enteral tube feeding in babies & children | Paediatric Dietitian
Specialist dietetic advice to help your child thrive with tube feeding
Having a child who relies on a feeding tube can bring many questions and concerns for parents and carers.
I can support you with personalised, evidence-based nutrition advice to help you feel more confident about your child's enteral feeding and nutritional needs.
Does any of this sound familiar?
is my child getting enough nutrition?
is my child adequately hydrated?
are they growing as expected?
is the current feeding plan still right for them?
what should I do if they are struggling with their feeds?
how can I support their oral eating alongside tube feeding?
could a blended diet be an option for my child?
Whether they are fed via a nasogastric (NG) tube, gastrostomy tube, jejunal feeding tube or a combination of tube feeding and oral eating, you don't have to work it all out on your own. I can help.
Enteral tube feeding
Enteral tube feeding can be an important part of helping a child meet their nutritional and fluid requirements when eating and drinking alone isn't enough. Every child is different. Their nutritional needs can change as they grow, their medical needs change, or their relationship with food develops.
I understand that tube feeding is about much more than numbers, calories and millilitres. It can affect family routines, mealtimes, nursery or school, social activities and your child's relationship with food.
I aim to make nutritional information understandable and practical, so that you can feel confident implementing recommendations at home.
Working alongside your child's healthcare team
Paediatric tube feeding often involves a number of professionals.
Where appropriate and with your consent, I can work collaboratively with your child's existing healthcare team, which may include paediatricians, gastroenterologists, speech and language therapists, occupational therapists, specialist nurses and other healthcare professionals.
My role is to provide specialist nutritional and dietetic input as part of your child's wider care.
Ready to talk about your child's tube feeding?
Book your free discovery call and we’ll discuss your child’s needs and decide whether dietetic support is right for you.
How can I help?
Together we can:
review your child’s nutritional needs and intake
review their current tube feeding regime
support healthy growth and development
explore concerns around feed tolerance
support oral eating alongside tube feeding, if appropriate
review supplements and micronutrients
consider whether a blended diet may be appropriate
review how tube feeding fits into your family’s daily routine
Any recommendations will be tailored to your child's individual nutritional, medical and developmental needs.
FAQs
Enteral tube feeding is a way of providing nutrition, fluids and sometimes medication directly into the stomach or small intestine through a feeding tube. It can be used when a child is unable to meet their nutritional needs through eating and drinking alone.
What is enteral tube feeding?
1
A dietitian can help review whether your child's current feeding plan continues to meet their nutritional needs as they grow and their circumstances change. Children’s nutritional requirements can change over time, so regular review can be helpful.
Does my child need a dietitian if they already have a tube feeding plan?
2
Can you help if my child is struggling with their tube feeds?
3
Yes. We can explore concerns such as vomiting, reflux, constipation, diarrhoea, abdominal discomfort, feed intolerance or difficulties fitting feeds into your child's daily routine. I can provide nutritional advice and help identify appropriate next steps. If your child needs medical assessment, I will recommend that you speak with their medical team.
Can you advise on how much tube feed my child needs?
4
I can assess your child's nutritional requirements and review their current intake, growth and feeding regimen. Where appropriate, I can provide individualised recommendations for their nutritional intake and feeding plan.
Can you help with reducing tube feeds?
5
This depends on your child's individual circumstances. For some children, increasing oral intake and gradually reducing reliance on tube feeding may be an appropriate goal. Any changes need to take account of your child's nutritional requirements, growth, medical needs, oral intake and feeding skills.
I can provide nutritional guidance as part of this process and work alongside your child's wider healthcare team where appropriate.
Can you advise on which tube feed or formula my child should have?
6
I can review your child's current feed and nutritional needs and discuss whether their current formula is appropriate. Where a different feed may be more suitable, I can provide dietetic recommendations and discuss this with the relevant healthcare professionals where necessary.
Can you help with tube feeding at night?
7
Yes. We can look at how your child's feeding schedule fits around sleep, school or nursery, family routines and their nutritional requirements. Where appropriate, we can consider different ways of structuring feeds to make them more manageable for your family.
Do you work with children who have complex medical needs?
8
Yes. Children receiving enteral nutrition may have a range of underlying medical or developmental conditions. I will consider your child's individual circumstances, medical history, nutritional needs and existing healthcare support when providing dietetic advice.
Ready to talk?
Book your free discovery call and let's talk about what's going on, what you're worried about and how I may be able to help.