How Can Feeding Therapy Help?
Feeding therapy addresses medical, sensory, oral-motor, and behavioral factors that affect a child’s ability to eat safely, effectively, and enjoyably.
Therapy is individualized and may include building oral-motor skills for chewing and swallowing, improving sensory tolerance for different textures and flavors, and developing age-appropriate self-feeding skills. Treatment focuses on helping children meet their nutritional needs, progress through feeding milestones, and participate successfully in family mealtimes while reducing health or safety risks associated with eating.
Expanding Your Child’s Diet:
Helping children try and enjoy new foods beyond their usual favorites.
Smooth Transitions:
Assisting with moving from a bottle to baby foods, table foods, or more advanced textures.
Infant Feeding Therapy:
Supporting babies with breastfeeding, bottle feeding, and transitioning to baby foods and first foods.
“Picky” Eating:
Helping toddlers and children who are described as “picky eaters” or have limited food choices.
Addressing Poor
Weight Gain:
Working with families when a child isn’t gaining weight as expected, to make eating easier and more enjoyable.
Managing Gagging, Choking, or Spitting:
Supporting children who gag, choke, or spit out foods to eat more safely and comfortably.
Overcoming Food Refusal:
Encouraging children who refuse to try new foods to become more comfortable exploring and tasting.
Eating Enough at Mealtimes:
Helping children who don’t eat enough at meals to build healthy eating routines and habits.
Reducing Mealtime Distractions:
Working with children who need screens or distractions during meals to develop positive, focused eating behaviors.
How do you identify if your child is a picky or resistive eater?
As a parent or caregiver, look for the following signs:
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Demonstrates negative reactions to the smell or sight of food.
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Struggles to associate hunger with eating.
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Exhibits anxiety or behavioral issues related to foods.
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Overfill their mouths when eating (“mouth stuffing”)
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Gags when presented with new foods.
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Has a limited range of preferred foods (typically less than 20).
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Refuses entire categories of food groups or specific textures.
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Experiences choking, gagging, or resistance during meal times.
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Engages in mealtime negotiations, often setting conditions before eating.
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Eats slowly, examining food carefully before taking a bite.
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Plays with food rather than consuming it.
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Avoids foods with specific textures, such as mushy or crunchy.
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Shows sensitivity to food temperature preferences (hot or cold).
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Is hesitant or unwilling to try new foods.
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Demonstrates sensory sensitivities, leading to food avoidance.
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Prefers mealtime routine and consistency in food preparation.
What are some signs that your baby may be having difficulty breastfeeding?
As a parent or caregiver, look for the following signs:
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Baby experiences breathlessness or exhaustion during or after feeding.
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Difficulty latching onto the breast or frequent falls off during feeds.
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Baby appears frustrated, pulling away, or crying during feeds.
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Feeding sessions consistently shorter than usual, lacking signs of contentment.
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Insufficient weight gain or lack of steady weight gain over weeks.
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Rare or absent swallowing sounds during feeds.
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Prolonged feeding sessions lasting well beyond the typical duration.
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Persistent nipple pain, cracking, or bruising due to improper latch.
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Baby seems lethargic, excessively sleepy, or uninterested in feeding, challenging to wake for feeds.
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Shallow sucking sounds indicate ineffective milk drawing from the breast.
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Fewer wet diapers than expected, suggesting inadequate milk intake.
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Baby’s jaw slides off during feeding, struggling to maintain a proper latch.
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Clicking sounds during feeds imply insufficient latch or seal.
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Engorged breasts indicate inefficient milk removal during feeds.
