• Early-life seizures are a major risk factor for long-term neurodevelopmental problems and chronic epilepsy. • The immature brain responds differently to injury compared to the adult brain, with sex influencing both vulnerability and recovery patterns. • Status epilepticus during development can trigger widespread molecular changes in the hippocampus that shape the course of epileptogenesis. • Studying these changes over time provides insight into the balance between injury and repair, and may reveal why outcomes differ between males and females.