Premature Babies

Parents with a baby born early can find it difficult to know when they should start weaning. Babies who were born preterm may develop more slowly than babies who were born at full term. There is information that will help you decide when is a good time.

All babies develop and progress with weaning at their own pace. There can be big differences between preterm and term babies, and also between different preterm babies, even if they are born at the same gestational age. Try not to compare your baby with any others.

Many of the recommendations about weaning babies born preterm are the same as for babies born at term. You can find more information on the BLISS website.

Parents of a premature baby who have growth or feeding concerns should make contact with the Neonatal Service they are under specifically Neonatal Community Outreach Team (NCOT), Neonatologist or Neonatal Dietitian.

Resources