Pediatric Therapy in Lutz, FL
Pediatric Feeding Therapy in Lutz, FL
Mealtimes should feel safe, manageable, and connected. But for many families it can be the most stressful times of the day. If your child eats only a handful of “safe” foods, gags at new textures, pockets food, struggles to chew, avoids the table, or melts down when unfamiliar foods appear, our feeding therapists know how to look beyond the plate to understand what your child’s body is trying to tell us about their relationship with food.
If your toddler (over the age of 2), child, teen, or young adult is struggling with eating, this page is for you.
If your 0-2 year old is struggling to nurse, take a bottle, coordinate sucking and swallowing, or to transition to solid foods, please visit our Infant Feeding Therapy and our Lactation Coaching pages.
Feeding Therapy That Looks Beyond the Food
Feeding therapy is more than teaching a child to “just take a bite”. Our occupational and speech therapists work closely with your child and your family to determine the root cause feeding difficulties and build a step-by-step plan that helps mealtimes become easier, safer, and more peaceful for everyone at home.
We understand how exhausting and defeating this can feel, especially if you’ve been told that your child is “just picky” or will “eat when he’s hungry.” Many feeding challenges are not about willpower. They may be rooted in sensory processing, retained oral reflexes, oral-motor delays, low muscle tone, fascial restrictions, GI discomfort, anxiety, or a nervous system that moves into fight, flight, or freeze at the table. When a child gags at the smell of a new food, panics at an unfamiliar texture, refuses mixed foods, over-stuffs their mouth, or cannot safely chew and move food around, their body is communicating. We listen to their body first, then we build the path forward.
That’s why we look at the whole child. Depending on what we find, pediatric feeding therapy may draw on occupational therapy or speech therapy, or both, for sensory processing, postural control, facial and oral awareness, and mealtime participation and oral-motor coordination including chewing, tongue movements, and swallowing for safe food manipulation. Bodywork, QRI laser light therapy, and reflex integration techniques may also play a part in helping your child be able to grow their acceptable food repertoire, eat safely, and enjoy meals with the family. We build a plan around your child, not a one-size-fits-all program.
When Is It More Than Picky Eating?
Parents often tell us they’ve been told their child will “grow out of it.” Sometimes children do need a little extra time and gentle support. But when eating has become a daily struggle for your family, it’s worth a closer look. If you recognize 2 or more of these signs in your child, Feeding Therapy may help:
- It takes your child longer than 30 to 40 minutes to eat a meal
- Difficulty chewing food, or swallows food whole
- Eating and swallowing difficulties
- Gagging and/or coughing with eating or drinking
- Pocketing food in the mouth
- Sucking or spitting out food
- Frequently vomits during or after eating
- Fussy or irritable with eating
- Seems congested during or after eating
- Failure to gain weight or a decline in the growth curve
- “Picky eater” or a very limited food repertoire
- Food refusals
- Drinks calories instead of eating
- Resists meals or prefers to snack
- Has a sensory integration disorder
- Reflux or GI issues
- Tube feeding dependent
- Tongue tie or lip tie
- History of prematurity
If any of this sounds familiar, you’re not alone, and it’s not something you have to figure out on your own. We can help you understand your child’s struggles; whether they are just being “picky” or they are protecting their body from something that feels unsafe, or they are missing a skill they need in order to eat with more confidence.
Feeding Conditions We Treat
Pediatric Feeding Difficulties (no diagnosis needed)Picky eating and limited food repertoireARFID or avoidant/restrictive eating patternsSensory-based food aversionsOral motor challengesPre- and post-tongue/lip tie releasesFeeding difficultiesHead, neck, and trunk weakness or instabilityLow muscle toneTube feeding and transition toward oral eating when appropriateFeeding challenges or related GI discomfort such as reflux, prematurity, or developmental delays
For our youngest patients, we also offer Infant Feeding Therapy and Lactation Coaching, designed around the unique needs of babies who are struggling to nurse, bottle-feed, or transition to solids.
When Does Feeding Need an OT vs. an SLP?
Feeding sits at the intersection of the body, the nervous system, the mouth, and family routines and expectations. Occupational Therapy and Speech Therapy have separate but overlapping approaches to feeding challenges. Our Occupational Therapists focus on sensory processing, regulation, postural control, fascial restrictions, body awareness, oral motor skills, and the child’s ability to feel calm and organized enough to participate in meals. Our Speech Language Pathologists focus on the oral-motor coordination, chewing, swallowing, and helping food move safely and efficiently through the mouth.
Many children benefit from both. During our evaluation, we listen to what you’re seeing at home, assess your child’s specific pattern of difficulty and recommend the right therapist, or combination of therapists, to move mealtime forward. You don’t need to diagnose the problem yourself before reaching out. That’s what we’re here for.
Getting Started
Request an appointment using the button below. We will call you within 1 business day to discuss scheduling. We can usually get you in within 2 weeks, often sooner. We know the longer a child has struggled with eating, the longer it will take to improve it, so we make every effort to get you in as soon as possible.
We want you and your family to enjoy mealtimes again. If you’d like to talk through what you’re seeing at home, reach out to our team in Lutz, FL. You can also explore our full Services page to learn more about how we support families like yours from infants through young adults.