up, or have dials
-Is very adept at picking up Cheerios

-Crawling becomes the preferred method of mobility
-Likely attempts to climb up and down stairs
-Both sides of his body now do the same thing
-Is able to roll or throw a ball or toy
-Likes putting small toys into containers
-Can find hidden objects
-Capable of stacking two blocks
-Is good at imitating sounds like laughing and coughing
-Says "bye-bye"
-Is beginning to understand the concept of "no"
-Will respond to his name
-Likes music and might "sing" along
-Pat-A-Cake is a favourite game

-Can pull herself to standing using something stable
-Climbs stairs by himself while supervised
-Will use a push toy or an adults hand to take a few steps
-Likes books and attempts to turn pages
-Throwing objects becomes a favourite pass time
-Sometimes will follow a simple command
-Her burbling sounds start to actually sound like words
-Will amuse herself with her own toys for longer periods of time
-Pots, pans and spoons become favoured toys along with balls and push toys

-Walks without help (but can be as late as 18 months)
-Can stoop down from a standing position and stand up again
-Smiles at his mirror image
-Becomes very imitative of others gestures and facial expressions
-Perfects the pincer grasp (thumb and forefinger) for picking up objects
-Knows her own name and her parents names
-Attempts to follow instructions
-Can drink from a cup and is trying to use a spoon
-May know a few simple words and uses them properly (mama, dada, cat, ball)
-Ride-on toys are a big hit along with books, stacking toys and sorting toys