Tube to Table

  What actually happens inside Thrive’s tube weaning program, and why does it work when other approaches haven’t? In this episode, Jeni and Heidi break down what our tube weaning program really looks like and answer some of the most common questions we hear from parents and caregivers.     At Thrive, offer a range of supports, from intensive tube weaning (virtual or in-person) to ongoing feeding therapy, parent coaching, and virtual guidance. At the center of all of it is one key idea: lasting change happens when parents are supported to support their child.    Everything begins with a comprehensive, virtual evaluation. We look at the whole child (not just feeding!) by considering medical history, development, sensory processing, lived experiences, and family dynamics. Our multidisciplinary team (speech, OT, dietitian as needed) collaborates closely with your child’s medical provider to ensure safety and alignment.    If your child is a good fit, we move into preparation, which includes a parent toolkit and coaching. This step is foundational in getting everyone on the same page before making any changes. We often find that preparation is a game changer.    From there, we begin hunger induction in a safe, medically guided way, followed by a 10-day intensive phase where:  Parents receive real-time coaching (virtual or in-person)   Meals are supported live whenever possible   The environment, not just the child, is adjusted for success   Hunger is used as a tool—but never the only tool     Our goal is not to “get food in,” but to help children learn:  “When I feel hungry, I can do something about it.”    We allow hunger to develop within a responsive feeding framework, which means:  The child stays in charge of their eating   Stress, pressure, and dysregulation are actively addressed   The environment is adapted to support success   Parents are coached, not sidelined   Hunger alone isn’t enough and neither is coaching alone. Kids need internal motivation + external support working together.    The 10-day intensive is just the beginning. The next 6 months of follow-up are equally important and often overlooked.  During this time:  Skills continue to build   Weight first fluctuates, then stabilizes, then gradually increases   Families navigate real-life challenges (illness, travel, routine changes)   Children keep “figuring it out” with ongoing support   Tube weaning is not a quick fix! It’s a process that unfolds over time.    When determining if your child is a good fit for our program, we’re not looking for a specific age or skill level. Instead, we look for:  Medical stability and safety   Developmental readiness and potential   A family environment that can support the process   We don’t have “disqualifying diagnoses,” but we do individualize goals and treatment based on each child.    Our 10-day therapy intensive is offered either virtually or in-person, based on a multitude of factors, and determined by the clinical team. Both options can be highly effective. In fact, we often see similar outcomes because our model is parent-centered.  Virtual care allows us to coach you in your real environment   In-person care offers hands-on, in-the-room support   Both prioritize helping your child learn to eat where it matters most: at home     While we’re not in-network with most insurance companies, we do work to secure single case agreements when possible and help families navigate funding options.  If you’re curious whether this could be a fit for your child, we offer a free 45-minute intake call to:  Learn about your child   Answer your questions   Determine next steps together     Tube weaning isn’t a one-size-fits-all solution. It’s about understanding your child, supporting your family, and building the skills that lead to lasting change. If you’re ready to explore what that could look like, we’re here to help you take the next step. Reach out via email: [email protected]    ** Please remember this podcast is NOT meant to replace the support and guidance of your child's medical team.  Consult with your doctor before starting the weaning process.**    Don’t forget to follow us on social media for more helpful information @Thrivewithspectrum on Instagram and Thrive by Spectrum Pediatrics on Facebook. You can also find out more information about the programs we offer at www.thrivewithspectrum.com 

What if the goal isn’t to get your child to eat… but to help them want to?    In this episode, Jeni and Heidi unpack a powerful (and often overlooked) mindset shift in the tube weaning journey: moving from “exposure” to “opportunity.” It sounds subtle, but it can completely change how your child experiences food and how you show up as a parent at mealtimes.    So many families are told to “just keep exposing” their child to food. While well-intentioned, this advice often comes with little support or clarity and can unintentionally create pressure, disconnection, and even more resistance.    We’re talking about exposure versus opportunity.   Exposure = doing something to your child to get them used to food   Opportunity = creating space for your child to choose to engage with food   Exposure is often:  Adult-led and outcome-focused (“getting them to eat”)   Passive for the child and reliant on repetition   Prone to creating pressure, even unintentionally   Opportunity, on the other hand:  Centers your child as an active participant   Focuses on the experience, not the outcome   Builds safety, curiosity, and internal motivation   Opportunity can be simple. Your child might watch you eat, notice a sibling’s food, smell something new, or briefly touch it. They may also choose not to engage at all and that’s okay. Even observing food is meaningful. For tube-fed children, engagement isn’t about eating all the time. Instead, it’s about safe, pressure-free experiences with food.  This shift helps your child build self-regulation, learning to notice and trust their hunger, fullness, and interest. When pressure is reduced and children can participate in their own way, they stay connected to their internal cues and to you. It moves feeding out of a medical task and back into a more natural, connected relationship.  This isn’t about lowering expectations. Think about it as changing the path to get there.  When we move from getting to letting, and from outcomes to experience, we create the conditions for real, lasting progress. Real progress in tube weaning doesn’t come from more pressure. It comes from more connection, safety, and trust.    ** Please remember this podcast is NOT meant to replace the support and guidance of your child's medical team.  Consult with your doctor before starting the weaning process.*    Don’t forget to follow us on social media for more helpful information @Thrivewithspectrum on Instagram and Thrive by Spectrum Pediatrics on Facebook. You can also find out more information about the programs we offer at www.thrivewithspectrum.com  

What if your child still needs their feeding tube… and that’s not actually considered a failure? What if progress doesn’t mean removing the tube, but learning how to move forward with it?    For many families, the goal starts as tube weaning. But along the way, some discover their child needs long-term support, or at least more time. For other families, you may know from the beginning that it's likely that your child will always need some form of support from the feeding tube.  This can feel like a confusing middle ground. You might wonder: Did we do something wrong? Are we stuck? The truth is, this space where tube feeds and oral eating coexist is not only valid, but it can be incredibly successful.      It starts with acceptance. Not giving up but getting grounded in where your child is right now. When you take time to build a stable, low-pressure foundation, feeding often becomes less stressful for everyone. From there, you can better understand:  Your child’s strengths  Areas that need support  What realistic, meaningful progress looks like    One of the most powerful shifts you can make is focusing on autonomy and participation.  Ask yourself:  Is my child actively involved in feeding in a way that fits their development?  Do they have opportunities to make choices and engage?  This can look like:  Letting them pass food, explore textures, or decide what goes on their plate  Involving them in tube feeds (pushing a syringe, helping set up)  Creating opportunities for real participation. Kids build relationships with food when they feel like active participants, not passive recipients.    It’s easy to fall into a performance mindset that includes counting bites, focusing on volume, or pushing exposure. But long-term progress is rooted in quality experiences, not just quantity.  Try to instead focus on:  Low-pressure, positive mealtimes  Curiosity over compliance  Shared experiences, regardless of how much is eaten  Because a child who feels safe, interested, and included around food is more likely to keep moving forward.    Tube feeding and oral eating don’t have to be all-or-nothing. In fact, they work best when they’re flexible. Some options families explore:  Eating by mouth during the day, with supplementation at bedtime  Offering tube feeds after meals to reduce pressure during eating  Adjusting timing based on school, energy, or appetite  The goal is to find a middle ground where your child:  Has enough support to grow and feel well  Still experiences hunger, fullness, and motivation to eat  It’s often a dance, not a fixed plan. And sometimes, increasing tube feeds as kids grow or eating becomes harder is exactly what supports long-term success. One common trap? Keeping the same plan as your child grows. But feeding needs change. Schedules shift. Development evolves.  Make space to regularly revisit:  Tube feeding amounts and timing  Mealtime structure  Your child’s engagement and interest  Flexibility is key to keeping the plan aligned with your child—not where they used to be.    This journey can be longer than expected. And that can be hard. But staying on tube feeds while making progress with oral eating is not a step backward! It’s a thoughtful, responsive path forward. Pause when you need to. Adjust when it makes sense. Progress is still happening, even if it looks different than you imagined.    Your child’s story doesn’t have to be all-or-nothing. Growth can happen in the middle, in the space where support and progress exist side by side. Stay flexible, stay curious, and trust that forward movement is still possible… exactly where you are.    ** Please remember this podcast is NOT meant to replace the support and guidance of your child's medical team.  Consult with your doctor before starting the weaning process.**    Don’t forget to follow us on social media for more helpful information @Thrivewithspectrum on Instagram and Thrive by Spectrum Pediatrics on Facebook. You can also find out more information about the programs we offer at www.thrivewithspectrum.com  

You’ve spent months (maybe years) keeping your child safe, nourished, and growing with a feeding tube. And now… the moment you’ve been working toward is here! Tube removal. But instead of just relief, you might be feeling other unexpected emotions: uncertainty, sadness, even a little fear.  Jeni and Heidi are here this week to help paint a picture of what tube removal and next steps may look like.    Getting ready to remove a feeding tube is a huge milestone. It’s often the goal from the very beginning, but when you finally arrive, it can feel bigger and more emotional than expected. After all the effort that went into placing the tube, using it, and eventually weaning from it, many families are left wondering: What now? The truth is, there aren’t a lot of resources guiding families through this specific transition. So let’s walk through some key things to consider.    How do you know it’s time?  While medical providers ultimately guide the decision, here are some important readiness signs to reflect on:  Growth & nutrition: Is your child eating enough by mouth to support their current growth in a way your team feels good about?  Sustainability: Is eating mostly self-directed? Or are there still frequent power struggles, pressure, or bribing?  Stability: Has your child made it through a stressor or big life change without using the tube? Things like illness, travel, transitioning to a new school, etc.  Body basics: Are hydration and elimination (peeing and pooping) consistent and comfortable?  And one more that matters just as much:  Are you ready?: That tube has likely been your safety net for a long time. Removing it can bring up more emotion than expected and that’s completely valid.    This isn’t just a medical transition! It’s also an emotional one. Take a moment to reflect on your family’s journey. The highs, the stress, the resilience. Many parents find that alongside the hard parts, there’s also growth. What you’ve learned, how you’ve adapted, and how deeply you’ve shown up for your child.    For your child, this experience may be harder to fully understand but it still matters. For some kids, the tube has always been part of their body. Letting it go might feel:  Exciting and freeing  Confusing or unexpected  Completely neutral  Just like saying goodbye to a pacifier, some children, especially older ones may need time and support to process the change. You know your child and how they handle changes and transitions.  If they need a little more time and preparation to process you can help by:    Talking about it ahead of time  Inviting questions and feelings  Creating a simple or meaningful “goodbye” (a story, drawing, or small ritual)    As you move forward, think about how you want to remember this chapter. Some families choose to:  Keep a small piece of equipment as a memory  Write a letter to their child about the journey  Share their story to support other families  “Paying it forward” by donating unused supplies or connecting with another family starting a similar journey.    It’s also so important to celebrate! This is a big deal. Whether it’s a quiet snuggle, a family celebration, or a simple moment of acknowledgment, try to pause and take it in. Your child has done something incredible. And so have you. Saying goodbye to the feeding tube isn’t just the end of something, rather, the beginning of a new chapter. One built on trust, growth, and everything your family has learned along the way. However it looks for you, make space for it. You’ve earned that.    ** Please remember this podcast is NOT meant to replace the support and guidance of your child's medical team.  Consult with your doctor before starting the weaning process.**    Don’t forget to follow us on social media for more helpful information @Thrivewithspectrum on Instagram and Thrive by Spectrum Pediatrics on Facebook. You can also find out more information about the programs we offer at www.thrivewithspectrum.com  

Jeni and Heidi are back this week to talk about how to get back on track when things feel like they're falling apart. Tube weaning is rarely a straight line. If things feel off track, you’re actually right where many families find themselves at least once in their journey.  Tube weaning is often expected to be a simple shift: less nutrition through the tube and therefore more by mouth. In reality, it’s much more complex. Medical needs, sensory experiences, digestion, motor skills, and emotional safety all play a role. On top of that, families are navigating stress, fatigue, and the pressure that can come with wanting the process to go well. Because of this, most weaning journeys include a moment where things feel like they’ve stalled or gone off track. That doesn’t mean your child can’t do it. In fact, these moments are so common that in our program we expect them and plan for them.  When this happens, the goal isn’t to panic or assume the wean didn’t work. Instead, it’s about getting back on track by pausing and zooming out. Much like climbing a staircase, if you get winded you don’t go all the way back to the bottom! Instead, you might pause at the next landing. During tube weaning, that might mean adjusting support, reassessing your child’s needs, and working with your team to find the next stable step forward.  Responsive feeding encourages families to look beyond just volumes and bites and consider the bigger picture:  Is the feeding experience a good sensory fit for your child?  Does your child feel safe and supported at meals?  What’s happening medically or developmentally?  What was different during the days that went well?  Progress during tube weaning is often subtle. Small shifts might look like more comfort at the table, a few extra bites, increased curiosity about food. All of those are meaningful steps in learning to eat. If you find yourself feeling stuck, it’s okay to pause, reflect, and seek additional support. Sometimes getting back on track simply means bringing in another responsive feeding professional who can collaborate with you and your medical team to help guide the next step.  It's true that transitioning from the tube to oral eating can be messy, emotional, and unpredictable but that doesn’t mean you’re doing it wrong. Sometimes the most important step forward is simply pausing, zooming out, and finding the next place to begin again. You've got this and we're here to help!  ** Please remember this podcast is NOT meant to replace the support and guidance of your child's medical team.  Consult with your doctor before starting the weaning process.**    Don’t forget to follow us on social media for more helpful information @Thrivewithspectrum on Instagram and Thrive by Spectrum Pediatrics on Facebook. You can also find out more information about the programs we offer at www.thrivewithspectrum.com  

In tube weaning, we hear all the time, “We just need to create hunger.” But hunger isn’t a button you push. It’s a learning process and understanding that changes everything.    Hunger is the body’s physiological signal for energy. It’s driven by things like blood sugar and growth needs. Appetite is different: it’s the desire to eat, shaped by experience, interest, sensory input, and comfort. Both matter in tube weaning. For many tube-fed kids, hunger hasn’t been a consistent experience. Feeds are often delivered at the top end of calorie needs, which keeps children safe and growing but may leave little room to actually feel hunger. Sometimes what’s felt is relief from fullness, not true hunger.    What Gets in the Way?  High tube volumes limiting hunger opportunities  Stress or pressure around food  Overwhelm (even from fun or exciting activities!)  Trauma history affecting body awareness  Sensory sensitivities or regulation challenges  Neurological differences, medications, or day-to-day health changes    Every child, every opportunity, and every day is different.    What does it look like in tube-fed kids?  We often hear from families that when they first begin introduction periods of hunger into their child's day or eating experiences is that it doesn't look like it's "working".  It's important to remember that hunger is not an on/off switch. It develops through repeated, supported experiences over time. Early signs can be subtle:  Sitting at the table longer  Touching or smelling food  Small shifts in mood  Increased curiosity    Those moments count.  It's important to notice those and quietly begin to build on those successes by noticing how and when your child is responding and create situations that allow them to explore and expand at their own rate.     Give it time.  Skipping one feed doesn’t mean a child will eat that amount by mouth. It takes consistent, supportive exposure in the presence of manageable hunger. Too much hunger doesn’t help either. When a child is overwhelmed, learning stops. We’re looking for the middle: enough hunger to spark interest, not so much that it causes distress. Most importantly, we start with belief. Many children aren’t unable to feel hunger, they simply haven’t had the chance to learn what it feels like yet.    Instead of “flipping” hunger on, we carefully create space for it by:  Gradually adjusting tube feeds with medical guidance  Building manageable hunger without causing dysregulation  Offering repeated, low-pressure exposure to food  Supporting curiosity and motivation without expectation  Tube weaning isn’t about forcing hunger. It’s about creating safe, responsive opportunities for your child to experience their body’s signals and learn from them at their pace, in their way.    ** Please remember this podcast is NOT meant to replace the support and guidance of your child's medical team.  Consult with your doctor before starting the weaning process.**    Don’t forget to follow us on social media for more helpful information @Thrivewithspectrum on Instagram and Thrive by Spectrum Pediatrics on Facebook. You can also find out more information about the programs we offer at www.thrivewithspectrum.com  

Happy Feeding Tube Awareness Week! Jeni and Heidi are here this week to celebrate your family and to talk about how to gently and meaningfully include your tube-fed child in family mealtimes without pressure to eat. Meals are about so much more than calories or consumption! They’re also about connection, belonging, learning, and shared experiences. Whether your child eats by mouth, by tube, or both, they deserve to feel included, powerful, and safe at the table.    Things to consider:  Feeding looks different in every home and all of it counts!  Mealtimes are more than food. Yes, tube feeds happen in specific, medical ways (guided by your care team). But family meals can still be nourishing through connection, love, and togetherness.  Inclusion matters, even without eating. Your child doesn’t need to take bites to belong. Being present, silly, passing food, starting conversations, or just hanging out all count.  Follow your child’s comfort and cues. Participation might look different for every child. The goal is agency! Letting them join in ways that feel safe and manageable for them.  Let’s move away from “tolerance.” We don’t want kids just surviving mealtimes. We want meaningful, enjoyable experiences built around comfort and connection.  Self-regulation comes first. When kids are tube-fed and not hungry, it makes sense they’re not interested in food. We don’t want children learning to override their body signals just to meet expectations.  Connection over bites. Comfort, safety, and shared moments matter far more than tastes, licks, or mouthfuls.  There’s no need for perfection. Include your child in whatever way works for your family. Small moments of togetherness add up.  They’re learning even when they’re not eating. Kids soak in so much at the table! For example, how people interact, what food looks like, and that they belong.    And, if your child uses a feeding tube long-term, they can still grow up knowing they’re included and valued at mealtimes, no matter how they receive nutrition. This Feeding Tube Awareness Week, let’s celebrate every tubie, every caregiver, and every version of togetherness, because connection is always on the menu.    ** Please remember this podcast is NOT meant to replace the support and guidance of your child's medical team.  Consult with your doctor before starting the weaning process.**    Don’t forget to follow us on social media for more helpful information @Thrivewithspectrum on Instagram and Thrive by Spectrum Pediatrics on Facebook. You can also find out more information about the programs we offer at www.thrivewithspectrum.com 

If your child gets sick in the middle of tube weaning, it can feel like the whole process is falling apart. It’s certainly frustrating but try not to worry. Getting sick is a normal part of childhood, and it’s something every child and family will face again and again over the years. In this episode, Jeni and Heidi talk about how illness can affect appetite, eating skills, and tube use, and they're sharing practical ways to respond without losing momentum or trust in the process.   It may be no surprise that kids get sick a lot. On average, children in daycare or preschool get sick 6–12 times per year, and elementary-aged kids 6–8 times per year. For families of tube-fed children, that means that an illness will almost certainly show up at some point during tube weaning, likely more than once.   Of course we don't want kids to get sick, but when it happens, it's important to figure out a plan that will allow you to respond safely and calmly. When kids are sick, their intake naturally changes. Children without tubes eat much less when they’re ill, and tube-fed kids are no different. During illness, many bodies need a break. That may mean loosening expectations and relying more on tube feeds for a short time and that’s okay. Supporting your child through illness may change the timeline of a wean, but it does not change long-term success.  Key points to keep in mind:  Safety comes first. Hydration and overall stability matter more than pushing progress.  Trust your child’s cues. Refusals, comfort foods, or reduced interest in solids are expected when sick.  Responsiveness builds trust. Respecting “no” during illness reinforces bodily autonomy and helps kids return to eating when they’re ready.  Kids don’t forget what they’ve learned. Even with setbacks, skills around self-regulation, trust, and feeding remain.  Plan ahead with your medical team. Ask: “What would we do if my child didn’t have a tube?” and set clear guardrails for illness.  For children with more complex histories, it may take a little longer to return to eating after illness. We know and have seen time and time again that with time, space, and responsive support, they do. Even in cases where tubes need to stay in longer or be temporarily reinserted (like NG tubes), this does not predict weaning failure. Illness isn’t the problem. It's the way we respond that shapes the path forward. When we stay flexible, prioritize safety, and lead with trust, kids recover, reconnect with food, and continue moving forward, even when their journey isn’t a straight line.    ** Please remember this podcast is NOT meant to replace the support and guidance of your child's medical team.  Consult with your doctor before starting the weaning process.**      Don’t forget to follow us on social media for more helpful information @Thrivewithspectrum on Instagram and Thrive by Spectrum Pediatrics on Facebook. You can also find out more information about the programs we offer at www.thrivewithspectrum.com  

If you’re thinking about tube weaning, this probably isn’t a new idea. It’s a question that’s been sitting with you for a while: Is my child ready? And underneath that, how do we prepare so this can be successful?     Readiness: Preparing for tube weaning starts well before any feeds are actually reduced, and a huge part of that is making sure your child (and you) are truly ready.  We look at readiness in a few big-picture ways.    First is medical safety: can your child tolerate weaning, and is it safe for their body right now?    Just as important (and often overlooked) is psychological, social, and developmental readiness. Tube weaning is a big change. For many families, the tube was life-saving or deeply stabilizing at one point, so the idea of removing that safety net can feel uncertain, or even frightening.    We want to think about what else is happening in your child’s world, too. Are there new siblings, new schools, big life changes? Is this a season where your family can handle a major transition? The stars don’t need to perfectly align, but these factors certainly matter.     Understanding the Big Picture: It's important to understand that tube weaning is not a straight line and not a checklist, rather, it’s individualized and holistic. Many parents are surprised to learn that “do no harm” is more important than developing skills or "plumping" kids up in order to prepare for transition to oral eating.  Kids don’t need to eat before they can be weaned; in fact, most kids learn to eat by eating and by discovering their own internal motivation. In the same way, weaning isn't just about intake, it should foster the development of self-regulation, and "plumping kids up” can actually undermine that process.  Growth and development are personal, and externally driving intake often makes the process harder, not easier.      Minimize the Negative: When food has felt uncomfortable, unsafe, or pressured for a long time, our first job is often to stabilize things and protect your child’s relationship with food and with the people feeding them. Sometimes that means pausing therapy exercises, backing off skill work, and creating space for rest, trust, and predictability. That pause can feel really uncomfortable for parents, but it’s often one of the most powerful ways to prepare a child for what comes next.     Create Stability: Creating ease and predictability matters more than many people realize. Tube-fed kids have often lived through constant changes: new formulas, medical tests, feeding plans, and schedules, all on top of regular life stress. They deserve a chance to experience food and daily routines without everything constantly shifting. This doesn’t mean avoiding food altogether. We want kids to still be included at family meals and to touch, explore, and play with food on their terms.     Foster Autonomy: Eating requires agency, and protecting your child’s ability to say “no” is not a setback. It’s a skill. Your job is to decide what food is offered and when, whereas, your child’s job is to decide if they eat and how much. A “no” is information, not failure, and learning that their body cues are respected builds trust that pays off later.     Prepare Yourself: Finally, preparation isn’t just about your child! It’s about the grown-ups too. Tube weaning changes routines, disrupts what feels familiar, and can bring up a lot of fear and pressure to “do it right.” Thinking ahead about emotional support, logistics, and flexibility is incredibly helpful.      Get curious: One of the most important jobs you have is getting curious, not just about food, but about your child. What helps them feel safe? What overwhelms them? How do they communicate comfort or stress? Many parents of tube-fed kids were never given the space to really learn who their child is outside of medical needs.       When safety, trust, and autonomy come first, the process has room to unfold in the way your child actually needs. Thoughtful preparation isn’t slowing things down. Instead, it’s how we protect safety, trust, and the long-term success of the weaning journey.    ** Please remember this podcast is NOT meant to replace the support and guidance of your child's medical team.  Consult with your doctor before starting the weaning process.**    Don’t forget to follow us on social media for more helpful information @Thrivewithspectrum on Instagram and Thrive by Spectrum Pediatrics on Facebook. You can also find out more information about the programs we offer at www.thrivewithspectrum.com 

Navigating the holidays while tube-weaning can feel like a lot. Busy schedules, big gatherings, and traditions with friends or family can all add extra pressure, even when you don't factor in a feeding tube!  When it begins to feel like too much, it helps to zoom out and remember the real goal of the season: connection. Your child can join in family rituals and be part of the fun even if their feeding journey looks different. When we focus less on how much they ate and more on shared experiences, mealtimes get lighter for everyone.    Two common holiday traps are pressure (“just try a bite”) and restriction (“not that food again!”). Even well-intended comments can make kids shut down or feel guarded around food. Instead, let the holiday table be a place to explore: seeing, smelling, touching, holding a cup, or sticking with comfort foods. By letting kids engage at their own pace, they are learning what is meaningful to them, rather than simply learning to be cautious and on-guard.     Family gatherings may bring questions or unhelpful comments about eating or progress. A simple boundary or ready-to-go phrase can protect your child and keep things calm. Remember that most people mean well; they just need guidance. Your own energy matters too! When you eat what you enjoy, take breaks, and forget about trying to be perfect,  your child feels safer and more regulated.    And remember: holiday eating is different for every kid. New environments and lots of stimulation naturally change appetite and participation. Your child might eat more, less, or barely engage and all of that is okay. What matters most is that they feel included and capable. Offer familiar foods, adjust routines if they’re overwhelmed, and give them ways to join the table that don’t involve eating. That might look like passing a spoon, chatting with family at the table, or eating separately and joining in once things quiet down. A mix of connection, boundaries, and flexibility creates a holiday season that supports both your child’s feeding journey and their overall well-being. You've got this! Happy Holidays!    ** Please remember this podcast is NOT meant to replace the support and guidance of your child's medical team.  Consult with your doctor before starting the weaning process.**    Don’t forget to follow us on social media for more helpful information @Thrivewithspectrum on Instagram and Thrive by Spectrum Pediatrics on Facebook. You can also find out more information about the programs we offer at www.thrivewithspectrum.com 

Heidi and Jennifer are back today to help you feel empowered to choose the right tube weaning program for your child, your family, and yourself. Choosing a tube-weaning program is a major decision for families, especially when the information available can feel scattered or confusing. At the heart of this choice is your child’s safety, both physical and emotional. A solid program should prioritize medical oversight, work collaboratively with your child’s healthcare team, and have clear safety parameters in place for monitoring hydration, growth, and overall wellbeing. Just as important is your experience as the parent! Feeding is deeply tied to how we parent and connect with our kids, and when it becomes stressful or uncertain, that impact matters. You should be an active participant in the process, supported by professionals who listen to your insights, respect your instincts, and protect the relationship you have with your child.    It’s also essential to consider the environment where the learning will take place. Many children do best in spaces that feel familiar and low-stress, which is why home-based approaches can be so powerful. They allow clinicians to see the real factors influencing feeding and help kids practice skills where they will ultimately use them. Inpatient or clinical programs can offer benefits too, like on-site medical support and multidisciplinary teams, but it’s important to understand what mealtimes will look like and how they plan to help your child generalize those gains back home. Virtual programs are convenient, but even if the communication is virtual, tube weaning is still a very real part of your child's health journey.  Virtual programs should prioritize safety, adapt to your child’s unique needs, offer timely communication, and avoid a one-size-fits-all model. Whatever the setting, the program should be flexible, child-led, and ready to pivot when challenges or “what if” moments arise.    ** Please remember this podcast is NOT meant to replace the support and guidance of your child's medical team.  Consult with your doctor before starting the weaning process.**    Don’t forget to follow us on social media for more helpful information @Thrivewithspectrum on Instagram and Thrive by Spectrum Pediatrics on Facebook. You can also find out more information about the programs we offer at www.thrivewithspectrum.com  

Heidi and Jennifer are back! This week, they are sharing some tips and important pillars for feeding kids responsively. When children are learning to eat after having been tube dependent, it’s easy to focus on hunger only, but true progress comes from safety, comfort, and connection first. Eating isn’t just about what’s on the plate! It’s shaped by the environment, communication and language around eating and feeding, and how your child feels. Before thinking about what foods to offer, we encourage you to start by noticing who your child is outside of mealtimes. How do they handle new situations? Noise? Mess? These clues help you shape a mealtime experience that feels predictable and safe, which is where learning to eat begins.    Early on, comfort and enjoyment matter more than how much your child eats. Food is new and can feel hard, so try to focus on helping your child feel secure and curious before volumes and varieties. That might mean sitting together on the floor, offering familiar snack foods, or keeping mealtimes playful and low-pressure. Remember the Division of Responsibility. You decide what, when, and where to offer food, and your child decides if and how much to eat. It’s about providing structure while allowing freedom, so your child can explore food at their own pace.    Progress in tube weaning certainly isn’t linear. It’s a process of discovery. Some days will go smoothly and others won’t, and that’s okay. Reflect on what you notice, stay flexible, and keep comfort at the center of the oral eating experiences. When you focus on safety, connection, and responsiveness instead of consumption, you create the foundation your child needs to build trust with food and eventually eat with confidence and joy.    ** Please remember this podcast is NOT meant to replace the support and guidance of your child's medical team.  Consult with your doctor before starting the weaning process.**    Don’t forget to follow us on social media for more helpful information @Thrivewithspectrum on Instagram and Thrive by Spectrum Pediatrics on Facebook. You can also find out more information about the programs we offer at www.thrivewithspectrum.com 

Parents often ask us: What tools do I need to help my child eat? From vibrating toys to chewy tubes, special spoons to miracle cups, the pressure to “pick the right thing” during tube weaning can be overwhelming. But the truth is, responsive tube weaning isn’t about finding the perfect tool, it’s about understanding and supporting your unique child.  In this episode of Tube to Table, we unpack the role of tools, cups, and utensils in the weaning process. We’ll talk about:  Why tools are often recommended in feeding therapy and why we rarely use them  The myth of “sensory tolerance” and what’s actually happening when kids seem sensitive  Why oral motor tools don’t mimic how food behaves, and how that impacts learning  What it means to honor a child’s identity to support true felt safety  How to approach cups and utensils in a way that builds autonomy and agency  We’ll also share when tools can be useful and how to know if your child is inviting them in, rather than just tolerating them.  This conversation is a reminder that your child is the best guide. Most of the time, the tools you need are already at home and the real work is in creating a safe, responsive environment where your child can explore, lead, and learn to eat on their own terms.  ** Please remember this podcast is NOT meant to replace the support and guidance of your child's medical team.  Consult with your doctor before starting the weaning process.**    Don’t forget to follow us on social media for more helpful information @Thrivewithspectrum on Instagram and Thrive by Spectrum Pediatrics on Facebook. You can also find out more information about the programs we offer at www.thrivewithspectrum.com  

In this episode, Jeni and Heidi unpack a common concern in the tube weaning journey: growth. Fears about weight loss and strategies to facilitate weight gain all impact your child's ability to wean. While growth is important, Heidi and Jeni are here today to explore why it's essential to look at it in the context of the whole child, not just the number on the scale.    Jeni and Heidi talk about how focusing only on weight can lead to confusion and even stall the weaning process. Attempts to “plump kids up” before a wean often set them up for sharper drops later. Growth charts, while useful at times, weren't based on kids with tubes or complex medical histories, and comparing your child to a chart made for someone else doesn't tell the full story. Instead, we encourage families and providers to track trends over time, compare children to themselves, and zoom out to see the bigger picture.    Weight loss during weaning can feel scary, but it's often a necessary and expected part of the process. When carefully monitored, it’s a sign that the child’s body is learning hunger cues and beginning to build a more natural, responsive relationship with food. Trusting the process and staying responsive rather than reacting out of fear helps children build lasting skills and confidence as oral eaters. Ultimately, growth matters, but it's just one piece of the puzzle. When we prioritize quality over quantity, work closely with our team, and keep weight in perspective; children are better able to thrive both on the scale and at the table.    ** Please remember this podcast is NOT meant to replace the support and guidance of your child's medical team.  Consult with your doctor before starting the weaning process.**    Don’t forget to follow us on social media for more helpful information @Thrivewithspectrum on Instagram and Thrive by Spectrum Pediatrics on Facebook. You can also find out more information about the programs we offer at www.thrivewithspectrum.com  

In this episode, Jeni and Heidi dive into a topic that doesn’t always get the spotlight it deserves during the tube weaning process: hydration. Hydration is a crucial and separate process with its own cues, rhythms, and strategies. Understanding hydration and its importance separate from nutrition and supplementation can often lead to a safer and smoother wean.    We talk about why hydration deserves focused attention, especially in the early stages of weaning when safety is the top priority. How do you know your child is hydrated enough if they’re no longer getting fluids through a tube? We unpack the signs beyond just milliliters—wet diapers, energy levels, tear production, skin quality—and why it’s so important to ask your medical team for individualized hydration parameters. You'll also hear why keeping a child well hydrated often helps the feeding process, rather than hurt it. Hydration supports energy, digestion, and the body's ability to regulate.    Jeni and Heidi also explore when to start working on oral hydration, and why this usually comes a little later in the weaning journey. They’ll also talk about how to build safe, joyful routines around drinking, from modeling (hint: kids love drinking what you’re drinking!) to loosening our adult ideas of “the right drink.”     ** Please remember this podcast is NOT meant to replace the support and guidance of your child's medical team.  Consult with your doctor before starting the weaning process.**    Don’t forget to follow us on social media for more helpful information @Thrivewithspectrum on Instagram and Thrive by Spectrum Pediatrics on Facebook. You can also find out more information about the programs we offer at www.thrivewithspectrum.com  

When we hear the term "tube weaning," it’s easy to assume it simply means switching from tube feeds to oral eating. But in this episode, Jeni and Heidi unpack why weaning is not just a one-time event or a quick fix—it’s a rich, layered process that unfolds over time. Tube weaning isn’t just about getting food into the mouth instead of the tube. It’s a developmental journey that involves emotional, sensory, and motor learning for the child—and often, a full family transformation. It’s not something that happens to the child, but something the child does. That shift in perspective is crucial.    Jeni and Heidi explore how so much of the work in weaning is “under the surface.” It’s not just skill-building or hitting calorie targets. It’s about helping children learn to recognize new sensations like hunger, navigate unfamiliar emotions, and develop trust in their own bodies. Many of these kids have spent their early years enduring feeding, not initiating it. Becoming someone who chooses to eat is new—and that takes time, space, and support.    We also talk about what this means for families. Tube weaning often requires shifts in routines, expectations, and even how caregivers relate to their child around food. There can be fear and uncertainty when stepping away from the structure and safety of the tube. But with the right environment—one that provides safety, autonomy, and patience—children can slowly build the self-regulation they need to meet their own feeding needs. Weaning isn’t about perfection. It can sometimes feel slow and non-linear. It’s not a 10-day program; it’s a months-long evolution. The key is to keep showing up, staying curious, and following your child’s lead.    ** Please remember this podcast is NOT meant to replace the support and guidance of your child's medical team.  Consult with your doctor before starting the weaning process.**    Don’t forget to follow us on social media for more helpful information @Thrivewithspectrum on Instagram and Thrive by Spectrum Pediatrics on Facebook. You can also find out more information about the programs we offer at www.thrivewithspectrum.com  

Welcome back! This week, Jeni and Heidi are talking about the role of supplementation during the tube weaning process—why it matters, how we approach it, and what it can look like when done thoughtfully and safely.    Feeding tubes are incredible tools that support over 250,000 children in the U.S. They help kids grow, thrive, and heal—and the decision to use one is always made with the child’s best interest at heart. But just like any helpful tool, there may come a time when it's no longer needed and might even begin to create barriers—especially around oral eating, social life, travel, or day-to-day routines. We know that deciding to transition away from the tube is a big step. It often means the medical situation has stabilized or resolved. But the road forward requires careful thought. At THRIVE, we focus on two key ideas: honoring the role the tube has played and using it strategically as we move forward.    What happens when a child is ready to wean? How do we make safe and effective supplementation decisions during this transition?  -Hydration vs. Nutrition: While hydration is vital, it doesn’t usually interfere with oral intake of food. So we keep hydration steady while adjusting nutrition.  -Creating Room for Hunger: Before a child can eat more, they often need to feel more. We begin with what’s called “hunger induction”—a safe, stepwise reduction of tube feeds that gives the child space to connect with hunger and eating.  -Using the Tube Strategically: We’re not pulling support away cold turkey. Instead, we use the tube like a floatie—something to keep them safe and supported while they’re learning new skills. That includes using the tube to reinforce effort ("You worked hard, and now you feel full!") or to offer relief when things get too hard ("Let’s give you a break today.").  -Decision-Making in Real Time: Every child is different. Some might need more reduction to recognize hunger; others may need a little support to feel safe. We base our choices on energy, growth, health, and cues from the child. It’s not about finding the perfect number of ounces—it’s about tuning into your child’s needs.    Progress doesn’t mean perfection. Many kids start with small bites or narrow food ranges. The tube helps bridge the gap while they build skills, confidence, and variety. Our goal is not long-term dependence but rather using the tube as a tool while independence grows. There’s no single “right” way to do this.     ** Please remember this podcast is NOT meant to replace the support and guidance of your child's medical team.  Consult with your doctor before starting the weaning process.**    Don’t forget to follow us on social media for more helpful information @Thrivewithspectrum on Instagram and Thrive by Spectrum Pediatrics on Facebook. You can also find out more information about the programs we offer at www.thrivewithspectrum.com  

In this episode, Jeni and Heidi dive into the often-overlooked but incredibly powerful concept of pausing both before and along the tube weaning journey. After months—or even years—of pushing through medical challenges, therapies, and constant decisions, many families reach a point where forward movement feels exhausting.     Stepping back doesn’t mean giving up; it can actually create the space where the most meaningful progress happens. Pausing allows for emotional and physical repair—for both your child and yourself—and gives everyone a chance to find stability before pushing forward again. Jeni and Heidi explore how to recognize signs of tension or burnout (like dreading mealtimes), and why co-regulation—tuning into both your nervous system and your child’s—is such a vital part of this process. You’ll hear strategies for creating calm, pressure-free mealtimes, honoring your child’s need for space, and learning to trust the slow, sometimes messy path of tube weaning. We also reflect on the emotional work parents do—advocating, observing, supporting—and how important it is to give yourself credit and care along the way. This episode is a gentle invitation to trust that progress isn’t always about doing more, but about allowing space for healing, growth, and connection.    ** Please remember this podcast is NOT meant to replace the support and guidance of your child's medical team.  Consult with your doctor before starting the weaning process.**    Don’t forget to follow us on social media for more helpful information @Thrivewithspectrum on Instagram and Thrive by Spectrum Pediatrics on Facebook. You can also find out more information about the programs we offer at www.thrivewithspectrum.com 

In this episode, Jeni and Heidi dive into how parents can play a powerful role in protecting and supporting their child’s journey from tube feeding to eating by mouth. When preparing, it’s easy to focus on the practical things like what foods to buy, which cup to use, and what’s the best bottle out there. What really matters is understanding what’s going on under the surface for both you and your child.    For many kids, especially those with a history of medical challenges, food can be overwhelming. Even something as simple as a new texture or smell might feel scary. Recognizing that your child might not feel safe with food yet helps you meet them with more patience and empathy. Many parents carry emotional weight from past experiences around feeding. Stress, fear, and trauma—it’s real, and you’re not alone. Taking time to understand what you’re bringing into mealtimes can make a big difference. Getting support for yourself is not selfish—it’s essential. Feeding won’t always go smoothly, and that’s normal. What matters is having a plan for the “what ifs”: what if your child refuses food, or you feel overwhelmed? Giving yourself a break, asking for help, or having a different topic to talk about at the table can help shift energy in a healthy way.    Instead of counting bites or measuring progress by how much your child eats, we need to shift our mindset around what we consider a success. In the tube weaning process, it’s important to focus on things like: Did my child feel safe? Did we enjoy time together? Was the food offered in a way that respected their needs? These are real, meaningful wins. Your number one job is to protect your child’s sense of comfort and safety at the table. With preparation, reflection, and a focus on connection, you’re creating the foundation for your child’s eating skills to grow.    ** Please remember this podcast is NOT meant to replace the support and guidance of your child's medical team.  Consult with your doctor before starting the weaning process.**    Don’t forget to follow us on social media for more helpful information @Thrivewithspectrum on Instagram and Thrive by Spectrum Pediatrics on Facebook. You can also find out more information about the programs we offer at www.thrivewithspectrum.com  

Welcome back! In this episode, Jeni and Heidi are talking about how families can form an effective and collaborative team to support their child through the process of tube weaning. Too often, parents find themselves feeling isolated on their child’s tube weaning journey. They are either waiting for a plan that never comes or are trying to piece it together alone. With the right information and questions, a supportive team can be built. As we discussed in last week’s episode, parents are not just bystanders in this process—they are essential members of the team. You know your child best, and your voice, insights, and presence are vital in shaping both the plan and the outcome. It is vital to a child's success in tube weaning to work with professionals who view parents as experts and partners, and who understand that feeding skill development and long-term outcomes are closely tied to the parent-child relationship.    Jeni and Heidi also discuss the other key players on a strong tube weaning team: a medical provider who can set safety parameters around hydration, weight, and who knows your child’s medical history well; a therapist (often a speech or occupational therapist) who supports day-to-day progress through a child-led, strengths-based approach; and, of course, you, the parent, guiding and advocating every step of the way. Collaboration across all team members is crucial, even when it’s challenging. Jeni and Heidi offer practical guidance for asking the right questions, building trust, and planning for “what if” scenarios along the way. Tube weaning isn’t all-or-nothing—it’s a gradual, individualized process. With the right team in place, it can be safe, supported, and successful.    ** Please remember this podcast is NOT meant to replace the support and guidance of your child's medical team.  Consult with your doctor before starting the weaning process.**    Don’t forget to follow us on social media for more helpful information @Thrivewithspectrum on Instagram and Thrive by Spectrum Pediatrics on Facebook. You can also find out more information about the programs we offer at www.thrivewithspectrum.com 

When we talk about tube weaning, we’re not just talking about transitioning from tube feeds to oral intake—we’re talking about creating or restoring joy, curiosity, and connection to eating and feeding. And at the heart of that process is YOU, the parent. Too often, parents find themselves in one of two difficult roles: either sidelined and treated as an afterthought or isolated, left alone to search for answers and support. We know and believe that parents are the experts on their children. Your insight, intuition, and involvement are not just helpful—they are essential.    The feeding environment matters deeply. What makes your child feel comfortable, safe and secure? Maybe it’s sitting on a parent's lap during breakfast or being surrounded by siblings at the table. We must expand our definition of safety beyond a physical aspect, also considering emotional and sensory safety. Within the feeding environment, we need to also consider structure, not rigidity.     And when we do offer food, let’s consider pleasure, too. The goal at first is positive, low-pressure, intrinsically motivated experiences. That could be a lick of a chip, a finger dipped in ketchup, or stealing a bite from mom’s plate. If they see you enjoying it, they might be more willing to try it. That joy is the bridge to variety and nutrition later on. Every child is different. Every family is different. This journey will evolve, and that’s okay. It’s not about getting it perfect—it’s about staying curious, responsive, and connected to your child. Tube weaning is a process of learning, for everyone involved. It takes time, flexibility, and trust. And when parents are centered and supported, children can THRIVE.    ** Please remember this podcast is NOT meant to replace the support and guidance of your child's medical team.  Consult with your doctor before starting the weaning process.**    Don’t forget to follow us on social media for more helpful information @Thrivewithspectrum on Instagram and Thrive by Spectrum Pediatrics on Facebook. You can also find out more information about the programs we offer at www.thrivewithspectrum.com  

How many times has a loving adult or professional told you that your child’s eating difficulties are a sensory based “problem”? Yes, feeding IS a sensory experience AND it’s bigger than that. We all interact with the world and situations using our own individualized sensory identities. The ways in which we receive, interpret, and respond to sensory information within that is also constantly evolving. Sensory preferences are our brain’s learned protection and reaction to lived experiences, whether positive or negative.     The same sensory identities and associations are evolving in children who are learning to eat! While we’re working toward helping children become happy and healthy oral eaters, we must first devote time and energy to understanding WHO the child is and HOW they relate to the world through their sensory experiences before we try to change them. This is crucial to figuring out who your child is from a sensory standpoint. We must examine and consider the context such that we’re maximizing ease, comfort, trust, and peace BEFORE we increase the challenge or try to expand their diet/oral intake.    This is where motivation and autonomy play a key role. Giving the child control over how and when something occurs (such as eating) can significantly influence how they perceive the experience and how prepared their body is to engage in it. It’s only once a child has learned that they can be safe, comfortable, and stable that they can expand and have new experiences to help override old ones. This is a CHILD led process, one where we continue to accept where they are, no matter what. It may take time on the front end but also helps with success in the longer term.    ** Please remember this podcast is NOT meant to replace the support and guidance of your child's medical team.  Consult with your doctor before starting the weaning process.**    Don’t forget to follow us on social media for more helpful information @Thrivewithspectrum on Instagram and Thrive by Spectrum Pediatrics on Facebook. You can also find out more information about the programs we offer at www.thrivewithspectrum.com  

In this episode, Jennifer and Heidi are diving into how certain feeding strategies, specifically when transitioning off feeding tubes, can backfire. There is a common phrase that we hear a lot as therapists: “I can’t GET them to do it or I can only GET them to have 2 bites”. As loving caregivers, parents often think that it is their job to get their child to eat a certain food or specific volume. While working to transitioning to oral eating, the focus should be less on what you can get your child to do and more on letting them have the space to do so (McGlothlin, Jenny: Definition of “Let to Get”). The parents should focus on providing the foods and setting up a positive mealtime routine, while the child’s role is to determine if they’re going to eat it and how much (Ellyn Satter – Division of Responsibility).     Jennifer and Heidi discuss what specific feeding behaviors we often see in the traditional feeding therapy. These behaviors are often viewed as symptoms and then the focus tends to be on more behavioral strategies. Although there is some short-term research on those behavioral methods (praising, distracting, negotiating), we know that it has negative long-term effects on a child’s relationship with food. They will also review what we can do as therapists, and parents, to help create a solid foundation and address the relationship with food starting with the foundations. We will also review the evidence to support the responsive feeding strategies, specifically with tube-fed children.     If you would like any of the research or studies mentioned in this article, please do not hesitate to email us at [email protected] and we can send it to you.    ** Please remember this podcast is NOT meant to replace the support and guidance of your child's medical team.  Consult with your doctor before starting the weaning process.**    Don’t forget to follow us on social media for more helpful information @Thrivewithspectrum and @tubetotable on Instagram and Thrive by Spectrum Pediatrics on Facebook. You can also find out more information about the programs we offer at www.thrivewithspectrum.com  

In this week’s episode, Jennifer and Heidi talk about what motivates children to eat. While hunger is important, it’s not the only missing piece of the eating and feeding puzzle for tube fed kids.     When helping tube-fed kids become oral eaters, there are a lot of other pieces of the puzzle we must consider! Comfort, pleasure, curiosity, and relationships are all aspects that you, the loving and caring adult, can help facilitate for your tube-fed child. Eating in a comforting environment, having a meaningful and pleasurable experience during a mealtime, exploring food independently, and being a part of the mealtime routine can all help to drive internal motivation to eat! And Yes! Hunger also plays a role to build on oral eating. This looks different for every child in our program and beyond, and we know that following your child’s lead is of most importance to THRIVE!     It's important to differentiate between tolerance and internal motivation. Our goal as well-meaning adults is not to help children tolerate a food or bite a certain number of times. In fact, that undermines their curiosity and adds external pressures to eat. We know and believe that all children are competent! They can feel hunger and start to do something about it independently, but only once we remove any obstacles you have control over (pain, discomfort, stress, pressure) and allow for periods of rest/repair for your child to build knowledge and experience on their own terms.    ** Please remember this podcast is NOT meant to replace the support and guidance of your child's medical team.  Consult with your doctor before starting the weaning process.**    Don’t forget to follow us on social media for more helpful information @Thrivewithspectrum and @Tubetotable on Instagram and Thrive by Spectrum Pediatrics on Facebook. You can also find out more information about the programs we offer at www.thrivewithspectrum.com  

In this episode of Tube to Table, Jennifer and Heidi are letting you all in on a little secret: most kids learn to eat while they’re eating and participating in continued meaningful experiences surrounding a mealtime.     Often times, traditional feeding therapy has a narrow skill-based focus that may include oral motor skills, self-feeding skills, increasing volumes, or expanding varieties. Skill development actually includes much more than just those things! To target a skill, we need to zoom out to address the fundamentals. We know that learning is most successful when the learner is an active participant: When they are motivated or in charge of their learning, when they have felt safety, and when they’re given appropriate support that doesn’t undermine or take over.     For many of us adults, there’s an innate meaningfulness in food. What we forget is that it develops through experiences, and often, tube-fed kids do not have the same opportunities. Motor skills build over time, through experience and enjoyment, and by actively participating in activities already occurring throughout your home. Having your tube-fed child sit at the table with you during a meal provides tons of meaningful experiences!     No matter the skill you want to help your tube fed child to learn, whether its variety, volume, oral motor strength, sensory processing, or self-regulation, the goal is to see the big picture and help create an ideal and positive environment.    ** Please remember this podcast is NOT meant to replace the support and guidance of your child's medical team.  Consult with your doctor before starting the weaning process.**    Don’t forget to follow us on social media for more helpful information @Thrivewithspectrum on Instagram and Thrive by Spectrum Pediatrics on Facebook. You can also find out more information about the programs we offer at www.thrivewithspectrum.com   

Welcome to Tube To Table: The podcast about helping tube fed kids become happy and healthy eaters. In this episode, Jeni and Heidi are here to help parents understand why hearing “no” from your tube-fed child can be a good thing. Learning to accept “no” as parents can be a game changer for mealtimes and can help caregivers reframe what refusal means for their tube-fed child.     Did you know that food refusal is actually developmentally appropriate, regardless of the neurological identity of your child? It is easy to consider refusals as a problem or a deficit, however, it is an important part of the developmental process. It's a way for children to express that they’re unsure or perhaps not ready, and they’re actually doing the right thing by avoiding something that likely caused negative feelings in the past. As loving and well-meaning adults, this can feel like a failure or rejection, like a loss of control, and as if we’re not doing our jobs properly. It’s hard to know how to appropriately respond when it does come up.     Jeni and Heidi are here to help you understand the WHY: why it’s important to accept refusals, why we look at your child’s experiences around eating and feeding and not just the act of eating, and why we allow kids the space and time to create a happy and healthy relationship with food.    ** Please remember this podcast is NOT meant to replace the support and guidance of your child's medical team.  Consult with your doctor before starting the weaning process.**    Don’t forget to follow us on social media for more helpful information: @TubetoTable and @Thrivewithspectrum on Instagram and Thrive by Spectrum Pediatrics on Facebook. You can also find out more information about the programs we offer at www.thrivewithspectrum.com    

Did your child just receive a feeding tube? Are you feeling stuck in feeding therapy? In this episode of Tube To Table, we are diving into the topic of what parents wish they had been told when their child first got their feeding tube. Feeding tubes can be a medical necessity and can help keep kids safe when needed. We’re here to remind you that this is not your fault, and your child can do this!     The transition from being tube-fed to becoming an oral eater can be tricky and it is often not an automatic process. No matter where you are in the process, today’s podcast will touch on a few of the most important factors to look at when starting the transition to tube weaning. We’ll talk through the tricky thought patterns you may be experiencing, why you could be feeling stuck in feeding therapy and how to support progress, and what our roles are as adults to help children feel safe and supported during this transition.     ** Please remember this podcast is NOT meant to replace the support and guidance of your child's medical team.  Consult with your doctor before starting the weaning process.**    Don’t forget to follow us on social media for more helpful information @Tubetotable and @Thrivewithspectrum on Instagram and Thrive by Spectrum Pediatrics on Facebook. You can also find out more information about the programs we offer at www.thrivewithspectrum.com 

Welcome to Tube To Table: The podcast about helping tube fed kids become happy and healthy eaters. In Episode 1 of Season 2, you’ll get re-acquainted with your hosts, Jennifer Berry and Heidi Moreland as they talk about Responsive Feeding and the transition from Tube to Table. Jennifer is an occupational therapist and founder of the Thrive by Spectrum Pediatrics Tube Weaning Program, and Heidi is a speech-language pathologist and clinical coordinator of the Thrive Tube Weaning Program. Both Jennifer and Heidi have over 30 years of combined experience working with families of tube-fed children.     Episode 1 dives into some of the unknowns as a parent or loved one of a tube-fed child, including how to help wean when the tube is no longer medically necessary. There can sometimes be a mismatch and frustration around the whole process, focusing on a child’s deficits. Jennifer and Heidi talk about the focus on “why” and the experience of the child to guide our program.      Jennifer and Heidi are here to help you “zoom out”. To help parents and caregivers take some focus off counting calories, measuring volume, counting number of bites, chewing in a certain way, closing lips, etc. and help you see your child’s experience of feeding in the big picture. We want to help you develop foundations for your child’s experience so that you can see how they’re relating to food and feeding. These foundations then help develop and build the skills that they need to eat more and use the tube less.  **Please remember this podcast is NOT meant to replace the support and guidance of your child's medical team.  Consult with your doctor before starting the weaning process. ** Don’t forget to follow us on our other social media accounts: @Thrivewithspectrum on Instagram and Thrive by Spectrum Pediatrics on Facebook. You can also find out more information about the programs we offer at www.thrivewithspectrum.com.   

Welcome back to the Tube to Table Podcast. On this week’s episode, Reframing Refusal, Heidi and Jennifer are talking about how to reframe the experience you and your child have when they refuse to eat. We are so thankful for all of our listeners and have loved hearing how this podcast is helping therapists and families implement responsive feeding into their mealtimes! With the summer approaching, we are planning to take some time off to record some new episodes and will be back with Season 2 in a couple months! For today’s episode, your hosts will dive into what refusal looks like and how to handle it when it happens before, during, or after the intensive weaning process. Refusal is a natural and necessary part of development and how your child learns to have a happy and healthy relationship with food. What do you do when your child refuses to eat? Why does refusal happen and what does it mean? All of these questions will be answered in this week’s episode!  Check out this episode’s show note page (www.thrivewithspectrum.com) for links to the resources we mentioned and more information on what we discussed in today’s episode! Don’t forget to follow us on social media for more helpful information @Thrivewithspectrum on Instagram, @Thrivewithsp on Twitter, and @Thrivewithspectrum on Facebook!   

In this week’s episode of Tube to Table, Jennifer and Heidi are discussing the Thrive Parent’s Bill of Rights. You may have seen this in a recent blog post at Thrive, but during this episode Jennifer and Heidi will dive into more detail and walk through each crucial step in the Bill of Rights. This was created by the Thrive Tube Weaning Team for any feeding therapy, not just tube weaning, although it especially applies to children with feeding tubes. This is an important tool to help remind parents to listen to their intuition and guide them through what feeding therapy should look like. If something feels wrong, it is important to identify that feeling and address that with your therapist. The Thrive Bill of Rights is a good reminder for parents that your protective intuition is there for a reason, and if it feels wrong, it is worth exploring more. Jennifer and Heidi will break down the Bill of Rights and outline why it is so important for families to be a part of therapy and feel confident in their decisions.  Check out this episode’s show note page (www.thrivewithspectrum.com) for links to the resources we mentioned and more information on what we discussed in today’s episode! Don’t forget to follow us on social media for more helpful information @Thrivewithspectrum on Instagram, @Thrivewithsp on Twitter, and @Thrivewithspectrum on Facebook!   

On this week’s episode of Tube To Table, Jennifer is joined by Jamie Hinchey, a member of the Tube Weaning program at Thrive. Jennifer and Jamie are talking about the measurement trap and how families can easily get caught up in it. Many families get stuck measuring progress with numbers, graphs, charts, and logs, rather than looking at their child and focusing on the responsive mealtimes. This is one of the most common difficulties that we see while working with families after an intensive tube wean. Letting go of the numbers is deeply embedded in the entire process that parents go through while weaning their child from a feeding tube. It is so hard to let go of strict measuring, but it is also a crucial part in building a confident and competent eater. Jennifer and Jamie will discuss why it is important to shift towards more responsive strategies, and how to identify success without focusing on the numbers.  Check out this episode’s show note page (www.thrivewithspectrum.com) for links to the resources we mentioned and more information on what we discussed in today’s episode! Don’t forget to follow us on social media for more helpful information @Thrivewithspectrum on Instagram, @Thrivewithsp on Twitter, and @Thrivewithspectrum on Facebook!

Welcome back to another episode of the Tube to Table podcast! We are continuing our “Parent’s Perspective” series with Joe’s story. On this week’s episode, Heidi sat down with Maggie, Joe’s mom who participated in the Thrive Intensive Tube Weaning Program at their home in Nashville. Maggie and Heidi talk through Joe’s history including his medical complications that led to the feeding tube, past therapy approaches, and how they ended up at Thrive. You’ll also hear Maggie talk more about what she learned about herself and about Joe during the process, as well as some of her favorite memories of Joe learning to eat. Every child’s journey throughout the Thrive program is different and unique, but Maggie talks about how this process helped her learn to trust Joe and build the confidence that he could be a happy and healthy eater! Check out this episode’s show note page (www.thrivewithspectrum.com) for links to the resources we mentioned and more information on what we discussed in today’s episode! Don’t forget to follow us on social media for more helpful information @Thrivewithspectrum on Instagram, @Thrivewithsp on Twitter, and @Thrivewithspectrum on Facebook!

On this week’s episode of the Tube to Table podcast, Heidi and Jennifer are talking about the “where” of tube weaning. Where should tube weaning take place? What are the pros and cons to different weaning settings? They’ll answer all of your questions and talk through the important factors to consider when making a choice for your child’s tube wean.  At Thrive, we believe children should be weaned at home whenever possible, but that may not always be possible for some families. Different settings include hospitals, clinics, or through remote treatment. This can be an overwhelming decision for many families, but this is one of the most important factors to really look into. This week’s episode will go through all of the upsides and downsides of different settings to help families make the decision for themselves.  Check out this episode’s show note page (www.thrivewithspectrum.com) for links to the resources we mentioned and more information on what we discussed in today’s episode! Don’t forget to follow us on social media for more helpful information @Thrivewithspectrum on Instagram, @Thrivewithsp on Twitter, and @Thrivewithspectrum on Facebook!

Welcome back to another episode of Tube to Table! We are so excited to have another episode as part of our “Parent’s Perspective” series. This week we are joined by Jessica & Chris, whose daughter, Noelle, went through the Thrive Tube Weaning Program a few months ago. Jessica and Chris are sharing their story with Heidi, the clinical coordinator of the program and Noelle’s therapist during her wean! Throughout this episode, you’ll learn more about Noelle’s history, what feeding therapy looked like for the first 5 years, and how her parents found Thrive. Noelle’s parents share their perspective on the intensive program including their experience while traveling to Nashville, Noelle’s amazing progress, and what they learned throughout the process. They will also share advice they have for families of tube-fed children who are either just leaving the NICU, just received a feeding tube, or ready to wean!  Check out this episode’s show note page (www.thrivewithspectrum.com) for links to the resources we mentioned and more information on what we discussed in today’s episode! Don’t forget to follow us on social media for more helpful information @Thrivewithspectrum on Instagram, @Thrivewithsp on Twitter, and @Thrivewithspectrum on Facebook! 

Welcome back to another episode of Tube To Table! This week, Heidi and Jennifer are talking all about love and attachment. How do loving and attached relationships impact tube weaning or your child learning how to eat? If there was ever a time that we are all more aware of building these relationships, it is right now. Things can seem hard right now, but as we’re all having more video calls, calling our grandparents more, or reaching out to friends, it’s important to think about how attachment and relationships play a role in tube weaning. In previous episodes, we’ve talked a lot about building loving, trusting feeding relationships, but we have never talked about WHY that’s important. Feeding and attachment are so closely linked that it is impossible to separate out the parent/child relationship around food. When that is separated, there can be a negative long-term impact on the child. Jennifer and Heidi dive into why feeding and attachment are so important and how you can help build that attachment with your child to strengthen the feeding relationship.  Check out this episode’s show note page (www.thrivewithspectrum.com) for links to the resources we mentioned and more information on what we discussed in today’s episode! Don’t forget to follow us on social media for more helpful information @Thrivewithspectrum on Instagram, @Thrivewithsp on Twitter, and @Thrivewithspectrum on Facebook!

We hope everybody is well and staying close at home, keeping themselves and everyone in their community safe. In this week’s episode of Tube To Table, Heidi and Jennifer are back together to answer a question we have been receiving from many families. Is this a good time to move forward with a wean? In the past, we have talked about how high stress times can be a difficult time to wean, but now that we are looking at the long-term view and unknown of how long this “new normal” may last, it’s important to address the pros and cons. There may be multiple opportunities that this crisis lends towards children with feeding tubes and their journey towards oral eating. Throughout this episode, Jennifer and Heidi will break down the important pros and cons to consider when choosing to wean during a quarantine.  Check out this episode’s show note page (www.thrivewithspectrum.com) for links to the resources we mentioned and more information on what we discussed in today’s episode! Don’t forget to follow us on social media for more helpful information @Thrivewithspectrum on Instagram, @Thrivewithsp on Twitter, and @Thrivewithspectrum on Facebook!

At Thrive, we miss seeing our families in person, but we are so happy we have been able to reach out and see our families online! For many children and families, this can be a challenging time because therapy is on hold or transitioning to teletherapy. Therapists are struggling to reach out to children, parents have multiple tasks to take care of, and families are feeling overwhelmed. In this week’s episode of Tube To Table, Heidi is joined by Jamie, a member of the Tube Weaning team. Our team at Thrive wants to reframe many of the things that people are doing everyday. Many of the routines and activities you are already doing are likely therapeutic, whether it is official therapy or not. So what to do when your feeding therapy is on hold? It’s OKAY! Mealtimes are so much more than just building oral motor skills and working on strategies, mealtimes are about the togetherness and comfort. In this week’s episode, Heidi and Jamie will talk through how you can help your child throughout this time and why it’s important to give yourself a break!   Check out this episode’s show note page (www.thrivewithspectrum.com) for links to the resources we mentioned and more information on what we discussed in today’s episode! Don’t forget to follow us on social media for more helpful information @Thrivewithspectrum on Instagram, @Thrivewithsp on Twitter, and @Thrivewithspectrum on Facebook!   

We know that this past week hasn’t been easy for our families. We are thinking of you and sending a big virtual hug! It’s important to remember that what’s more important than what your kid is eating or how much they are taking by mouth is the comfort, security, and attachment they feel for you. There is a lot of evidence to show that your mental and emotional well-being are very important and can help make things easier, so hang in there! Although this might not be a time to dive into tube weaning, it could be a time to gather more information and map out a plan. At the Tube to Table podcast, we are going to continue to provide you with information and try to keep things as normal as possible for you and your family! In this week’s episode, Jennifer and Heidi are talking about learning to drink while weaning. This episode focuses on things to consider while weaning and learning to drink as well as some practical ways we see kids learn to drink!  Check out this episode’s show note page (www.thrivewithspectrum.com) for links to the resources we mentioned and more information on what we discussed in today’s episode! Don’t forget to follow us on social media for more helpful information @Thrivewithspectrum on Instagram, @Thrivewithsp on Twitter, and @Thrivewithspectrum on Facebook!   

In this week’s episode, Heidi is joined by Jamie Hinchey, a feeding therapist and member of the Thrive tube weaning team. Heidi and Jamie are discussing the importance of bringing calm to a situation, specifically around children. This could be moving houses, a new baby in the house, spring break, or a change in the weather. If you are listening to this in real-time, then there are many of you who are dealing with a sense of chaos or disruption in your house right now. We’re here to help. It can be hard to manage when different situations arise, big or small. As the adult, you have the right and ability to bring calm into the situation for your family. Today’s episode will dive into a few strategies that we find helpful for parents when things feel chaotic. Jamie and Heidi will discuss the importance of reducing expectations, bringing familiarity to the situation, and linking the old and the new. The Thrive team is also celebrating 10k downloads on the podcast! Thanks for listening!  Check out this episode’s show note page (www.thrivewithspectrum.com) for links to the resources we mentioned and more information on what we discussed in today’s episode! Don’t forget to follow us on social media for more helpful information @Thrivewithspectrum on Instagram, @Thrivewithsp on Twitter, and @Thrivewithspectrum on Facebook!   

On this week’s episode of the Tube to Table podcast, Jennifer and Heidi are talking about autonomy. What is it and why is it important in your child’s tube weaning journey? It is so important to allow your child to be autonomous and independent while building a healthy and happy relationship with food. This should be a priority over efficiency and skill development. We have received feedback from therapists and parents who are struggling to find this balance within therapy. Your hosts will elaborate more on what autonomy means, why it is important to prioritize, and how this helps children recover from any past traumatic food experience. So what does this look like in real life at the family table? Jennifer and Heidi will talk through how to build autonomy at mealtimes within your everyday routine, especially throughout the weaning process.  Check out this episode’s show note page (www.thrivewithspectrum.com) for links to the resources we mentioned and more information on what we discussed in today’s episode! Don’t forget to follow us on social media for more helpful information @Thrivewithspectrum on Instagram, @Thrivewithsp on Twitter, and @Thrivewithspectrum on Facebook!   

On this week’s episode, Jennifer and Heidi are talking about liquids and how they play a role while weaning your child from a feeding tube. As we all know, liquids are an essential part of our life, especially when we are sick  or not feeling our best. Think about when you are dehydrated and how that makes your body feel: typically tired, low energy, swollen, and just generally uncomfortable. Kids feel that way too, even small babies, but they are not able to communicate that as well. At Thrive, we work with your child’s medical team to determine hydration parameters prior to starting a wean. In this episode, Heidi and Jennifer will discuss what that conversation looks like and why it is so important.  Your hosts will also talk through 3 main reasons why introducing liquids can feel so hard during a wean or why your child isn’t showing as much interest in drinking.   Check out this episode’s show note page (www.thrivewithspectrum.com) for links to the resources we mentioned and more information on what we discussed in today’s episode! Don’t forget to follow us on social media for more helpful information @Thrivewithspectrum on Instagram, @Thrivewithsp on Twitter, and @Thrivewithspectrum on Facebook!

On this week’s episode, Heidi is joined by Brianna Brown, a feeding therapist and member of the Thrive Tube Weaning Team. To follow up with last week’s topic on anxiety, Brianna and Heidi are discussing how to move forward when there is an actual problem or crisis during a tube wean. Anxiety and the feeling of a crisis are common during tube weaning in all families with children of all ages. Although the problem may be different for each family, there are common strategies that we find very important. Brianna and Heidi will discuss why addressing your mindset is so important and how our therapists can help parents through that while weaning. There are many things to consider when working with families, but the 3 most important things are: building a team, focusing on communication, and sticking to the facts. Throughout this episode, Brianna and Heidi will break down these three strategies and how they relate to tube weaning.  Check out this episode’s show note page (www.thrivewithspectrum.com) for links to the resources we mentioned and more information on what we discussed in today’s episode! Don’t forget to follow us on social media for more helpful information @Thrivewithspectrum on Instagram, @Thrivewithsp on Twitter, and @Thrivewithspectrum on Facebook!

On this week’s episode of the Tube to Table podcast, Heidi is joined by Jamie, a feeding therapist and full-time member of the Thrive Tube Weaning Team. This week is Tube Feeding Awareness Week and we are so happy that this podcast has been able to reach families who have a child on a feeding tube, who are ready to wean, or who recently received a feeding tube. This week’s topic is all about worrying. Why do we as therapists need to worry about worrying? This topic will be helpful for all families who have or who have had a child with a feeding tube. Most parents would do just about anything for their children, and one of those things means trying to anticipate future problems to avoid any bumps in the road. While this can be helpful, there is a sneaky downside to this that is very subtle. Worrying and anxious thoughts can directly relate to mealtimes, feedings, and your child’s weaning journey. In this episode, Jamie and Heidi will talk about what this worrying looks like, what do we do when we encounter it, and what the plan should be to jump off the cycle.  Check out this episode’s show note page (www.thrivewithspectrum.com) for links to the resources we mentioned and more information on what we discussed in today’s episode! Don’t forget to follow us on social media for more helpful information @Thrivewithspectrum on Instagram, @Thrivewithsp on Twitter, and @Thrivewithspectrum on Facebook!

Welcome back for another episode of Tube to Table! This week we are talking about how to measure progress while weaning your child from their feeding tube. We have been hearing from various families that we work with that there is confusion over how progress is measured. This is also a common conversation we find ourselves having with healthcare teams when discussing a child’s progression throughout a tube wean. Last week, we talked about how to initiate the conversation with your medical team and the importance of providing them resources on tube weaning. This week, we are focusing on how to shift the focus from a “number” to the whole child when looking at measures of success. There is confusion when people look at factors that we consider parameters or boundaries, as the way to measure progress. This week’s episode will identify the four measures of progress that we focus on at Thrive and why they are important. Heidi and Jennifer will break down each factor to discuss what to look for and how to identify these measures of success.  Check out this episode’s show note page (www.thrivewithspectrum.com) for links to the resources we mentioned and more information on what we discussed in today’s episode! Don’t forget to follow us on social media for more helpful information @Thrivewithspectrum on Instagram, @Thrivewithsp on Twitter, and @Thrivewithspectrum on Facebook!

On this week’s episode of the Tube to Table podcast, we are talking about the difficulties families face while communicating with their medical team during their tube weaning journey. Jennifer and Heidi sat down with Dr. Katja Rowell, the co-author of Helping Your Child with Extreme Picky Eating as well as a wonderful responsive feeding resource. Katja shares her experience working in a family practice and how she became so interested in the development of feeding as well as the importance of a positive feeding relationship for children. Dr. Rowell dives into what her role is now, how she is continuing to help families, and the importance of working with your medical team. They will discuss how to measure “success” while looking at the whole child and the importance of advocating for your child at the doctor’s office. She will share evidence-based information on where the focus should be when bringing your child to the doctor, as well as what questions to ask to effectively communicate with your team.   Check out this episode’s show note page (www.thrivewithspectrum.com) for links to the resources we mentioned and more information on what we discussed in today’s episode! Don’t forget to follow us on social media for more helpful information @Thrivewithspectrum on Instagram, @Thrivewithsp on Twitter, and @Thrivewithspectrum on Facebook!

On this week’s episode of Tube to Table, we are talking about blenderized diets and how they help children who are on feeding tubes as well as those who are in the weaning process. To discuss this topic in detail, we sat down with Julie Bombacino, the founder of Real Food Blends (https://www.realfoodblends.com/).  Julie is telling her story of how she started the Real Food Blends company and her child’s tube feeding journey. Transitioning to a blenderized diet can be very scary for families, especially if they don’t know where to find the resources that will help educate them on this change. Julie discusses how her family transitioned to a blenderized diet, what benefits they immediately saw, and how they started the conversation with their medical team about this transition. Julie and Jennifer will also talk about how Real Food Blends started and what the research shows about the benefits of blenderized diets for the tube-fed population. They will talk about the importance of looking at the whole-child when making a transition to blenderized diets and how that helps the child’s overall health.   Check out this episode’s show note page (www.thrivewithspectrum.com) for links to the resources we mentioned and more information on what we discussed in today’s episode! Don’t forget to follow us on social media for more helpful information @Thrivewithspectrum on Instagram, @Thrivewithsp on Twitter, and @Thrivewithspectrum on Facebook!   

We are so excited for this week’s episode, which marks the start of our series “A Parent’s Perspective”. The Tube to Table podcast will be featuring parents and families who have gone through our Tube Weaning program and can share their experience! In this week’s episode, our feeding therapist, Jamie Hinchey, is interviewing Benji’s parents, Cory and Ivy from New York City. Benji is also here so you may hear him chiming in! Benji’s family participated in our intensive tube weaning program at their home in New York in May 2018. Benji’s parents are sharing a little bit about his history and where their feeding tube journey started. We will talk about how the feeding tube helped Benji in the first few months, when they knew it was time to work towards weaning him off the tube, and how they chose the Thrive Tube Weaning program. Jamie will also talk with Benji’s parents about what was helpful during the intensive portion, a few keys to success for their personal journey, and how follow up was a big part of Benji’s journey. You’ll also hear a few exciting things about where Benji is today and what he loves to eat!   Check out this episode’s show note page (www.thrivewithspectrum.com) for links to the resources we mentioned and more information on what we discussed in today’s episode! Don’t forget to follow us on social media for more helpful information @Thrivewithspectrum on Instagram, @Thrivewithsp on Twitter, and @Thrivewithspectrum on Facebook!   

Happy New Year! We are so happy to be back in 2020 with new episodes and exciting guests! In this week’s episode, your hosts Jennifer and Heidi, will discuss the difference between when children find comfort in eating vs. eating for compliance. It can be very difficult for families to identify if the success they are seeing is due to compliance. Your hosts break down the evidence behind the reasons why children eat and what strategies help build long-term success. Many families share that it can be easy to fall into compliance “mode” while feeding their child and the focus can easily be on “getting” them to eat rather than giving them space. In past episodes, we have talked about responsive feeding and what that looks like, but we rarely discuss what the other side looks like. How do you know if a child is eating for compliance? What cues should you look for? Your hosts will break down the different cues you may see, and some strategies to try instead to help your child build comfort around food. This episode will also cover what progress looks like, how to reframe the word progress for families, and how to transition from a compliant environment to a comfortable environment.  Check out this episode’s show note page (www.thrivewithspectrum.com) for links to the resources we mentioned and more information on what we discussed in today’s episode! Don’t forget to follow us on social media for more helpful information @Thrivewithspectrum on Instagram, @Thrivewithsp on Twitter, and @Thrivewithspectrum on Facebook! 

It’s the holiday season, which means a lot of talk about food! This can lead to more “food noise” around parents and their children. In this week’s episode, we are discussing our own food noise as parents and how our self-body image can directly impact our tube-fed kids. In today’s society, adults are often having conversations about the way we see ourselves, our bodies, and how we relate to food. What a lot of adults don’t realize, is that these conversations are typically overheard by our most vulnerable children and eaters. When there is negative talk that is “diet-focused” or culturally-focused rather than talk around self-regulation or pleasure, children can get very confused. This relates to all children, but specifically those who are tube-fed or who already have a complicated relationship with eating. At first, this may not seem like a big deal, but it has a subtle impact on how children learn to listen to their own body. Children who are tube fed are already trying to figure out their relationship with food and how to food can be trusted. Jennifer and Heidi are going to sort through the common pitfalls that we see in both parents and society related to negative food noise. They will also discuss strategies that you can do instead during this holiday season!  Check out this episode’s show note page (www.thrivewithspectrum.com) for links to the resources we mentioned and more information on what we discussed in today’s episode! Don’t forget to follow us on social media for more helpful information @Thrivewithspectrum on Instagram, @Thrivewithsp on Twitter, and @Thrivewithspectrum on Facebook!

That’s right, we are talking about all things poop in this week’s episode. This includes constipation, poop patterns while weaning, and everything else that comes into play when weaning your child off their feeding tube. This is an important topic to discuss because it can be a large factor during a wean if a child is feeling off. Heidi and Jennifer dive right into the poop talk and discuss what to consider so that your child is feeling good throughout their weaning journey and can continue to move forward. While participating in any weaning program, it is likely that when reducing tube delivered nutrition and hydration, your child may be at risk for constipation. This episode will break down how to have that conversation with your doctor prior to starting your wean. Throughout the Thrive Tube Weaning Program, we always work with your child’s physician during our evaluation, intensive treatment, and follow up.  Your hosts will talk about why it is so important to work with your medical team, how to start this conversation, and tips for being prepared prior to starting your wean!  Check out this episode’s show note page (www.thrivewithspectrum.com) for links to the resources we mentioned and more information on what we discussed in today’s episode! Don’t forget to follow us on social media for more helpful information @Thrivewithspectrum on Instagram, @Thrivewithsp on Twitter, and @Thrivewithspectrum on Facebook!