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Tag: purees

Virtual Feeding Therapy

Virtual Feeding Therapy

Get Started From the Comfort of Your Own Home

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Benefits of Virtual Feeding Therapy

  • Therapy in natural (home) environment
  • Increased opportunity for family participation (siblings, parents, grandparents, caregivers)
  • Sessions can be held during family mealtimes to help with the successful implementation of treatment strategies
  • Access to food at home for preferred and non-preferred food
  • Less travel and time
  • Both direct therapy and parent coaching for carryover
  • Education on seating and environmental modifications to assist with mealtime success
  • Education on preparatory postural control and stability exercises
  • Opportunity to bake and prepare food in home environment

Cooking

breastfeeding

Breast & Bottle Feeding

Infant bottle and breastfeeding

One-on-one virtual breast and bottle feeding lactation support services from the comfort of your own home.

  • Baby’s success on the breast/bottle
  • Mom’s health and comfort
  • Family support for mom & baby
  • Preparing for and maximizing pumping
  • Reflux, spit-up, vomiting support 
  • Maximizing position and latch
  • Finding the right bottle
  • Tummy troubles and gas

baby food

Table Food Transitions

Transition to Table Foods

Transition to table foods can be tricky.  Whether you are starting purees, baby led weaning, or a combination of the two, we are here to support you and your baby.  

  • Transition to table food
  • Learn to drink from straw & open cups
  • Learning to chew & swallow safely
  • Decrease gagging
  • Pacifier elimination
  • Navigate food intolerances, sensitivities & allergies

Feeding Therapy

Kids & Teens

Toddlers to Teens

Together, you and your BDI therapists will create goals functional to your family by incorporating food you have in your home or food your family eats in the community.

  • Teach your child to tolerate, interact with, and eat foods of varying textures and consistences from the comfort of their own home.   
  • Increase oral motor strength and coordination
  • Improve safe swallowing
  • Decrease length of meals
  • Eating food at restaurants
  • Address lunch and snack time challenges at school
  • Meals with friends
  • Utilize feeding therapy techniques such as OMT, Food Chaining, SOS, AEIOU, & Beckman Oral Motor Approach to help your child eat the least restrictive diet!

Who provides treatment for my child?

telehealth

Speech Language Pathologists and Occupational Therapists at BDI Playhouse are licensed and trained to:

  • turn mealtime into positive experiences
  • increase oral motor strength and coordination
  • teach your child to tolerate, interact with, or eat foods of varying textures and consistencies
  • address cup, straw, and bottle drinking
  • intake enough calories a day for growth and nutrition
  • utilize specialized techniques such as Beckman Oral Motor Approach, OMT, Food Chaining & Sequential Oral Sensory (SOS) Approach
  • target effective use of utensils
  • coach and provide resources to families so they can help your child overcome these mealtime obstacles

Why should my child get feeding therapy?

Research has shown that difficulties with eating and poor nutrition can cause:

  • stunted growth correlated with poor academic performance and lowered mental capacity
  • emotional and psychological development issues
  • a decrease in a child’s activity level, social interactions, and curiosity

telehealth

What does an evaluation look like?

baby eating

The evaluating clinician will discuss with you any concerns you may have for your child, pertinent medical history, and the reason why your child was referred for their evaluation. The rest of the evaluation depends greatly on your child’s age and specific needs. The clinician will assess your child’s current feeding skill level and address any areas of difficulty during this evaluation.

If feeding therapy is recommended, individual therapy sessions may occur on a consultative basis or on a weekly basis.  You and the evaluating therapist will decide on goals and location (clinic or virtual) of services.

Find Answers & Get Started

Still not sure? Learn more about what to expect at a screening here.

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Introducing foods to baby

Introducing Foods to Babies

Introducing foods to your baby is an exciting time!  You have your highchair and your pediatrician’s green light to introduce solids.  As you start out on this food filled adventure, here are a few ideas to keep in mind!   

Expression is Everything 

  • When you are introducing foods to your baby, make sure you share the same facial expression/excitement for each food, no matter how YOU feel about that food.  Your baby is extremely observant and will notice your dislike before it even hits his/her lips!  

 

Not for Nutrition 

  • Whether you choose to go the BLW or puree route, your purpose should be about exposure and experiences with food, not quantity or nutrition.  This is the time your baby is learning how to eat and experiencing new tastes and textures.  If, after a few bites, your baby indicates he/she doesn’t want anymore, let your baby be done!  You want your baby to ENJOY this experience so he/she will want to do it again and again!

 

Messy Mayhem

  • Put down the towel!  The messier your baby gets now, the less likely they will become overly sensitive to food spills (on his/her body or surroundings).  As your child’s feeding skills progress, the messes will naturally decrease!
  • Did you know that the sippy cup is the same oral motor pattern as drinking from a bottle/breast?  It was invented with the sole purpose of reducing spills.  When introducing the “next step” to an infant, we should be introducing the straw and open cup!   

If your baby is having difficulty transitioning to solids, BDI Playhouse Children’s Therapy offers free screenings to give you the tools to help your baby “eat” their way to a healthy toddlerhood.

Written by: Jessica Keenan, MA, CCC-SLP/L, CLC

Feeding Therapy

Feeding Therapy

Clinic or Virtual Feeding Sessions Available

to learn more about our virtual feeding therapy visit our website here

Find Answers & Get Started

Picky Eaters and Problem Feeders

Your child might be a picky eater or problem feeder if your child:

Picky Eating

  • eats less than thirty foods
  • refuses foods of certain textures, temperatures, or colors
  • excessive crying or tantrums at mealtime
  • declines an entire category of food (i.e. veggies)
  • eats the same food over and over
  • becomes distraught when new foods are on the plate
  • has difficulty nursing or bottle feeding or have a history of early feeding difficulties
  • struggles to maintain a healthy weight
  • fills up on junk food
  • gags, coughs, or vomits during meals

Infant Trouble

Infant Bottle & Breastfeeding

One-on-one virtual breast and bottle feeding lactation support services from the comfort of your own home.

  • Baby’s success on the breast/bottle
  • Mom’s health and comfort
  • Family support for mom & baby
  • Preparing for and maximizing pumping
  • Reflux, spit-up, vomiting support 
  • Maximizing position and latch
  • Finding the right bottle
  • Tummy troubles and gas

baby food

Transition to Table Foods

Transition to table foods can be tricky.  Whether you are starting purees, baby led weaning, or a combination of the two, we are here to support you and your baby.  

  • Transition to table food
  • Learn to drink from straw & open cups
  • Learning to chew & swallow safely
  • Decrease gagging
  • Pacifier elimination
  • Navigate food intolerances, sensitivities & allergies

Feeding Therapy

Toddlers to Teens

Together, you and your BDI therapists will create goals functional to your family by incorporating food you have in your home or food your family eats in the community.

  • Teach your child to tolerate, interact with, and eat foods of varying textures and consistences from the comfort of their own home.   
  • Increase oral motor strength and coordination
  • Improve safe swallowing
  • Decrease length of meals
  • Eating food at restaurants
  • Address lunch and snack time challenges at school
  • Meals with friends
  • Utilize feeding therapy techniques such as OMT, Food Chaining, SOS, AEIOU, & Beckman Oral Motor Approach to help your child eat the least restrictive diet! 

Who provides treatment for my child?

Speech Language Pathologists and Occupational Therapists at BDI Playhouse are licensed and trained to:

  • turn mealtime into positive experiences
  • increase oral motor strength and coordination
  • teach your child to tolerate, interact with, or eat foods of varying textures and consistencies
  • address cup, straw, and bottle drinking
  • intake enough calories a day for growth and nutrition
  • utilize specialized techniques such as Beckman Oral Motor Approach, OMT, Food Chaining & Sequential Oral Sensory (SOS) Approach
  • target effective use of utensils
  • coach and provide resources to families so they can help your child overcome these mealtime obstacles

Table Eating

Why should my child get feeding therapy?

telehealth

Research has shown that difficulties with eating and poor nutrition can cause:

  • stunted growth correlated with poor academic performance and lowered mental capacity
  • emotional and psychological development issues
  • a decrease in a child’s activity level, social interactions, and curiosity

What does an evaluation look like?

The initial portion of a feeding evaluation will be done virtually.  The evaluating clinician will discuss with you any concerns you may have for your child, pertinent medical history, and the reason why your child was referred for their evaluation. The rest of the evaluation depends greatly on your child’s age and specific needs. The clinician will assess your child’s current feeding skill level and address any areas of difficulty during this evaluation.

If feeding therapy is recommended, individual therapy sessions may occur on a consultative basis or on a weekly basis.  You and the evaluating therapist will decide on goals and location (clinic or virtual) of services.

telehealth

Questions about Picky Eating or Feeding Concerns?

[receiver]

708-478-1820

[mail]

info@bdiplayhouse.com

Find Answers & Get Started

Continue reading