1. A 5 month old exclusively breastfed infant is at risk for what deficiency? What supplementation should be recommended to avoid deficiency? 2. What is Corrected Gestational Age and what purpose does it serve? Until what age should the CGA be used in calculating an infant’s weight, ht/length, and head circumference? The Importance of Corrected Gestational Age for Infants and Toddlers

The Importance of Corrected Gestational Age for Infants and Toddlers

Exclusively breastfed infants, especially those 5 months of age or younger, are at risk for vitamin D and iron deficiency (Lerner et al., 2018; Surana et al., 2019). Vitamin D supplementation should be recommended to avoid deficiency, as well as iron-fortified foods and/or iron supplementation (Lerner et al., 2018). Corrected Gestational Age (CGA) is an important factor to consider when assessing the growth and development of preterm infants. CGA is defined as the gestational age of a preterm infant calculated from the date of their actual birth, rather than the date of the last normal menstrual period (Lerner et al., 2018). CGA takes into account the immaturity of the infant and helps to account for the difference between chronological age and development age (Lerner et al., 2018). CGA should be used in calculating an infant’s weight, height/length, and head circumference until age 2 (Surana et al., 2019). The CGA for a toddler with a chronological age of 19 months and born at 32 weeks is 17 weeks. This is calculated by subtracting the infant’s actual gestational age at birth (32 weeks) from their chronological age (19 months). This CGA can be used to compare the child’s growth to their development age, rather than their chronological age, to ensure the child is meeting their expected milestones (Surana et al., 2019). Cont…