Corrected age calculator for babies born early

Wording from the CDC. Use of CDC material on this page does not imply endorsement by CDC, ATSDR, HHS or the United States Government.

If your baby was born 3 or more weeks early, use the corrected age to pick a milestone checklist until age 2.

The calculator needs JavaScript. Without it: count the weeks your baby was born early (40 minus the weeks of pregnancy at birth), take them off the age, and use the checklist for that age.

What corrected age means

Corrected age is your baby’s age counted from the due date instead of the birth date. A baby born 8 weeks early who is 6 months old has a corrected age of about 4 months, and it is the 4-month checklist that fits what most babies do by then.

CDC’s online checklists say to use the corrected age if your child was born more than 3 weeks early (CDC, Digital Online Checklist). The American Academy of Pediatrics explains that during the first 2 years, the corrected age gives a better idea of when a baby will do common developmental things (HealthyChildren.org, Corrected age for preemies). After that, most doctors use the actual age. Babies born less than 3 weeks early usually are not corrected at all.

Corrected age is a way to pick the right checklist. It is not a measure of your child, and it does not say how your child is doing: your child’s doctor, who knows your child’s history, is the person to ask.

All 12 checklists

What to ask the doctor

Talk with your child’s doctor. You know your child best. If you have a concern, don’t wait for the next visit: call your child’s doctor, share it, and ask about developmental screening.

Screenings at checkups. Doctors are advised to screen every child’s development with a standard questionnaire at the 9-, 18- and 30-month visits, and to screen for autism at the 18- and 24-month visits. You can ask for a screening at any visit.

If your child loses a skill. If your child stops doing something they used to do, at any age, call the doctor. Losing a skill is always worth a call.

You don’t need a referral. If your child is under 3, you can contact your state’s early intervention program yourself. From age 3, contact your local public school district, even if your child doesn’t go there. Find early intervention (CDC)

This checklist is not a screening test, and it does not grade your child. It helps you notice and remember what to ask.

Sources: Zubler et al. 2022, Pediatrics 149(3) (the 2022 checklists); Lipkin and Macias 2020, Pediatrics 145(1) (the screening schedule); CDC’s early intervention pages.

What this page keeps

Nothing. The dates stay in the open page and are cleared when you close or reload it. Privacy policy, section 12

Milestone checklist: Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), “Learn the Signs. Act Early.”, 2022 revision. Source: CDC. Read the checklists on cdc.gov

Use of CDC material on this page does not imply endorsement by CDC, ATSDR, HHS or the United States Government.

Prepared by MyTestAtlas from CDC materials. Not medical advice.