Feeding
Rogers Bridge » Feeding
Why isn’t
my child eating well?
Whatever the age of a child, eating should be a pleasant experience. It should be a time for bonding between a caregiver and a child. Ideally, mealtime should be filled with smiles and laughter rather than with anxiety and frustration.
When tears are more common than smiles, if you are worried about the amount of food your child is eating, or if you are afraid the child is not eating safely, it is time to talk to about a feeding evaluation. A feeding evaluation is the first step in remediating feeding difficulties. This will help determine the cause of the problems so that a plan can be created to help remediate the anxiety, stress, frustration, and even fear the child may have when eating.
We're passionate about your child's needs.
"Jessie has worked with my son for two years - he's now eating on a regular basis and learning how to communicate. I also feel that she's given me the tools to work with him at home. It's a relief to actually look forward to therapy sessions with no tears." – Anika J
At Rogers Bridge Pediatric Therapy, we provide evaluations and therapy for a large variety of feeding difficulties. Our speech therapists & occupational therapists have extensive training to help overcome these obstacles.
"I'm very grateful for having Ms. Willis support and expertise to help me and my son. We were struggling with the transition to solids and to be honest I was very overwhelmed... my son was born with congenital hydrocephalus and I wasn't sure how to transition from breastfeeding to solids. Ms. Willis has always showed me patience, tought me a lot of strategies and I have recovered the confidence so thanks to her my son now enjoys eating solids and I'm enjoying it too!! My son likes her a lot, he has improved a lot, we have more to achieve but I'm pretty happy because this three months have been a wonderful experience, I really thanks her for her incredible work!!"
– Adriana A.
What are Feeding Difficulties?
Since feeding is a complex issue, there are many problems that fall under the category of feeding difficulties. Whether the child has known feeding difficulties due to medical issues, unable to eat enough food, or is extremely limited in variety of foods, we are here to help. Consistent feeding therapy paired with the family’s participation, can improve the child’s ability to eat a larger variety of food, consume foods and liquids safely, and to increase smiles and confidence during meals.
Call us for an evaluation if your child has any of the following difficulties:
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If you see any signs that the child is not swallowing safely:
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Watery eyes, coughing, wet vocal quality after swallowing, choking.
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Pneumonia
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Unable to drink or eat age appropriate amounts of food due to fatigue.
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Little or no weight gain, failure to thrive.
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Consuming a limited variety of food.
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Unable to chew food.
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Frequent spitting out of food.
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Unable to drink from age appropriate containers.
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Requiring special meals in order for them to eat.
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"6 months ago my daughter was struggling with feeding and was pretty much nonverbal. She has made so much progress over the last several months working with Jessie. Mealtimes are no longer a problem for her and she loves to eat. She's also talking more and has almost closed the gap with her same-age peers. I would highly recommend working with Jessie. She is wonderful!" – Lauren A.