Feeding Therapy for Infants

Optimizing Release and Feeding Skills

When is it Best to Have A Release?

We now know that the timing of the release can influence release success. Ensuring baby is able to activate the tongue with the most range of motion possible enables the best outcome. And, it’s incredibly important to ensure that any body issues such as torticollis, positional preferences or stiffness are addressed before a release. Feeding Therapy will teach you how to do exercises with your baby to obtain the greatest active range of motion before the release. An added benefit is that you will become used to doing exercises and baby will be used to having touch in the mouth making it easier to complete post release stretches.

What is Infant Feeding Therapy

Infant feeding therapy involves manual and supportive techniques to train your baby’s oral function (tongue, lips, and jaw) to work correctly to enable successful feeding and to ensure that your baby obtains adequate nutrition for growth and development.

Who Would benefit from Feeding Therapy?

One might wonder why would a baby need Feeding Therapy. Aren't babies supposed to automatically know how to feed? It would be nice, however that is often not the case. If you can identify with one or more of the following situations, your baby could benefit from Feeding Therapy.

• Difficulty breastfeeding or bottle-feeding

• Biting instead of sucking

• Poor milk transfer/ Poor weight gain

• Painful feeding

• Tongue or lip tie (pre or post release)

• Coughing or choking

• Pulling off

• Flattening the nipple

• Difficulty taking or weaning off bottle

• Feeding stress/stressful feedings

Feeding Therapy: Tongue / Lip Tie

Feeding Therapy is a key component to helping a baby with tongue or lip tie before and after the release. Before the release will prepare the baby so that the procedure provides the most benefit. Feeding Therapy is also beneficial for the baby that had the release but continues to have feeding difficulties.

Why After a Release?

Why After a Release? In order to feed successfully, a baby needs to be able to use and activate the range of motion provided by the release. Having a release does not automatically change a baby’s feeding patterns. Some babies do not have the strength or endurance to maintain the range of motion necessary for successful feeding. Babies may also not realize that they have new range of motion or they may not know how to use the new range of motion. This can be evident in the baby that has more disorganized sucking patterns post release. Also, many infants do not automatically use the new movement patterns because of the compensatory patterns they developed. If the baby’s compensatory patterns are not addressed and ineffective patterns are not changed, feeding difficulties will continue.

What Will Feeding Therapy Do?

Feeding Therapy will facilitate and strengthen optimal oral function skills to enable successful enjoyable feeding. You will learn exercises that you can use with your baby. Ineffective or compensatory patterns will be replaced with effective feeding skills.