Feeding Therapy Tips

General Feeding Therapy Tips for Pediatrics:

Ask parents for their input on why things are happening, their insight is often very helpful
Look for patterns in the child’s eating habits (types of foods, textures, temps, etc.)
If having trouble with the motor control needed for chewing and swallowing, try oral motor exercises designed to improve coordination
If having trouble with sensory aspects of eating, try desensitization techniques like presenting different things to the mouth and working backward to desensitize gag reflex
If having food-specific aversions, try successive approximations of foods (start with what they will tolerate and gradually move toward what they won’t)
Use helper foods to get non-preferred foods to the mouth
Transition from a bottle to cup slowly with successive approximations
If trouble with odors, work with an OT on sensory diet and oral desensitization
Try altering environment to include more or fewer people, different distractions, etc.
Try food exploration without eating
Set structured feeding schedules with no caloric drinks in between meals