Feeding therapy is often misunderstood and can feel a bit scary to parents when you’re just not sure what it is in the first place.
You may be concerned that they’ll force your child to eat foods they hate – you know that wouldn’t go over well, nor would it be healthy!
The good news for you is a feeding therapist will never force or coerce your child to eat foods they flat out refuse. Feeding therapy is a process of finding the root of why your child is having difficulty eating/refusing foods and then treating the root cause, not forcing something on the child.
When feeding therapy is done well, it’s child driven; it becomes the child’s idea to try new foods and build their feeding skills.
Do you wonder if your child might need feeding therapy but you are just not sure what to look for?
Here are a few signs that further evaluation is warranted.
- If your child has difficulty chewing or swallowing which may look like having food left in their cheeks after chewing & swallowing or coughing after swallowing
- They are a messy eater. Yes, kids in general can be messy eaters but when it’s excessive- loads of food falling out of their mouth, they may use their fingers to shove food into their mouth, or you may notice a massive mess on their clothing or around their plate when they are finished eating
- Your child does not like to try new foods and only has a few food items they eat regularly
- Supplements are needed to help your child meet their daily calorie intake.
- Babies may have trouble transitioning to solids
- Gagging, coughing, choking, or tantrums and meltdowns around every meal
- Babies who have difficulty transitioning from a bottle
If you’re concerned and think that your child could possibly benefit from a feeding evaluation, we are concerned and care too!
That’s why we created the Feed The Peds® directory for you to find a pediatric feeding therapist near you!
