Navigating the challenges of feeding disorders can be overwhelming for families, as these conditions can significantly impact a child’s health, growth, and development. At PediaTrust, we offer specialized daycare services designed for children with feeding disorders. Our compassionate, multidisciplinary team collaborates with parents, doctors, and therapists to create a nurturing and therapeutic environment that fosters your child’s well-being.

If you’re searching for a daycare for feeding disorders, discover how PediaTrust can support your child and bring peace of mind to your family.

Understanding Feeding Disorders

Feeding disorders encompass a range of difficulties in the eating process, including challenges in accepting, chewing, swallowing, or digesting food. These can arise from physical, sensory, or behavioral issues and are often associated with medical or developmental conditions.

Common Feeding Disorders We Address:

  • Dysphagia: Difficulty in chewing or swallowing
  • Sensory Aversions: Reactions to specific textures, flavors, or food appearances
  • Nutritional Challenges: Issues with inadequate or excessive nutrient intake
  • Mealtime Anxiety: Fear or stress associated with eating

PediaTrust specializes in personalized care strategies to address each child’s unique needs. 

1. Weight Management for Children With Feeding Disorders

Managing weight is a critical concern for children with feeding disorders. Some children may struggle to gain weight without the ability to eat a balanced diet, while others may become overweight due to limited food variety or incorrect portion sizes.

Our Weight Management Approach:

  • Customized Meal Preparation: Ensure foods are correctly prepared for the child’s temperature and texture needs.
  • Behavioral Monitoring: Observing eating behaviors to optimize meal experiences
  • Therapeutic Interventions: Enhancing oral motor skills to support effective eating and weight management. This can lead to stronger mouth muscles, more leisurely chewing and swallowing, and overcoming some food aversions!

Through focused interventions and ongoing monitoring, we assist children in maintaining a healthy weight and meeting their nutritional needs.

We Manage Swallowing Issues With Therapy

Oral motor skills can be directly related to problems with chewing and swallowing. Without proper development of the oral, pharyngeal, and esophageal phases of swallowing, it may be easier for children with feeding disorders to choke. Food can get stuck in the throat or the esophagus, putting them in danger or deterring them from eating altogether. 

This is where a specialist at our daycare for special needs and feeding disorders can help! At PediaTrust, your child can work with experienced speech therapists. With special exercises, your child can learn how to strengthen their swallowing. This can help reduce aspiration risk, calm anxieties, and improve behavioral issues.

Swallowing Support Techniques:

  • Speech Therapy: Individual sessions to improve swallowing mechanisms
  • Oral Motor Exercises: Strengthening muscles involved in chewing and swallowing
  • Aspiration Risk Reduction: Techniques to prevent food or liquid from entering the airway

These interventions aim to ensure safer, more comfortable mealtimes.

Our Daycare for Feeding Disorders Is Mindful of Sensory Sensitivities

Some children experience sensory food sensitivities. This means your child may be uncomfortable with specific food textures or flavors. Some foods may be too crunchy, too salty, or soft. Due to sensitivities, children with feeding difficulties may gag, choke, or refrain from eating. Our children with feeding disorders are provided with the proper meal and snack preparation.

For example, blending food to ensure hydration and ease of swallowing for your child is one way our daycare for feeding disorders can support your child’s needs. Our goal is to make eating more tolerable and enjoyable for your child.

Catering to Sensory Needs:

  • Customized Food Preparation: Altering textures to match sensory preferences
  • Occupational Therapy: Introducing new textures and flavors in a controlled setting with occupational therapy
  • Gradual Integration: Exposure techniques to broaden accepted food ranges

We Help Buffer the Anxiety of Eating

Anxiety around eating can significantly affect a child’s willingness to eat. When a child avoids certain foods, it is easy to label this as “picky eating.” 

However, this should not be taken lightly, especially in medically fragile children. If a child has sensory sensitivities or oral motor issues, your child may also develop anxiety with eating. This can sprout from fear of choking, not wanting to eat foods with tastes or textures they don’t like, and more. When a child becomes anxious about eating, this can also lead to other physical issues, such as tiredness and irritability. 

With the team of our daycare for feeding disorders, we can offer support for children with these anxieties. By encouraging them to work patiently with them as they eat and supplying effective occupational and speech therapy, we ensure they have the tools they need to succeed.

Anxiety Reduction Strategies:

  • Positive Reinforcement: Encouraging a positive association with meals
  • Therapeutic Support: Addressing the root causes of anxiety through therapy
  • Calm Environment: Providing a stress-free setting for practicing new skills

Our Daycare Utilizes a Collaborative Care Approach

At PediaTrust, we prioritize a collaborative care model, involving parents, physicians, and therapists to ensure comprehensive support.

Our Collaborative Methods:

  • Regular Updates: Keeping parents informed about progress and strategies
  • Partnership with Your Child’s Healthcare Team: Aligning our role in your child’s daily routine with their medical guidance for consistent care.
  • Unified Care Plans: Ensuring continuity at home and daycare

Why Choose PediaTrust for Daycare for Feeding Disorders?

PediaTrust is a trusted provider of specialized daycare services for children with feeding disorders. Our expertly trained staff, including medical professionals and therapists, are dedicated to managing complex feeding challenges with care and compassion.

At PediaTrust, we are dedicated to providing exceptional care for medically fragile children, ensuring they receive the support they need to thrive. Our passionate team is committed to nurturing your child’s development, offering personalized assistance and encouragement as they work towards their goals.

Connect With Our Daycare for Help With Special Needs Feeding Disorders

Do you want to give your child access to exceptional care for special needs? PediaTrust is equipped to offer the highest standards of therapy at our daycare for medically fragile children with or without feeding disorders. We also cover a wide range of health services, including medication management, respiratory care, physical therapy, special education activities, and much more. 

Learn more about enrolling your child at our special needs daycare by sending us a message or calling your closest location. We look forward to alleviating your stress and helping your child grow to be the best they can be!