Is my son slower to reach certain milestones because he was premature?

My son was born seven weeks early on 25/10/96; his due date was 16/12/96. Will my son be a year old on 25/10 or should I wait until 16/12 to celebrate his birthday? At the moment, he's holding on to things and trying to walk. From all the books I've read, it seems he lags behind others of the same chronological age in reaching this milestone. Is it because he was premature? He weighed 4 pounds, 11 ounces at birth.

Celebrate the joy of his birth on the actual day of his birth, as that is his official, legal birthday. That should start the cycle of annual October birthdays. Give yourself a cheer as well, as it sounds like you had a hard time. I'm glad that you're aware that our expectations about his development should be based on his estimated date of arrival - in his case, 16/12/96. This age is termed his "corrected age" or "post-conceptual age". For the first two to three years of a premature baby's life, we look at his development with the corrected age in mind. Expect him to follow a little behind for his actual age but to be on track if you do the correction. From that perspective, he is right on target. Surprisingly, most children can't walk by their first birthday. In fact, independent walking is achieved on average at about 13 months for children born on or near their due date. So that his development can be closely watched and you can be given advice on how to support his growth, he should be enrolled in an infant follow-up programme. Ask your GP or the NNU/postnatal ward where he was cared for if you need a referral.