- Medical Stability
- Facilitating Safe Swallowing
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Nutrition Management to Improve Oral Nutritional Intake/Nutrition and Hydration
- Estimating Energy and Protein Requirements
- Supporting Adequate Growth
- Supporting Oral Nutrition for Exclusively Breastfed Infants
- Supporting Oral Nutrition for Formula Fed Infants
- Supporting Oral Nutrition for Infants Between 6 - 12 Months
- Supporting Oral Nutrition from 12 Months Onward
- Ensuring Adequate Fluid Intake
- Supporting a Healthy Eating Pattern
- When to Consider Enteral Nutrition
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Seating and Positioning
- Positioning of Infants and Young Children for Feeding
- Positioning for Breast and Bottle Feeding in Infants and Young Children
- Positioning When Introducing Solids
- Using Highchairs and Boosters
- Positioning for Infants, Children and Youth with Significant Postural Needs
- Using Specialized Seating Equipment
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Feeding Skill Development
- Facilitating First Tastes
- Facilitating Infant Feeding as a Neurodevelopmental Skill
- Facilitating Child Feeding as a Neurodevelopmental Skill and a Relational and Responsive Process
- Facilitating Oral Sensorimotor Function
- Considerations for Pacifier/Soother Use
- Considerations for Breastfeeding
- Considerations for Bottle Feeding
- Considerations for Solids
- Additional Resources
- Feeding Environments and Routines
- Sensory Processing/Regulation
- Oral Hygiene and Dental Health
- Surgical Management
Ensuring Adequate Fluid Intake
Ensure safe and adequate fluid intake according to age.
- For children who are experiencing dark, concentrated urine, try to optimize fluid intake – offer fluids more often, try flavoured water, add ice, use straws or special cups, and alternate bites with sips of fluid.
- For children who do not like to drink or have difficulty with fluids, high water content foods can be encouraged, such as fruit, vegetables, yogourt, soups, and ice cream. When overall nutrition intake is low, offering nutrient dense liquids is preferred such as blended soups, smoothies, and yogourt.
- Children with dysphagia may be a higher risk of dehydration related to swallow dysfunction, drinking skills, or sensory preferences. Some children may require thickened fluids to support safe and adequate intake. Some children may exhibit a decline in fluid intake related to sensory preferences or effort required to drink thickened fluids.
