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Pediatric Feeding Therapy

Feeding Therapy Gets Kids Eating and Growing!

Welcome to Feeding Therapy at Agape Pediatric Therapy where love, hope, and expertise come together to help children grow skills for life.

Pediatric feeding therapy may be provided by a speech language pathologist or an occupational therapist at Agape Pediatric Therapy.  We know that each child is unique and it is sometimes hard for parents to know if a child has a feeding problem or is just going through a phase.  It can be scary for parents when a baby or child is not eating well because they may not be getting the nutrients they need to grow and thrive.

Our feeding therapists assess and treat babies and children with feeding difficulties, whether it is picky eating or problems feeding.  We can help!

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Our Speech Team provides feeding therapy for infants and children who have difficulty swallowing and eating.  Speech therapists can help babies who are struggling with bottle, breast feeding, or children who are transitioning to solid foods.  Feeding therapy can support weaning tube feeding, tongue ties, and safe swallowing.

Our Occupational Therapy Team provides feeding therapy for toddlers and children with feeding difficulties.  OT helps children learn to interact with food in a playful and non-stressful way.  Feeding therapy can improve a child’s sensory tolerance to various food textures, increase the variety and volume of nutritional intake, improve meal time behaviors, and teach self-feeding skills like drinking from a cup and using utensils.

Our specially trained feeding therapists are dedicated to helping every baby and child develop the skills they need to eat safely, reduce frustrations around food and mealtimes, and support healthy growth and development.

Milestones
Benefits

Benefits

Could My Child Benefit from Feeding Therapy?

If your infant or child is having difficulties in one or more of these areas, they will benefit from speech therapy.

  • Baby with tongue or lip tie
  • Difficulty latching to breast or bottle
  • Difficulty moving to solid foods
  • Poor weight gain
  • Cleft lip or palate
  • Choking, gagging, coughing or vomiting during meals

If your child is having difficulties in one or more of these areas, they will benefit from occupational therapy.

  • Picky eater
  • Food range less than 20 foods
  • Difficulty using utensils or drinking from a cup
  • Difficulty with certain food textures
  • New food anxiety
  • Food refusal
  • Mealtime meltdowns
  • Inappropriate weight gain
  • Choking, gagging, coughing, or vomiting during meals
About
Milestones

Developmental Milestone Guide

Is My Child on Track?

Every child develops at a different rate.  Some children need special help.  The following is a guideline of the average age when children acquire feeding skills.  The checklist below offers a guide to track your child’s progress.

If you have questions about your child’s development or if your child has not reached the suggested milestones, call us at 509.942.8474.  We can schedule an evaluation and determine if your child would benefit from physical therapy or if their development is on track.

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3 Months

  • Established feeding routine
  • Latches onto nipple or bottle
  • Tongue moves forward and back to suck
  • Drinks 2 oz to 6 oz of liquid per feeding, 6 times per day
  • Sucks and swallows well during feeding
  • Adequate weight gain
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6 Months

  • Shows interest in food
  • Opens mouth as spoon approaches
  • Moves pureed food from front of mouth to back
  • Begins to eat cereal and smooth pureed foods – like carrots, sweet potatoes, apples, pears
  • No longer loses liquid during breast/bottle feeding
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9 Months

  • Takes solids from a spoon
  • In a high chair, holds and drinks from a bottle
  • Begins to eat thicker pureed and mashed table foods
  • Enjoys teethers that can massage sore gums during teething
  • Stays full longer after eating
  • Looks and reaches for food that is nearby
  • Shows strong reaction to new smells and tastes
  • Starts to sit unsupported to eat
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12 Months

  • Drinks from a straw
  • Finger feeds self
  • Eats an increasing variety of food
  • Begins to use an open cup
  • Begins to eat soft cooked vegetables, soft fruits, and cooked pasta
  • Enjoys a variety of smells and tastes
  • Eats meltable solids
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18 Months

  • Does not drool unless teething still
  • Holds a cup with both hands
  • Drinks from an open cup
  • Eats increasing variety of coarsely chopped table foods
  • Eats crunchy foods i.e. Crackers, Toast, etc.
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2 Years

  • Does not over stuff while self feeding
  • Swallows food with lips closed
  • Feeds self independently
  • Chews a broad range of food with variety in shapes, size and color
  • Tries new foods
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3 Years

  • Chews food with lips closed
  • Holds cup with one hand
  • Drinks from an open cup with very few spills
  • Uses fingers to put food on spoon
  • Uses fork to bring food to mouth
  • Eats a wide variety of solid food
  • Feeds self independently
  • Eats, chews, and swallows raw veggies
  • Eats what the family eats
Benefits
About
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Feeding Therapy Can Help!

Feeding therapy at Agape helps babies and kids develop safe and healthy feeding skills.  Our specialized approach treats the whole child and offers support and home program instruction for families to ensure maximum progress.

Join us at Agape Pediatric Therapy, where love, hope, and feeding therapy help babies and children grow skills for life.

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