In plain words
Corrected age is a way of counting a baby's age from the due date instead of the birth date. A baby born several weeks early is usually compared with other babies using corrected age, because she needed those weeks of growth before birth. For example, a baby born six weeks early may be about three months old on the calendar but about six weeks old by corrected age. Corrected age is used for milestones, growth charts, and feeding skills in preterm babies. It helps families and clinicians set realistic expectations. Your baby's care team can tell you her corrected age at any visit.
The deeper version
Corrected age is calculated by subtracting the number of weeks born before 40 completed weeks from chronological age, and it is used in , growth assessment, and feeding milestones for infants born before 37 weeks. The AAP and the Bayley Scales of Infant and Toddler Development use corrected age for developmental testing in preterm infants, typically until about two years of age. Preterm and late preterm infants have immature , low tone, and short feeding stamina, so is often insufficient before about 36 to 37 weeks corrected age. Use of corrected age in growth charts reduces misclassification of preterm infants as growth-restricted, but the choice of reference population remains debated.
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What mothers here say about corrected age
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Sources
- American Academy of Pediatrics — Policy statement: Follow-up care of high-risk infants, 2014
- Fenton TR, Kim JH — A systematic review and meta-analysis to revise the Fenton growth chart for preterm infants. BMC Pediatrics 2013