Early Intervention

A common mistake made by well-meaning therapists and parents is trying to work on oral motor skill development before they work on a child’s trust and understanding of food. These programs start therapy with a focus on the “how” to eat rather than a focus on the “why”. We know that we can’t expect the skill to […]

Kiddos with a medically complex history often have many providers that each have a specialty in a different area.  In order for this to work well, there needs to be someone who can pull it all together.  In our program, we have had the privilege to work with another kind of specialist over and over.  The parents.  Every parent is a specialist in their child, and […]

Think about where your kiddo is most comfortable and feels safe…at home! Feeding therapy should take place in the environment where your child feels comfortable. The clinic setting is one of the most common and traditional approaches to feeding therapy and tube weaning. In most cases, therapy is seen in an outpatient clinic where you may […]

Welcome back to the Tube to Table Podcast. On this week’s episode, Reframing Refusal, Heidi and Jennifer are talking about how to reframe the experience you and your child have when they refuse to eat. We are so thankful for all of our listeners and have loved hearing how this podcast is helping therapists and […]

Whether your child is weaning from the feeding tube or just learning to eat new things, grocery shopping can be a challenge. Especially right now, grocery shopping can be hard and you might not always find the specific food you’re looking for.   If your child’s favorite food isn’t available, below you’ll find some descriptions for foods that may be similar! Whether you […]

We hope everybody is well and staying close at home, keeping themselves and everyone in their community safe. In this week’s episode of Tube To Table, Heidi and Jennifer are back together to answer a question we have been receiving from many families. Is this a good time to move forward with a wean? In the past, […]

EZPZ Tiny Cup: Why we love it? This cup supports oral and speech development, promotes independence, and is soft and easy to clean silicone! When to introduce it? EZPZ says this cup can be used as early as 4 months to start open cup drinking practice! Tommee Tippee First Straw Transition Cup   Why we love it? This […]

At Thrive, we often work with parents on building their own DOR (Division of Responsibility) within mealtimes. This was developed by Ellyn Satter and reviews the basics behind the roles of the parent and child at mealtimes. The parent’s role is to determine the what, when, and where of mealtimes and the child’s role is to determine […]

Many parents struggle with getting their children to eat certain foods, certain meals, or sometimes anything at all. For parents of picky eaters, anxious eaters, or kids that have feeding tubes or feeding disorders this struggle can be all too challenging.  Portion size can make a huge difference in helping a child feel comfortable with […]

Whether you are just starting to introduce to your tube-fed child, you are preparing for a wean, or you are attempting to wean at home, it is highly likely that you have thought: “What do I start with?”  Parents are often asking therapists for that “magic food” and although we wish we had it, it […]

On this week’s episode of Tube to Table, we are talking about blenderized diets and how they help children on feeding tubes and help support kids who are in the weaning process. To discuss this topic in detail, we sat down with Julie Bombacino, the founder of Real Food Blends. Julie is telling her story of how she […]

 Taking a step back from expectations and giving your child space to build trust around food and mealtimes is an important and necessary step in the tube weaning journey. If you are familiar with the Thrive Treatment Progression, you know that Rest and Play is the second step to building the foundation of a happy […]