Developing the ability to eat by mouth and grow at an appropriate rate is usually viewed as a simple part of infancy and childhood. When a baby is born, the parents expect this process will unfold smoothly for both parent and child with no more than typical bumps in the road as the child matures. Medical or developmental disorders, however, can disrupt this process and result in the need for feeding by tube to support the child’s ability to be nourished and grow.
Feeding disorders in typically developing children are reported to be in the range of 25%–35% with a much higher prevalence (40%–70%) in babies and children with special health care needs or developmental disorders.1,2 Some of these children will require supplemental tube feeding at some point in their care. Multiple factors can lead to the development of feeding problems such as prematurity, gastrointestinal disorders, pulmonary and/or cardiac disease, developmental disorders, or congenital defects. For many children, tube feeding is used for a short period while recovering from the condition that necessitated the tube support. Other times however, tube feedings are needed over a longer period of time. This results in secondary effects for the child and family with the major problem being the need to ultimately wean from tube feeding to acquire age and/or developmentally appropriate oral feeding and self-feeding skills.
Read more….
Weaning from tube feedings: many different pathways – Part I
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