Children’s Nutrition

Is your child aversive to food or certain textures, or are they not meeting expected growth milestones? Or does your baby, toddler, child (or even adolescent) have tummy pain, gas, bloating and/or diarrhoea/constipation and you suspect they might have a food intolerance? Or do you have a child with ADHD or Autism and you are struggling to juggle your child’s food preferences AND feed the rest of the family?

As a mum who struggled with kids just like this – I get it! So I am filled with so much compassion and passion when it comes to helping parents with kids who are struggling with food! I am here to listen to your concerns and worries about your child’s nutrition, and I am also here to work with you to create a plan for nourishing your child that works for your family. One of the most important things I hope to achieve is reducing the stress and anxiety parents feel when their child is struggling, by arming you with professional, evidence-based advice regarding how to help your child with feeding challenges. Areas that I assist with include:

• Nasogastric and PEG feeding – including Blended tube feeding
• Disability, complex needs
• Babies and Children with cows milk protein allergy (colic/reflux/constipation/tummy pain)
• Fussy eating / aversive eating / ARFID
• Growth issues, underweight and failure to thrive
• Introducing solids
• Nutrient deficiencies – eg. Iron deficiency
• Constipation
• Coeliac Disease
• Irritable Bowel Syndrome and the Low FODMAP diet
• Inflammatory Bowel Disease
• Concerns regarding weight management
• Autism and ADHD
• Eating Disorders

Over the last couple of years I have taken a deep dive into Childhood feeding and paediatric dietetics. It is such a challenging area requiring a multidisciplinary approach, with clinicians all on the same page. I have focused in on the Responsive Feeding paradigm as this honours a child’s autonomy, choice, control and independence, while assisting their nervous system to become more regulated. Courses I have taken include the full Ellyn Satter Institute “Feeding with Love and Good Sense” Feeding Dynamics course; Neuro-affirming Dietetic care with Naureen Hunani; The get permission Institute Anxious Eaters course and Learning through opportunity course; The Royal Children’s Hospital Paediatric Nutrition Certificate Course (Part 1)

HELPFUL LINKS:

Ellyn Satter Institute: https://www.ellynsatterinstitute.org

Get Permission Institute: https://course.getpermissioninstitute.com/courses/dear-parent-navigating-challenging-mealtimes-with-anxious-eaters