Dedicated to up to date pediatric feeding and dysphagia information
Hi, I'm Krisi Brackett, MS SLP/CCC this blog is dedicated to current information on pediatric feeding and swallowing issues. Email me at feedingnewsletter@gmail.com with questions.
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When it is time to start working on cup drinking, I typically start with an open cup. Every child's situation is unique and must be considered individually when making the decision about which cup to use. These are typical scenarios where an open cup may be beneficial: The child refuses the cup and is solely dependent on bottle or breast feeding. The child will drink water in Keep Reading >>
Cup Transition For most children, the recommendation to transition from the bottle to cup is typically around 1 year. Prolonged bottle use can cause: tooth decay or bite malformation may encourage your child to drink much more milk than he needs may find it hard to Keep Reading >>
There are many reasons that infants and children develop feeding problems. Many of these children have a history of prematurity, neurological dysfunction, respiratory issues, gastrointestinal dysfunction, and learned patterns of behavior as well as other issues. Research supports that a significant number of children have feeding difficulty related to their GI dysfunction. Hyman PE. Keep Reading >>
Dyspepsia means that there is upper abdominal discomfort. In lots of folks with dyspepsia it gets worse after eating, or only happens after eating. In adults dyspepsia has been studied carefully. Endoscopy may show an inflammatory or acid-related disease that can be treated with drugs. However, most dyspepsia is functional, meaning that the symptoms are real but there is no easily discovered Keep Reading >>
Many children with feeding difficulty have aversive feeding behaviors or learned refusal patterns around the act of eating or feeding. I often tell my students that if a child doesn't want to eat, you can't make them. By the time children come to our feeding team, many caregivers have tried multiple ways to get there kids to eat. Usually they have tried force feeding and/or letting the child get Keep Reading >>
I want to share some simple ideas for assessing children with feeding disorders, specifically toddlers with feeding difficulty, g-tube dependence, or food refusal/ extreme picky eating and prioritizing intervention. Think about the whole child when assessing. The oral motor pattern is the last thing you should address(I realize this is the opposite of what most of us have been Keep Reading >>
By Cathy Fox MS OT/L & Krisi Brackett MS SLP/CCC Children with feeding problems often get stuck in the suckle oral transport pattern and have difficulty advancing to higher level oral skills. The suckle is a normal transitional pattern that emerges as a child transitions from lower to higher level oral skills. It is important to determine what is blocking the child from advancing to Keep Reading >>