Feeding
- Picky Eating
- Feeding Difficulties
- Complex Feeding & Tube-Feeding Support
Request Support for Feeding
Feeding is a team effort at GROW Paediatrics
Depending on your child’s needs, support may come from:
Registered Nurses (RNs)
Our RNs bring specialist expertise in infant feeding, medical feeding challenges, tube-feeding care (NG/PEG), reflux, allergy considerations and growth concerns. They support safe progression of feeding, monitor medical factors and guide families through clinically informed decisions that prioritise your child’s health and comfort.
Speech Pathologists
Our speech pathologists look closely at oral-motor skills, swallowing safety, sensory factors, mealtime routines and early feeding development. They support everything from breast/bottle feeding challenges to transitioning from tube to oral feeding, fussy/picky eating, ARFID-like presentations and complex feeding delays.
Occupational Therapists (OTs)
Our OTs support the whole experience of feeding—posture and motor skills, sensory preferences, emotional regulation, mealtime routines and independence. They use gentle, play-based strategies that help children feel organised, calm, and confident at mealtimes.
Psychologists & Counsellors
Big feelings about food are common. Our psychology team supports children who experience anxiety, avoidance, fear, behavioural challenges or distress around feeding or mealtimes. They help families understand the emotional side of feeding and build confidence with compassionate, evidence-based strategies.
Together, this multidisciplinary team ensures your child receives holistic, coordinated feeding support.
What does our Feeding Team do?
Our feeding team supports children from birth to early childhood with challenges ranging from everyday feeding worries to highly complex medical or developmental needs.
Backed by clinicians experienced in neonatal care, complex care, infant feeding, tube weaning and early intervention, we help children with:
- Breast or bottle feeding difficulties
- Oral-motor delays affecting chewing or swallowing
- Tube feeding (NG/PEG) support & safe progression to oral intake
- Picky or selective eating, sensory-based feeding challenges
- ARFID-like presentations or mealtime anxiety
- Reflux, allergy-related feeding concerns or medical complexities
- Feeding delays linked to neurodivergence or developmental conditions
- Transitioning to solids or progressing textures safely
Every plan is tailored to your child’s developmental, sensory and medical needs, helping meals feel safer, calmer and more successful for everyone.
Our Approach
Feeding is never “just feeding.” It’s developmental, sensory, emotional—and deeply personal for families. Our team uses a gentle, child-led and pressure-free approach that protects emotional safety while building real feeding skills.
Our team:
- Looks at the whole picture (growth, swallowing, oral-motor skills, sensory needs, routines, medical factors and family goals)
- Creates achievable, family-friendly feeding plans
- Uses evidence-based oral-motor, sensory and behavioural strategies
- Prioritises safety, confidence and trust at every stage
- Supports families with clear, compassionate coaching
- Collaborates closely with GPs, paediatricians, dietitians and medical teams
Many families come to us after feeling stuck or overwhelmed. We’re here with expertise, kindness and a calm, step-by-step plan.
Who we help
Children who are
- Infants struggling with breast or bottle feeding
- Learning to transition to solids or progress textures
- Experiencing worry, avoidance or distress at mealtimes
- Neurodivergent or sensory-sensitive
- Struggling with growth, coordination or oral skills
Children with
- Tube-feeding needs (NG/PEG)
- Reflux, allergies or medically complex feeding challenges
- Selective eating, picky eating or ARFID-like presentations
- Developmental delays impacting safe or successful feeding
- A history of negative or stressful feeding experiences
What to expect
When you work with our feeding team, you can expect a warm, supportive and respectful experience. We begin by getting to know your child—their developmental history, feeding experiences, sensory profile, nutrition needs and medical background.
Your journey may include:
- A comprehensive feeding and mealtime assessment
- Review of swallowing safety, oral-motor skills, sensory needs and growth
- Observation of a mealtime (clinic or home video)
- A step-by-step feeding plan tailored to your child
- Parent coaching and practical strategies you can use immediately
- Support with tube-feeding, medical feeding plans or transitions to oral intake
- Collaboration with paediatricians, GPs, dietitians and other health teams
We celebrate small wins and stay by your side as your child grows, learns and becomes more confident with food. Our goal is for feeding to feel safer, calmer and more joyful—for your child and for your whole family.
