Baby Twins
Reaching Developmental Milestones

Developmental milestones for baby twins during the first year, how and when will they develop new skills?

 

All babies including twins will develop at their own rate. One may walk before the other, but it is true that your babies will learn off each other and other children. Though if one is not ready to physically move forward to the next step then they won’t.

Baby Twins Milestones

Fraternal twins are just like any other siblings and may reach infant milestones at completely different times (they will have their own personalities and individualities). Identical twins on the other hand will have a similar rate of development but may still reach milestones separately or in a different order.
 

A year of firsts to look forward to (read our story on twintuition), like that first smile, the first time they start moving rolling crawling and walking. Encouraging and watching twins reach their milestones is exciting. You may be wondering do twins develop slower than single babies, if they were born prematurely then possibly.

Developmental milestones may be learned later than the average baby if born prematurely, have a low birth weight or have health issues after birth progressing more slower.

 

Preemie Babies and Their Adjusted Age

If your newborn twins were born two months preterm then they will likely develop two months slower. Babies who are premature (born before week 37 of gestation) will often have two ages, the day they were born and their adjusted age which is when they were actually due.

So baby twins who are 6 months old now but were born 6 weeks premature will have an adjusted age of 4.5 months, this is true for all preemie babies.

This information is very useful for both you and your health care provider helping to evaluate a preemie baby’s development.

Generally a preterm baby will catch up developmentally within two years, often the catch-up will be in a shorter amount of time. Though very small babies may take a bit longer. When it feels right or from the say so from your doctor you can stop adjusting your twin’s age.

 

Reaching Infant Milestones

While taking your baby’s adjusted age in to account (if needed) see more on milestones month by month:

Developmental Milestones 1 – 6 Months
Developmental Milestones 7 – 12 Months
 
See here for info on Developmental Milestones for Premature Babies

The important thing to remember is each baby will reach milestones at their own pace as each sibling would. Try not to compare too much, though I know it can be hard especially with twins. After all they are individuals so don’t worry if milestones aren’t being reached at exactly the same time.

Of course you know your baby twins best so if you think either infant is lagging behind in one or more developmental stages, then you may like to mention this to your doctor or pediatrician.