The goal of feeding therapy is to help your child learn to eat and drink better and to teach you ways to help them at home. For some babies and children, feeding skills do not develop naturally and feeding therapy is often able to help your child get back on track. Click here for a list of medical conditions and other symptoms that often correlate with the need for feeding therapy.
Your child may also not meet any of those criteria but is just not developing their feeding and eating skills as fast as their peers. For reference, most children will track to these milestones as they grow:
Birth to 4 months old:
- Formula and/or breastmilk will be the primary source of nutrition for your baby until they turn 1 year of age
4 to 6 months old: The American Academy of Pediatrics recommends starting solid foods “around 6 months.” Click here for more information on how and when to introduce solid foods to your baby.
- Your baby may be ready to start eating solid foods if he/she:
- Can hold his/her head up when sitting upright
- Opens his/her mouth when food comes to them
- Is interested in what you are eating
7 to 9 months old:
- Ready to begin to learn how to drink from a cup, you will still need to help hold the cup
- Begin to chew food with an up/down motion
- Shows strong reactions to new smells and tastes
9 to 18 months old:
- Able to learn to drink from a straw
- Able to bite off a piece of a cracker, but will still need a lot of foods cut up into smaller pieces or strips
- After 12 months of age, food will become your child’s primary source of nutrition
19 to 24 months old:
- Able to chew the majority of foods given