Turning meals back into meals.
Feeding is the most physically complicated thing a child does all day: thirty-one muscles coordinating in a precise sequence, dozens of times, while sitting still. When any part of that chain struggles, families feel it three times a day.
Our feeding program is led by an SLP with board certification in swallowing and feeding and an OT with postgraduate feeding training, working together. That pairing matters: swallowing is a sensorimotor skill, and the child who cannot tolerate new textures and the child who cannot safely move a bolus are often the same child.
Inside feeding therapy at Tidepool
Picky vs. problem eating
We use the evidence-based distinction: a picky eater omits foods, a problem eater omits whole groups and drops previously accepted foods. Different problems, different plans.
Swallowing safety
Clinical feeding evaluations with aspiration risk screening, coordination with your pediatrician, and when needed referral for instrumental studies.
Tube-to-table transitions
Weaning plans built with your medical team, paced to your child's cues. Slow is fast in this work.
Mealtime behavior & routines
The battle at the table is usually a solved problem wearing a different costume. We fix the routine, the seating, and the pressure, then the eating follows.
Oral-motor skill work
Chewing patterns, cup and straw drinking, and the oral coordination that solids quietly require.
Group: Food Explorers
An eight-week group where four kids eat alongside each other. Peer modeling moves acceptance faster than any adult bribe we have ever tried.
Who we typically see
- Your child eats fewer than twenty foods and dropping more
- Meals regularly last longer than forty minutes
- Gagging, coughing, or choking during or after eating
- Growth concerns raised by your pediatrician
- A feeding tube is in place and the goal is oral eating
- Family meals have become a daily negotiation you keep losing
Not sure your child fits these? The free consult exists exactly for that question. Twenty minutes, honest answer.
Our evidence baseline
- The Sequential Oral Sensory (SOS) approach for acquisition and expansion
- Responsive feeding principles: the child decides whether and how much
- Instrumental-study referral pathway with three local hospital partners
- Family meals coached in real time, including the siblings at the table
We track each child's progress with the same measures every visit and show you the graph at every plan review. If the line is flat for twelve weeks, we change the plan, not the explanation.
Curious who you'd be working with? Meet the feeding therapy team.
Feeding therapy FAQ
Do we need a referral? +
No. California gives families direct access to therapy evaluations. If your insurance plan requires a physician referral for reimbursement, we will tell you during the benefits check and help you get one quickly.
How often will we come in? +
Most families start with one 45–60 minute session per week. Kids who need faster progress often do two. We re-check frequency at every twelve-week plan review rather than letting it drift.
What do sessions actually look like? +
Play-based and purposeful. Your child will experience it as games, obstacles, and stories. You will experience it as a clinician who can name exactly which skill they were targeting and how you can practice it at home in five minutes a day.
Can you work with my child's school? +
Yes. With your written OK we share goals and progress notes with teachers, join IEP meetings by request, and coach school staff on the same strategies we use in the clinic so the approach is consistent everywhere.
What if my child refuses to participate? +
That is information, not failure. Early sessions may look like relationship-building: showing your child the room, the toys, and the person. We would rather spend two sessions earning trust than one session forcing compliance.