Treating Feeding and Eating Problems in Children with Occupational Therapy

Between 5% and 20% of all children have feeding and/or eating problems. Feeding and eating problems can happen in any child, but they are more likely in children born prematurely, with Failure to Thrive, with autism and with genetic syndromes.

Problems with development of these skills can also be hard to name in infants younger than 4-5 months old. Occupational therapists (OTs) can help with all of this! Occupational therapy (OT) services are important to use when your child is having trouble with feeding and/or eating. OTs can help children gain these skills early, and OTs can help parents and caregivers too.

OTs can see when a child’s feeding and eating problems affect their health, safety, and well-being. They can then use their skills to determine the root of the problems and how to solve them.

Occupational Therapists Work to Help Children:

• With their intense dislike of foods, liquids, utensils or bottles
• Decrease their gagging, coughing, choking or loss of food from the mouth
• Gain the oral motor exercises and support they need
• Increase their strength and range of motion for feeding (in the tongue, jaw, cheeks, arms, and more)
• With their tone, reflexes, or posture that affects feeding and eating
• With their fine and gross motor control for self-feeding
• With their coordination problems, with self-feeding, chewing, swallowing, and more
• Gain more varieties of foods in their diet
• Increase the amount of food they eat
• Eat types of foods that are right for their age
• Develop skills that are right for their age (self-feeding, utensil, or cup use skills for example)
• With their behaviors and habits that are not functional during feeding & eating
• Change from tube feeding to feeding by mouth
• Change the equipment they use, the environment they eat in and more (such as seating options and adaptive equipment)
• Be in the best position during feeding & eating
• With sensory processing/integration for a better time with feeding
• Increase their chances of having good feeding & eating skills when they are older
• Make sure they are at a good weight

Occupational Therapists Support Parents and Caregivers By:

• Educating and guiding them
• Changing their feeding tools (such as bottle type, fork, spoon, highchair, and more)
• Giving them useful strategies and plans to use at home
• Increasing their feelings of confidence while lowering their fear, stress, and anxious feelings
• Helping them to develop feeding schedules and routines
• Giving them breastfeeding support
• Deciding when their child could need a referral to other clinicians

Occupational Therapists Also Support the Entire Family By:

• Helping with their social and mental health needs
• Advocating for them
• Helping them to increase enjoyment of family mealtimes

If feeding and mealtimes cause stress, or you are worried about your child’s feeding and eating habits and abilities, talk with your child’s doctor. Outpatient OT services may help with solving your child’s feeding and eating issues.

Starting outpatient OT services as soon as possible can help your child and your family. In fact, many parents and caregivers have said they wish their child would have started outpatient OT services sooner. By solving feeding and eating issues now, future problems can be prevented.