Feeding tubes are a life-line for infants and children with eating issues. But often children need additional support when it comes to progressing away from the tube and becoming an oral eater!
At Feed to Succeed, we have partnered with hundreds of families to provide guidance regarding How and When it’s time to make a change to the tube feeding plan and begin the weaning process.
We follow a hunger-based weaning protocol that provides a daily plan, weekly support with your dietitian, and regular adjustments to the feeds. We have a high success rate, and an extremely high family satisfaction rate.
Signs that your child may be ready for a tube wean:
- Your child has a safe swallow for solid food and purees (does not have to be cleared for liquids!)
- Your child can safely consume at least 1 Tbsp (15 ml) of a pureed food by mouth at a single sitting
- Your child’s weight/length or BMI are above the 10th%ile
- Your child is showing interest in food and mealtime, and will put things into their mouth
Feed to Succeed partners with the Amy Zier team to provide nutritional guidance in conjunction with their Tube Weaning program.
To be considered for our tube weaning program, please contact our office to set up an evaluation. Please provide a copy of your child’s growth chart and the most recent clinical summaries from your child’s pediatrician and GI/surgery team.
Our protocol is based on medical research. For more background on tube weaning research, check out these articles:
Bhargava SK, Sachdev HS, Fall. CH, Osmond C, Lakshmv R, Barker DJ, et al. Relation of serial changes in childhood body-mass index to impaired glucose tolerance in young adulthood. NEngl JMed 2004; 350: 865-75.
Calkins K, Devaskar SU. Fetal Origins of Adult Disease. Curr Probl Pediatr Adolesc Health Care 2011:7; 158-76.
Daveluy W, Guimber D, Uhlen S, et al. Dramatic Changes in Home-based Enteral Nutrition Practices in Children During an 11-year Period. J Pediatr Gastroenterol Nutr. 2006; 43(2):240-244.
Forbes D, Grover Z. Tube feeding: Stopping more difficult than starting. J Paediatr Child Health. 2015;51(3):245-247
Krom H, de Winter JP, Kindermann A. Development, prevention, and treatment of feeding tube dependency. Eur J Pediatr. 2017;176(6):683-688.
Mundi MS, Pattinson A, McMahon MT, Davidson J, Hurt RT. Prevalence of Home Parenteral and Enteral Nutrition in the United States. Nutr Clin Pract. 2017;32(6):799-805.
Pentiuk S, O’Flaherty T, Santoro K, Willging P, Kaul A. Pureed by Gastrostomy Tube Diet Improves Gagging and Retching in Children with fundoplication. JPEN 2011; 35:3, 375-379.
Pollow, A, et al. Safety of Appetite Manipulation in Children with Feeding Disorders Admitted to an Inpatient Feeding Program. J Pediatr Gastroenterol Nutr 2018: 66(5): e127-e130).
