Pediatric Feeding Disorder

    What Is Pediatric Feeding Disorder?

    Impaired oral intake that is not age-appropriate, and is associated with medical, nutritional, feeding skill, and/or psychosocial dysfunction.

    — Goday et al., 2019

    Red Flags That May Indicate Your Child Needs an Evaluation

    Are you or your child experiencing any of the following?

    • •Feeling stress and worry about whether your child is eating appropriately or growing well
    • •Crying or fussing at mealtimes
    • •Frequently vomiting or spitting up
    • •Arching away from the bottle or breast
    • •Coughing, gagging, or increased congestion with eating or drinking
    • •Taking longer than 20-30 minutes to eat
    • •Difficulty breathing during eating
    • •Falling asleep during eating
    • •Frequently spitting out of food or liquid
    • •Pocketing food or overstuffing mouth with food
    • •Eating a limited diet
    • •Arguing with a partner or child about what your child eats

    Should I Seek Help?

    We believe that if a parent is concerned, that is enough of a reason to reach out for help.

    Some next steps:

    LEARN

    Learn the basics of the responsive feeding approach to mealtimes.

    Learn More

    SCREEN

    The Infant and Child Feeding Questionnaire is a resource from Feeding Matters that can help you decide whether your child might need a professional evaluation.

    This link will take you to an external website (feedingmatters.org).

    Take the Questionnaire ↗

    FIND HELP

    Talk to your child's medical care team, and search our provider directory to find the right person to help your family.

    Provider Directory

    References

    • Black, M. M., & Aboud, F. E. (2011). Responsive feeding is embedded in a theoretical framework of responsive parenting. The Journal of Nutrition, 141(3), 490–494.
    • Cormack, J., Rowell, K., & Postăvaru, G. I. (2020). Self-Determination Theory as a Theoretical Framework for a Responsive Approach to Child Feeding. Journal of Nutrition Education and Behavior, 52(6), 646–651.
    • Daniels, L. A. (2019). Feeding Practices and Parenting: A Pathway to Child Health and Family Happiness. Annals of Nutrition and Metabolism, 74(Suppl2), 29–42.
    • Goday, P. S., et al. (2019). Pediatric Feeding Disorder: Consensus Definition and Conceptual Framework. Journal of Pediatric Gastroenterology and Nutrition, 68(1), 124–129.
    • Henton, P. A. (2018). A Call to Reexamine Quality of Life Through Relationship-Based Feeding. American Journal of Occupational Therapy, 72(3).
    • Klein, M. D. (2019). Anxious Eaters, Anxious Mealtimes: Practical and Compassionate Strategies for Mealtime Peace. Archway Publishing.
    • Satter, E. (1995). Feeding dynamics: Helping children to eat well. Journal of Pediatric Health Care, 9(4), 178–184.