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The Thrive by Spectrum Pediatrics Tube Weaning Program focuses on the importance of establishing a strong foundation before expecting any progress in skill development, variety, or intake. The foundational pieces include Do No Harm, Build Trust, and Create Responsive Mealtimes. After building this foundation, you can then focus on Discovering the Internal Drives to Eat and watching […]

We know that adult directed food interactions, pressure, and rewards can be damaging to a child’s relationship with food, but we are often at a loss for what else to do as parents and therapists when our little ones struggle with eating.  Responsive Feeding Therapy helps to provide the framework, so we can help rebuild a child’s relationship […]

When measuring progress, it is so important to look at much more than the numbers. At Thrive, we encourage parents and medical teams to shift their focus from a number-based measure to a more qualitative measure. Mealtimes should focus on building comfort and connection. This includes initiation, engagement, attention to meals or food, and satiation. When […]

Throwing food is a universal phase that all children go through when learning how to eat and participating in mealtimes. Here are a few common reasons why children throw food:   Gravity – It is developmentally appropriate to begin throwing objects from about 9-14 months as children learn about cause and effect.  Little ones learn through movement […]

A common mistake made by well-meaning therapists and parents is trying to work on oral motor skill development before they work on a child’s trust and understanding of food. These programs start therapy with a focus on the “how” to eat rather than a focus on the “why”. We know that we can’t expect the skill to […]

Many of the kids who wean from the feeding tube struggle with drinking.  Nursing and bottle drinking are supported by reflexes in the early days of infancy and designed to progress as a team with a caregiver.  Most kids who are weaning from a feeding tube have already passed the early stage, which means bottle drinking is either more difficult […]

Welcome back to the Tube to Table Podcast. On this week’s episode, Reframing Refusal, Heidi and Jennifer are talking about how to reframe the experience you and your child have when they refuse to eat. We are so thankful for all of our listeners and have loved hearing how this podcast is helping therapists and […]

In this week’s episode of Tube to Table, Jennifer and Heidi are discussing the Thrive Parent’s Bill of Rights. You may have seen this in a recent blog post at Thrive, but during this episode Jennifer and Heidi will dive into more detail and walk through each crucial step in the Bill of Rights. This […]

Welcome back to another episode of the Tube to Table podcast! We are continuing our “Parent’s Perspective” series with Joe’s story. On this week’s episode, Heidi sat down with Maggie, Joe’s mom who participated in the Thrive Intensive Tube Weaning Program at their home in Nashville. Maggie and Heidi talk through Joe’s history including his […]

On this week’s episode of the Tube to Table podcast, Heidi and Jennifer are talking about the “where” of tube weaning. Where should tube weaning take place? What are the pros and cons to different weaning settings? They’ll answer all of your questions and talk through the important factors to consider when making a choice […]

Whether your child is weaning from the feeding tube or just learning to eat new things, grocery shopping can be a challenge. Especially right now, grocery shopping can be hard and you might not always find the specific food you’re looking for.   If your child’s favorite food isn’t available, below you’ll find some descriptions for foods that may be similar! Whether you […]

At Thrive, we often work with parents on building their own DOR (Division of Responsibility) within mealtimes. This was developed by Ellyn Satter and reviews the basics behind the roles of the parent and child at mealtimes. The parent’s role is to determine the what, when, and where of mealtimes and the child’s role is to determine […]