Feeding Therapy

Supporting children with feeding and swallowing difficulties. Whether your child is a selective eater, struggles with new textures, or has difficulty with swallowing safely, our therapists provide assessment and individualized support to help mealtimes become more comfortable for the whole family.

Feeding Therapy

What Is Feeding Therapy?

Feeding therapy supports children who have difficulty with eating, drinking, or swallowing. This goes beyond “picky eating” — feeding difficulties can affect a child’s nutrition, growth, and family mealtimes.

Speech therapists (speech-language pathologists) are trained in the anatomy and function of the mouth, throat, and swallowing mechanism, making us well-suited to assess and support feeding and swallowing concerns alongside communication goals.

Feeding challenges can be related to:

Oral motor skills — difficulty chewing, moving food around the mouth, or coordinating swallowing
Sensory processing — sensitivity to food textures, temperatures, smells, or appearances
Medical factors — reflux, allergies, or structural differences affecting eating
Developmental factors — delayed transition through feeding stages
Behavioural factors — anxiety or negative associations with mealtimes

Signs Your Child May Benefit from Feeding Therapy

Infants (0–12 months)

Difficulty latching or maintaining a suck during breast or bottle feeding
Excessive coughing, choking, or gagging during feeds
Feeds taking longer than 30 minutes consistently
Poor weight gain or failure to thrive
Refusing to transition to solids at appropriate age

Toddlers (1–3 years)

Accepting fewer than 20 foods
Gagging or vomiting with new textures
Difficulty transitioning from purees to soft solids to table foods
Only eating one brand or preparation of a food
Mealtime distress (crying, refusing to sit, throwing food)

Preschool and school-age (3+ years)

Very limited food range (fewer than 15–20 accepted foods)
Refusing entire food groups (e.g., no vegetables, no proteins)
Difficulty eating at school or at other people’s homes
Anxiety about new foods or eating situations
Impact on social participation (avoiding birthday parties, school camps)

What We Can Help With

Selective / restrictive eating

Expanding food range gradually and respectfully

Texture progression

Moving from purees through soft solids to regular table foods

Oral motor feeding skills

Chewing, tongue movement, swallowing coordination

Sensory-based feeding challenges

Desensitizing to textures, smells, and appearances

Mealtime behaviour

Reducing stress and building positive associations with eating

Swallowing safety

Assessment and management of swallowing difficulties (dysphagia)

Tube weaning support

Transitioning from tube feeding to oral feeding

Our Approach to Feeding

Comprehensive assessment

We evaluate your child’s feeding history, oral motor skills, sensory responses, and mealtime routines

Collaborative goal-setting

We work with you (and your child’s pediatrician or dietitian when needed) to set realistic, meaningful goals

Gradual exposure

We use systematic desensitization and food chaining to help children become comfortable with new foods at their own pace

Positive mealtime strategies

We help restructure mealtimes to reduce pressure and increase your child’s willingness to explore food

Parent coaching

We equip you with strategies for home, recognizing that most feeding happens outside therapy sessions

Feeding Therapy FAQs

Is my child just a picky eater, or is this a feeding problem?

Most children go through phases of picky eating — this is typical. It may be more than picky eating if your child accepts fewer than 20 foods, has dropped foods without adding new ones, gags or vomits with certain textures, or if mealtimes are consistently stressful. An assessment can help clarify.

Will my child grow out of it?

Some children naturally expand their diet over time. However, children with sensory-based or oral motor feeding challenges often don’t “grow out of it” without support. Early intervention tends to be more effective because eating patterns become more established with age.

Do you work with other professionals for feeding therapy?

Yes. Feeding is complex, and we collaborate with pediatricians, dietitians, and occupational therapists when needed. If your child has medical factors affecting feeding (reflux, allergies, structural differences), a team approach ensures all aspects are addressed.

What does a feeding therapy session look like?

Sessions are play-based and low-pressure. Depending on your child’s needs, we might explore foods through sensory play, practice oral motor exercises, do structured food exposure activities, or work on mealtime routines. Parent coaching is always a key component.

Concerned About Your Child’s Eating?

Our speech therapists can assess your child’s feeding and create a plan to make mealtimes easier. Book a free discovery call to get started.

Free Discovery Call Check Milestones

Our Specialists in This Area

Annie Lim

Principal Speech Therapist

Felicia