- 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
Considerations for Breastfeeding
This section assumes a lactation consultant has been consulted, or a healthcare professional with breastfeeding knowledge is part of the interdisciplinary team whereever possible. The following strategies may assist when first introducing the infant to breastfeeding:
- encourage skin to skin contact before and after feeding
- if breastfeeding, consider having the parent partially express the breast to avoid strong let-down of milk whilst baby is nuzzling, licking or attached for short periods
- allow infant to nuzzle at a partially expressed breast, and lick at the breast
- facilitate latching by stimulating the rooting reflex, appropriate breastfeeding position and providing external support as necessary:
- adjust the breastfeeding position to optimize the infant’s ability to adjust to the flow while maintaining a deep latch (laid-back nursing, transverse side-lying, or upright football position)
- allow the infant to suck three to four times on nipple; if baby is demonstrating evidence of difficulty with suck-swallow-breathe, break the seal and give a rest from sucking; allow the child to breathe, reorganize and cue for readiness
- consider removing infant from the breast during letdown if needed
