Feeding

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Does your child exhibit any of the following?

• eats 20 foods or less
• limits those foods to around 2-10 accepted foods
• eats the same food every day for several weeks and then stops and never eats it again (food jag)
• has “safe foods”
• cries and tantrums when he/she is presented with a new food
• gags or vomits when shown or tries to eat certain foods
• avoids touch or taste of certain foods
• refuses categories of food because of texture or color
• needs a routine around food
• does not eat a new food after typically 10 exposures
• has very long meal times

If this is your child, how do you distinguish between picky and a problem eater?

The biggest difference between a “picky eater” and a child with a feeding problem is …

• the child with the feeding problem’s growth and development is being affected by their limited diet and refusal of foods.
• A child with a feeding problem does not have a varied diet and has completely ruled out many of the food groups from their intake.
• A child with a feeding problem might exhibit physiologic reactions to the sight, smell, and taste of foods including retching, gagging, vomiting, flushed face, increased agitation, or anxiety as well.

TEIS therapists will

• work with you to develop strategies that will fit into your family’s mealtime routines.
• use a positive approach to feeding that is focused on creating a healthy, life long relationship with food.
• help your child to develop the strength and coordination in using the small muscles around the mouth, in order to manage food.
• address difficulty with food textures, as well as make sure the body and brain are in an organized state for mealtime