Your baby’s corrected age! 👶🏻
What does this mean?
Whether your baby was born before, on, or after their due date, can influence several aspects around sleep training, particularly the settling techniques we recommend and determining what their appropriate awake windows may be 🩷
Why? 🤔 Because a newborn baby has not yet developed their circadian rhythm, also known as their body clock, until 3-4 months of age. For example, a baby who was born 1 month prematurely, may take 4-5 months to reach the same developmental stage as another 3-4 month old baby who was born on or close to their due date.
On the other hand, a baby born 2 weeks late (poor mumma!) is usually 2 weeks ‘ahead’ developmentally. For example, smiling ☺️ typically begins from 6 weeks of age, and a baby who was born 2 weeks late may start to show signs of smiling from 4 weeks of age. Conversely, a baby born 1 month prematurely may start smiling at 10 weeks of age 🥰
How to calculate your baby’s corrected age:
Actual age - the number of weeks premature = corrected age, or
Actual age + the number of weeks post-term = corrected age
For instance, if your baby is 16 weeks old and was born 8 weeks premature, their corrected age is 8 weeks.
That’s why at Settle to Sleep, we provide a thorough sleep questionnaire to ensure we cover all aspects, tailoring our sleep plans to meet both you and your baby’s needs while considering their age and development.
If you’re ready to say goodbye to catnaps and sleepless nights, book a consultation or download or Sleep Essentials Guide at www.settletosleep.com.au so we can support you in restoring sleep for you and your family 🩷🌸💫