eating

Why Won’t My Tube-Fed Child Eat?

Why Won’t My Tube-Fed Child Eat?

What can feel more devastating than initial placement of the tube is that moment you realize that, even though your child’s medical issues have resolved, the feeding tube remains.  And the question that most often persists at this stage is simple: Why won’t my child just eat?

Portion Sizes for Children: How Much is Enough?

Portion Sizes for Children: How Much is Enough?

It can be difficult to know exactly how much food your child should eat. So today, I wanted to offer some insight into what and how much to offer your child so that he might re-establish healthy “full” and “hungry” cues.

Why It’s Time to Put the Sticker Chart Away

Why It’s Time to Put the Sticker Chart Away

Children are not “good” for eating, and “naughty” for not – and this is especially true for those who have been tube fed for all or most of their lives. For this population, “not eating” is a strangely appropriate response to being tube fed.

“But what if it doesn’t work?” Coping with the Fear of a Failed Wean

“But what if it doesn’t work?” Coping with the Fear of a Failed Wean

When starting a wean, there are so many questions. One of the recurring fears that I discuss with parents is: What if this doesn’t work, where do we go from here? When tackling this answer, it’s really important to back up a step and to start with another question: How do we define success and “working”?