Parenting a preemie can be tough and it's important to find ways of coping and looking after your own health. It can also make you feel more in control if you can learn some great strategies to help with your prem's learning and development.

Finding a balance and a way forward

Parenting a preemie can be challenging and is a significant life transition. It is important that you find time and ways of taking care of your own health and wellbeing. Eating well, staying fit and healthy, and getting enough rest and relaxation are vital for optimal health. Maintaining and caring for relationships, especially with your partner is also important. If you need it, don't discard the option of professional assistance. Also, find advice about optimizing development and learning strategies to help with thinking & behavior difficulties.

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Optimising preemie development:6 to 12 months

Everyone wants their baby to be happy and healthy; here are some tips for you to help optimise your preemie’s development over the first 12 months of life.

Ways to Optimize Your Preemie Baby’s Development

Average Age	Ways to Optimize Your Preemie Baby’s Development
6 months	Continue to spend time talking, singing, smiling and laughing with your baby Position your baby on their back and place toys just out of reach to one side to encourage rolling over onto their stomach Encourage exploration of their surroundings Encourage new and different types of play Encourage banging and activities that create noise
9 months	Play and create different social games with your baby Name objects to encourage vocabulary development Place your infant on the floor with several toys to play with
12 months (1 year)	Continue naming objects and actions Encourage use of a cup with a lid or a partly filled standard cup Offer lots of praise for efforts to imitate Read to your child often and have them turn the page as you go (children’s books with thick pages can be great for this) Give simple directions, such as “Give mummy the rattle” Offer lots of praise when they succeed

(DiPietro, 2000; McLoyd, 1998; Parker, et al., 1988)

One of the greatest minds in history, Albert Einstein was born preterm.

Complete preemie guides for premature babies

Everything you need to know in a simple hands on guide!

A quick and comprehensive guide to understand all that is happening when you are faced with preterm birth and the NICU.

Packed with extra features like progress charts, NICU checklists and plenty of others. ‘The preemie guide’ is a must for any new parent.

Take control and know all you need to with ease

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Preemiehelp.com is here to provide preemie information, community and solutions to the people that need it most... you!
Preemie Help is also looking to provide a resource for any professionals that have contact with preterm babies and children in order to help them best understand the challenges that face a preemie. Get in contact to help us impact preemies.

Preemie, Premmie, or Prem?

Most babies spend between 38 and 42 weeks in their mother’s uterus. So, technically a preterm birth, preemie, premmie, or prem, is an infant who is born less than 37 completed gestational weeks.

New Release - Preemie Development

All in one easy to read eguide

‘The complete preemie guide to: ‘Preemie development’ is the must have guide to the NICU for new preemie parents.

With an easy-to-read layout this comprehensive guide is over 130 pages of important information about the NICU and your preemie.

Using Adobe’s .pdf format makes the guide usable across a wide range of platforms from ipad to PC, smartphone to macbook.

Packed with extra features like progress charts, NICU checklists and plenty of others. ‘The preemie guide’ is a must for any new parents.