OBJECTIVES: To determine the incidence and etiology of subsequent developmental deviations in children with fetal growth restriction at the age of three years. STUDY DESIGN: The study is structured as a historical cohort study. PARTICIPANTS AND METHODS: The study was conducted at the Department of Pediatrics, University Hospital Center Osijek, on all newborns delivered between January 1, 2019, and December 31, 2020. Inclusion criteria were birth weight (BW) < 2500 g and gestational age (GA) > 37 weeks. Data were collected from the medical documentation of the hospital's information system. Basic demographic data on the mother, pregnancy, and child, as well as data on the acute and chronic illnesses of the child, and on motor, speech, sensory, and cognitive development, were analyzed. RESULTS: A total of 168 children with intrauterine growth restriction were born during the observed period. Children whose mothers had hypothyroidism before or during pregnancy showed significantly greater language and communication delays later (P = 0.03). The mode of delivery for children with intrauterine growth restriction indicates that an emergency cesarean section is statistically significantly associated with later language and communication delays (P = 0.03). The use of medications before and during pregnancy showed that drugs affecting the cardiovascular system are linked to poorer motor development outcomes in children born with intrauterine growth restriction (P = 0.04). Bacterial infections during pregnancy significantly impact intrauterine growth restriction and are associated with later psychomotor delays (P = 0.03). CONCLUSION: Long term developmental outcomes of children with intrauterine growth restriction are influenced by maternal health conditions prior to and during pregnancy, the method of delivery, and the presence of bacterial infections during gestation.