Feeding Tube Weaning

The Thrive by Spectrum Pediatrics Tube Weaning Program focuses on the importance of establishing a strong foundation before expecting any progress in skill development, variety, or intake. The foundational pieces include Do No Harm, Build Trust, and Create Responsive Mealtimes. After building this foundation, you can then focus on Discovering the Internal Drives to Eat and watching […]

We know that adult directed food interactions, pressure, and rewards can be damaging to a child’s relationship with food, but we are often at a loss for what else to do as parents and therapists when our little ones struggle with eating.  Responsive Feeding Therapy helps to provide the framework, so we can help rebuild a child’s relationship […]

When measuring progress, it is so important to look at much more than the numbers. At Thrive, we encourage parents and medical teams to shift their focus from a number-based measure to a more qualitative measure. Mealtimes should focus on building comfort and connection. This includes initiation, engagement, attention to meals or food, and satiation. When […]

Throwing food is a universal phase that all children go through when learning how to eat and participating in mealtimes. Here are a few common reasons why children throw food:   Gravity – It is developmentally appropriate to begin throwing objects from about 9-14 months as children learn about cause and effect.  Little ones learn through movement […]

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 […]

The Thrive Treatment Progression Pyramid is a great visual representation of the specific steps we address throughout feeding therapy and our tube weaning program. This looks a little different than other treatment approaches because we believe that a strong foundation for kids to learn about what their bodies need is crucial. While other programs may […]

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 […]

When your child flat out refuses to eat or eats very little it can make you worry about their energy, growth, sleep and health.  While this worry is completely normal it is helpful to keep in mind that it is also completely normal for a child to reject what is offered.  Here are some key points to […]

Many of the kids who wean from the feeding tube struggle with drinking.  Nursing and bottle drinking are supported by reflexes in the early days of infancy and designed to progress as a team with a caregiver.  Most kids who are weaning from a feeding tube have already passed the early stage, which means bottle drinking is either more difficult […]

In this week’s episode of Tube to Table, Jennifer and Heidi are discussing the Thrive Parent’s Bill of Rights. You may have seen this in a recent blog post at Thrive, but during this episode Jennifer and Heidi will dive into more detail and walk through each crucial step in the Bill of Rights. This […]

Welcome back to another episode of the Tube to Table podcast! We are continuing our “Parent’s Perspective” series with Joe’s story. On this week’s episode, Heidi sat down with Maggie, Joe’s mom who participated in the Thrive Intensive Tube Weaning Program at their home in Nashville. Maggie and Heidi talk through Joe’s history including his […]