Feeding Therapy
Feeding therapy supports children who find eating difficult, whether that is the range of foods they accept, the skills involved in eating them, or how mealtimes feel for everyone at the table.
Photograph placeholder
Feeding therapy session
Feeding therapy session
What feeding therapy is
Eating is more complicated than it looks. A child has to accept how a food looks and smells, be willing to try it, manage it in their mouth, chew it and swallow it, and feel comfortable enough at the table to keep going.
When part of that is difficult, mealtimes can become stressful for the whole family. Feeding therapy looks at what is making eating hard for your child, and works on it in small steps at a pace they can manage.
We know how much pressure parents feel around what their child eats, and how much advice you have probably already been given. There is no blame in any of this, and no expectation that you should have solved it already.
How we help
What feeding therapy can help with.
Families come to us with very different concerns. These are some of the most common.
A limited range of foods
- Your child eats only a small number of foods
- Foods drop off the list and are not replaced
- They will not try anything new
- They only accept certain brands, colours or packaging
Sensory differences around food
- Certain textures are refused, such as anything wet, lumpy or mixed
- Strong reactions to the smell or appearance of food
- They do not like foods touching on the plate
- Being near new foods is upsetting
Chewing and mouth skills
- Chewing looks tiring or inefficient
- Food is held in the mouth for a long time
- They struggle to move on from soft or smooth foods
- Managing a mixed meal takes a very long time
Mealtimes at home and school
- Mealtimes are stressful or end in tears
- Your child will not sit at the table
- Lunchboxes come home untouched
- Eating with other people is difficult
Picky eating is common in childhood, and not every child who is selective with food needs feeding therapy. If you are concerned about your child's eating or mealtimes, we can help you understand what may be going on and whether support would be useful.
Who we work with
We work with children from toddlerhood, through the primary years and into the teenage years. If you are not sure whether your child is the right age for support, please ask us.
What to expect
Working together at mealtimes.
Feeding therapy depends on you more than any other service we offer. Most eating happens at home, so what changes at your table matters more than what happens in a session.
Individual sessions
Sessions are one to one with a therapist, usually 45 minutes. How often your child is seen is recommended individually rather than following a set programme.
Small steps, at your child's pace
Progress with food is rarely fast. We work in steps your child can manage, and we do not push a child to eat something they are not ready for.
Support for mealtimes at home
We talk through how mealtimes are set up, what tends to help, and what to do when a meal does not go well, so you are not left guessing between appointments.
Working with others where useful
With your agreement, we can work alongside your child's nursery or school, and share information with other professionals involved in their care.
Reviewed as you go
We review how things are going and adjust the plan. That may mean changing what we work on, meeting less often, or agreeing that therapy is no longer needed.
Where therapy happens
At our clinic
Feeding therapy takes place at our clinic on Sheikh Zayed Road, set up for feeding therapy with children and young people.
Find us Getting started
Ways to get started.
Where you start depends on what you already know and what you need. If you are not sure which option suits you, request a callback and we will help you decide.
Request a callback
Tell us what mealtimes look like at the moment, and we will call you back to talk it through.
Request a callbackFree Advice Session
A 20-minute online conversation with a feeding therapist about your child. The therapist does not meet or assess your child during the session.
Book a Free Advice SessionAssessment
For families who need or have been recommended a fuller picture of how their child eats.
About assessmentsNot every child who is a fussy eater needs feeding therapy. After an assessment we may recommend therapy, monitoring and advice, or let you know that therapy is not currently needed.
Parent resources
Reading that may help.
Written by our therapists, free to read, no enquiry needed.
Next step
Mealtimes can get easier.
Tell us how eating is going at the moment, and we will help you work out whether feeding therapy would help.