Feeding your baby is meant to be a nurturing and joyful experience, but for some families, it becomes a source of stress and worry. If your little one cries during feedings, arches their back, has limited intake, or consistently refuses food, they may be experiencing feeding difficulties. This can make daily routines more difficult and may leave you wondering where to turn.
At More to Say Pediatric Development & Therapy, we support families in our Branford and Oxford, CT clinics with gentle, individualized care for feeding challenges. Our naturalistic and holistic feeding therapy sessions are designed to support caregivers and babies with building skills and providing strategies to improve mealtimes.
Understanding Feeding Difficulties in Babies
Some infants struggle with latching, oral motor coordination, swallowing, or tolerating different textures. These challenges can feel overwhelming and raise worries about growth, development, and mealtime stress. If babies only eat when distracted or sleepy, rely on specific feeding positions, or refuse meals altogether, it can be a sign that they can benefit from extra support.
In some instances, these difficulties may lead to feeding aversions. Aversions can stem from a variety of causes, including oral motor delays, discomfort from reflux, discomfort from excessive gas build-up, sensory sensitivities, or prior negative feeding experiences. Over time, babies may begin to associate eating with pain or anxiety and naturally try to avoid it.
Signs Your Baby Might Be Experiencing Feeding Difficulties
Feeding aversion may look different from one child to another, but some common signs include:
- Refusing bottles or breast even when hungry
- Difficulty latching or maintaining a latch
- Crying, gagging, or coughing during feedings
- Turning their head away or arching their back during feedings
- Requiring frequent breaks during feedings
- Long feeding sessions (over 30 minutes)
- Only eating with distractions or while sleepy
- Difficulty transitioning to solids or new textures
- Feeding struggles that lead to slow weight gain
These reactions and responses can be confusing, stressful, or discouraging for caregivers, especially when you’re trying your best to support your child’s growth and development.
How Feeding Therapy Helps Babies Learn to Eat with Confidence
At More to Say, our specialized feeding therapists offer feeding therapy services tailored to your child’s needs. We take the time to understand your child’s feeding history, current challenges, and sensory profile to create a plan that feels safe, supportive, and individualized.
Feeding therapy for babies may include:
- Strengthening oral motor coordination through targeted activities
- Being responsive to baby’s cues
- Coaching parents on responsive, low-pressure feeding techniques
- Using feeding positioning techniques, bottle pacing, and/or modified nipples
- Using sensory strategies to reduce anxiety or sensory responses around mealtimes
Our goal is to build their necessary skill-set while providing techniques, strategies, modifications, and adaptations to meet your baby’s needs.
Feeding Therapy in Action: What Sessions May Look Like
Therapy sessions are responsive to your baby’s comfort level. Feeding therapy sessions with infants often focus on building the foundational oral motor skills needed for safe and enjoyable feeding. A therapist may work on supporting the baby’s ability to coordinate sucking, swallowing, and breathing, while also helping them learn to use a bottle more effectively. Sessions are designed to be nurturing and positive, incorporating gentle positioning, pacing, and playful interactions that make feeding a comfortable and encouraging experience. The goal is to help the infant develop the skills needed for successful feeding while supporting a positive relationship with mealtimes. Throughout it all, parents and caregivers are included every step of the way, with tips and coaching you can apply at home.
Simple, Supportive Feeding Therapy Strategies to Try at Home
While therapy provides targeted support, there are ways to reinforce progress between sessions. Here are a few things you can try at home:
- Create a calm environment by feeding your baby in a quiet, relaxed space with minimal distractions to help them focus on feeding.
- Hold your baby in a supportive positioning to allow for ease with sucking and swallowing.
- Provide pacing, as needed, by watching your baby’s cues and offering breaks during feeding so they can breathe, rest, and stay comfortable.
- Follow your baby’s cues by stopping when your baby turns away, pushes the bottle out, or shows signs of being full. Responding to their signals builds trust and keeps feeding positive.
- Smile, talk softly, and offer praise. Feeding is not just about nutrition, it’s also about bonding and building positive associations.
Small steps, repeated with consistency, can help your baby become more accepting of mealtime while building important skills.
When to Consider a Feeding Therapy Evaluation
It’s time to consider feeding therapy if your baby:
- Consistently refuses to eat or shows distress during feedings
- Has trouble gaining weight or meeting nutrition goals
- Is unable to transition from bottle/breast to solids
- Gags, coughs, or vomits frequently when eating
- Avoids eating unless sleepy, distracted, or fed in a specific way
- Has extended feeding sessions (greater than 30 minutes)
- Experiences difficulty latching or maintaining a latch on the nipple
Feeding difficulty is not something parents need to solve alone. Getting support early can ease the stress of mealtime and help your baby thrive.
Schedule a Free Feeding Therapy Phone Consultation
At More to Say Pediatric Development & Therapy, we’re here to help babies develop important skills for feeding and support families through every step of the process. Our therapists in our Branford and Oxford, CT clinics offer evaluations and individualized feeding therapy to help your baby develop a healthy, happy relationship with eating.
Ready to take the next step? Contact our Branford or Oxford, CT location to schedule a free phone consultation. We will help you determine if an evaluation is the right next step and explain how therapy can support your child’s development.
