The adjusted age calculator for premature babies will help you easily calculate their adjusted age without having to do math. Knowing their adjusted age will help you track developmental milestones accurately.
My identical twins were born 4 weeks early so it was easy for me but many parents of twins, especially, have babies come even earlier and it’s hard to remember what the adjusted ages are as they grow.
Bookmark this page so you can easily come back when you need to calculate their adjusted age to track developmental milestones.
Adjusted Age Calculator
The Way it Really Is
Calculate Your Child's Adjusted Age
Tracking Developmental Milestones
Once you’ve got the adjusted age, you can go to the following sites to see if development is on track. Go by the adjusted age for the first two years.
What is an Adjusted Age Calculator?
Now that you’ve seen the adjusted age calculator and how it works, I’ll explain what an adjusted age is and why you need to know it for your preemies.
Chronological age is the age that your baby is when they are actually born, not taking into account if they were born early. For example, if your twins were born a month ago, no matter their due date, they are a month old.
However, if your twins were born a month early, you’ll need to know their adjusted age a.k.a. corrected age, when it comes to measuring developmental stage and milestones.
Why Use an Adjusted Age Calculator
It is important to determine the adjusted age for a preterm baby based on their weeks of gestation when delivered to accurately measure your baby’s development. Otherwise, if you just go by their chronological age/actual age and they were two months premature, you’ll think they’re falling behind when actually, they might be right on target in terms of developmental milestones.
This should help with some anxiety around whether your premature baby is developing as they should.
When it comes to adjusted age for a preemie singleton (single pregnancy, one child) vs adjusted age for premature twins, the overall calculation is the same but the developmental milestones may vary slightly. With premature twins, it’s not uncommon for them to be a little more behind than even the adjusted age. Some theorize this is due to them being more interested in each other than doing things themselves, but I’m not sure if that’s developmentally true.
I will say though, that my twins were born a month early and even using their adjusted age when looking at developmental milestones, they were often a bit behind.
Now, as 7-year-olds, they are very caught up and even above their fellow classmates in terms of reading and math at least, so that’s interesting.
How the Calculator Works
The adjusted age calculator just needs a couple of dates from you to make it’s calculations.
- Enter the expected due date your doctor gave you when you first found out you were pregnant, the date your baby was expected to be born, which is typically based on the mother’s last menstrual period.
- Then you enter the actual birth date of when they were born.
- Click the ‘Calculate Age’ button and you’ll be shown the overall results which include: Today’s Date, How many weeks early or late your baby was, baby’s chronological age, and the adjusted age.
Now you can take the adjusted age of your premature baby or babies to a website such as HealthyChildren.org to see the developmental milestones and see how your baby is doing! This can also be helpful in talking with others if you’d like to let them know the adjusted age.
When to Use the Calculator
You can come back and use the calculator whenever you’re curious your child’s adjusted age. Otherwise, if it’s an easy one such as 4 weeks early like mine were, then you just know that they’re a month different than their adjusted age.
The calculator isn’t going anywhere if you need to come back to it, especially for more complicated situations.
You may find the online calculator to be helpful in finding the adjusted age of your baby until they are two years of age. That’s typically when preemies catch up to their peers in terms of development.Keep in mind, f your premature baby has a medical condition, they may meet milestones later than expected.
People who may want to know your baby’s adjusted age include your child’s health team, early childhood educators, early childhood intervention teams, and parents of premature babies in general.
Note: I am not a medical professional; I am offering this free online calculator simply as a tool for you to use and not a substitute for medical advice.
How long should I use the adjusted age for my premature baby?
Adjusted age is typically used up to when your child is two years of age/24 months old.
Does adjusted age affect when my child starts school?
No, it does not.
Who doesn’t need to use the adjusted age calculator?
People who have a full-term pregnancy don’t need to use this online calculator, as their child’s age is based on their actual date of birth as a full-term baby.
As a mom of identical twins and a son two years older, I have gained invaluable experience in the realm, and chaos, of parenting. With a Master's Degree and Education Specialist Degree in School Psychology, I spent years as a school psychologist, helping children navigate through their educational and emotional challenges. Now as a stay at home mom and professional blogger, I combine my areas of expertise to help you in your parenting journey.