Getting a Feeding Tube

Your child’s medical team has ordered a feeding tube to improve their care and quality of life. The doctor or health care provider will talk to you about the reasons and how long your child needs a feeding tube. Unless your child can’t swallow safely, they will still be able to eat and drink by mouth after the tube is placed. You will get more education about your child’s tube when they have surgery to get the feeding tube placed. 

What Is a Feeding Tube

A feeding tube is a thin, flexible tube that goes through the skin and muscles of the belly into the stomach. Liquids go through the tube directly into your child’s stomach or intestine.

There are different kinds of feeding tubes. Your child’s doctor or health care provider has chosen the best one for them at this time. The type of tube may change over time.

Reasons for the Tube

  • To give liquid and blended food for nutrition 
  • To give water for hydration
  • To give medicines
  • To remove air from the stomach (venting) 

Types of Feeding Tubes

  • Gastrostomy tube (G-tube) – Ends in the stomach.
  • Gastrostomy-jejunostomy tube (G-J tube) – Goes in the stomach and ends in the upper part of the small intestine, called the jejunum.
  • Jejunostomy tube (J-tube) – Goes right into the jejunum. 

Day of Surgery

  • You and your child will come to the hospital on the day of the surgery. Before the surgery: 
    • The nurse will call you to ask you questions about your child’s health.
    • The nurse will tell you when to stop giving your child food and liquids, when to get to the hospital, and the time of the surgery.
    • Do not let your child have gum, cough drops, or hard candy. If they have been chewing gum, surgery will be delayed 2 hours from the time the gum is spit out. If the gum has been swallowed, surgery will be delayed up to 8 hours from the time it was swallowed.
  • In the pre-operative area, you will meet the surgery team caring for your child. This is when you can ask any other questions you have before the surgery.
  • The surgery will be done with smaller cuts (laparoscopically) or with a bigger cut (open surgery). This depends on your child’s history, the type of tube they need, and any changes needed during surgery.
  • The stomach will be stitched to the abdominal wall (belly). There, a small incision is made for the feeding tube to enter the stomach through the abdominal wall. The tube is kept in place in the stomach with a balloon filled with water.
  • After surgery, you can go with your child to the surgical floor for recovery.
  • Your child may be able to start using the tube 4 hours after surgery. This will depend on how they’re doing after surgery.
  • The medical team will check your child’s feeding tube site the day after surgery. They will give you backup tubes for home at that time.
  • Before your child can go home:
    • They must be able to get feeds and medicines into the tube.
    • Their pain must be controlled.
    • You must feel comfortable using the tube.
  • Know that it may take 1 to 2 days until they’re ready to go home. If your child had other surgeries when the tube was placed or there are any other problems, this time may be longer.

Education Before Going Home

Before going home, you will:

  • Get education on the feeding tube.
  • Get hands-on teaching by nurses or other staff on how to care for the tube.
  • Watch nurses care for the feeding tube.
  • Clean the feeding tube site yourself and change the dressing, if needed.
  • Get hands-on teaching on how to set up a feeding pump, if needed.
  • Know how and when to flush or vent the tube.
  • Know how to give medicine through the tube.
  • Know what to do if the tube comes out or gets clogged.
  • Know who to call for help with questions or concerns. 

Supplies at Home

After the tube is placed, you’ll be sent home with supplies to use until you can get more from the homecare company or where you get supplies. Your discharge planner will set up for more supplies to be sent to your home. These include:

  • A backup tube of the same size and another tube of a smaller size.
  • A feeding pump, if needed, and feeding bags.
  • Extra syringes, feeding extensions, and site care supplies. 

Caring for the Tube

  • After the first dressing is removed, start doing site care one time each day. You may need to clean the site more often if it’s draining or the skin is red. 
  •  Wash your hands before caring for the site and tube.
  • Clean the skin around the tube using cotton-tipped swabs with mild soap and tap water on them. Rinse with water using a new, clean swab. You will get education on the type of water to use depending on your resources and your child’s age.
  • If there are stitches around the tube, clean around them as much as you can. Your child will return in 2 weeks to get them removed if they have not fallen out on their own.
  • Each time you clean the site, check the skin for any pain, redness, swelling, or green drainage. A quarter-size amount of clear or tan drainage is normal.
  • No dressing is needed around the tube unless there is a large amount of drainage leaking from the site. The drainage should not be enough to get onto your child’s clothing.

Bathing With the Tube

  • Your child can shower the day after surgery or take sponge baths. 
  •  It is safe to put the tube underwater in a bathtub 2 weeks after surgery.
  • Before a bath, make sure the plug to the feeding tube is closed. This will help keep contents from the stomach from leaking out.
  • If there is dressing around the tube, take it off before bathing.
  • After the bath, clean the skin around the feeding tube.

Activities

  • Your child can do regular activities, like crawling, walking, and running. Check with the medical team before they play any rough sports. 
  • Your child should wear loose-fitting clothes or a onesie with snaps. This leaves space for the tube to come out.
  • Your child can swim 2 weeks after surgery. Before swimming, plug or clamp the feeding tube closed.
  • If your child sits in a car seat, do not pad under the straps. It is safe to pad outside of the car seat straps.
  • Your child can restart all therapies after they go home, except tummy time. They can do tummy time 1 to 2 weeks after surgery.

Helping Hands™ Patient Education Materials

Helping Hands™ are easy-to-read guides about different illnesses, therapies, surgeries, and more. They’re created by the Patient Education team at Nationwide Children’s Hospital and are reviewed and approved by clinical staff, like nurses, doctors, pharmacists, and psychologists. Nationwide Children's Hospital is not responsible for misuse of information in patient education materials, including Helping Hands.

HH-I-714 | ©2026 Nationwide Children’s Hospital