Tube to Table

Heidi and Jennifer are back! This week, they are sharing some tips and important pillars for feeding kids responsively. When children are learning to eat after having been tube dependent, it’s easy to focus on hunger only, but true progress comes from safety, comfort, and connection first. Eating isn’t just about what’s on the plate! It’s shaped by the environment, communication and language around eating and feeding, and how your child feels. Before thinking about what foods to offer, we encourage you to start by noticing who your child is outside of mealtimes. How do they handle new situations? Noise? Mess? These clues help you shape a mealtime experience that feels predictable and safe, which is where learning to eat begins.    Early on, comfort and enjoyment matter more than how much your child eats. Food is new and can feel hard, so try to focus on helping your child feel secure and curious before volumes and varieties. That might mean sitting together on the floor, offering familiar snack foods, or keeping mealtimes playful and low-pressure. Remember the Division of Responsibility. You decide what, when, and where to offer food, and your child decides if and how much to eat. It’s about providing structure while allowing freedom, so your child can explore food at their own pace.    Progress in tube weaning certainly isn’t linear. It’s a process of discovery. Some days will go smoothly and others won’t, and that’s okay. Reflect on what you notice, stay flexible, and keep comfort at the center of the oral eating experiences. When you focus on safety, connection, and responsiveness instead of consumption, you create the foundation your child needs to build trust with food and eventually eat with confidence and joy.    ** Please remember this podcast is NOT meant to replace the support and guidance of your child's medical team.  Consult with your doctor before starting the weaning process.**    Don’t forget to follow us on social media for more helpful information @Thrivewithspectrum on Instagram and Thrive by Spectrum Pediatrics on Facebook. You can also find out more information about the programs we offer at www.thrivewithspectrum.com [https://www.thrivewithspectrum.com/]

Parents often ask us: What tools do I need to help my child eat? From vibrating toys to chewy tubes, special spoons to miracle cups, the pressure to “pick the right thing” during tube weaning can be overwhelming. But the truth is, responsive tube weaning isn’t about finding the perfect tool, it’s about understanding and supporting your unique child.  In this episode of Tube to Table, we unpack the role of tools, cups, and utensils in the weaning process. We’ll talk about:  * Why tools are often recommended in feeding therapy and why we rarely use them  * The myth of “sensory tolerance” and what’s actually happening when kids seem sensitive  * Why oral motor tools don’t mimic how food behaves, and how that impacts learning  * What it means to honor a child’s identity to support true felt safety  * How to approach cups and utensils in a way that builds autonomy and agency  We’ll also share when tools can be useful and how to know if your child is inviting them in, rather than just tolerating them.  This conversation is a reminder that your child is the best guide. Most of the time, the tools you need are already at home and the real work is in creating a safe, responsive environment where your child can explore, lead, and learn to eat on their own terms.  ** Please remember this podcast is NOT meant to replace the support and guidance of your child's medical team.  Consult with your doctor before starting the weaning process.**    Don’t forget to follow us on social media for more helpful information @Thrivewithspectrum on Instagram and Thrive by Spectrum Pediatrics on Facebook. You can also find out more information about the programs we offer at www.thrivewithspectrum.com [https://www.thrivewithspectrum.com/]

In this episode, Jeni and Heidi unpack a common concern in the tube weaning journey: growth. Fears about weight loss and strategies to facilitate weight gain all impact your child's ability to wean. While growth is important, Heidi and Jeni are here today to explore why it's essential to look at it in the context of the whole child, not just the number on the scale.    Jeni and Heidi talk about how focusing only on weight can lead to confusion and even stall the weaning process. Attempts to “plump kids up” before a wean often set them up for sharper drops later. Growth charts, while useful at times, weren't based on kids with tubes or complex medical histories, and comparing your child to a chart made for someone else doesn't tell the full story. Instead, we encourage families and providers to track trends over time, compare children to themselves, and zoom out to see the bigger picture.    Weight loss during weaning can feel scary, but it's often a necessary and expected part of the process. When carefully monitored, it’s a sign that the child’s body is learning hunger cues and beginning to build a more natural, responsive relationship with food. Trusting the process and staying responsive rather than reacting out of fear helps children build lasting skills and confidence as oral eaters. Ultimately, growth matters, but it's just one piece of the puzzle. When we prioritize quality over quantity, work closely with our team, and keep weight in perspective; children are better able to thrive both on the scale and at the table.    ** Please remember this podcast is NOT meant to replace the support and guidance of your child's medical team.  Consult with your doctor before starting the weaning process.**    Don’t forget to follow us on social media for more helpful information @Thrivewithspectrum on Instagram and Thrive by Spectrum Pediatrics on Facebook. You can also find out more information about the programs we offer at www.thrivewithspectrum.com

In this episode, Jeni and Heidi dive into a topic that doesn’t always get the spotlight it deserves during the tube weaning process: hydration. Hydration is a crucial and separate process with its own cues, rhythms, and strategies. Understanding hydration and its importance separate from nutrition and supplementation can often lead to a safer and smoother wean.    We talk about why hydration deserves focused attention, especially in the early stages of weaning when safety is the top priority. How do you know your child is hydrated enough if they’re no longer getting fluids through a tube? We unpack the signs beyond just milliliters—wet diapers, energy levels, tear production, skin quality—and why it’s so important to ask your medical team for individualized hydration parameters. You'll also hear why keeping a child well hydrated often helps the feeding process, rather than hurt it. Hydration supports energy, digestion, and the body's ability to regulate.    Jeni and Heidi also explore when to start working on oral hydration, and why this usually comes a little later in the weaning journey. They’ll also talk about how to build safe, joyful routines around drinking, from modeling (hint: kids love drinking what you’re drinking!) to loosening our adult ideas of “the right drink.”     ** Please remember this podcast is NOT meant to replace the support and guidance of your child's medical team.  Consult with your doctor before starting the weaning process.**    Don’t forget to follow us on social media for more helpful information @Thrivewithspectrum on Instagram and Thrive by Spectrum Pediatrics on Facebook. You can also find out more information about the programs we offer at www.thrivewithspectrum.com

When we hear the term "tube weaning," it’s easy to assume it simply means switching from tube feeds to oral eating. But in this episode, Jeni and Heidi unpack why weaning is not just a one-time event or a quick fix—it’s a rich, layered process that unfolds over time. Tube weaning isn’t just about getting food into the mouth instead of the tube. It’s a developmental journey that involves emotional, sensory, and motor learning for the child—and often, a full family transformation. It’s not something that happens to the child, but something the child does. That shift in perspective is crucial.    Jeni and Heidi explore how so much of the work in weaning is “under the surface.” It’s not just skill-building or hitting calorie targets. It’s about helping children learn to recognize new sensations like hunger, navigate unfamiliar emotions, and develop trust in their own bodies. Many of these kids have spent their early years enduring feeding, not initiating it. Becoming someone who chooses to eat is new—and that takes time, space, and support.    We also talk about what this means for families. Tube weaning often requires shifts in routines, expectations, and even how caregivers relate to their child around food. There can be fear and uncertainty when stepping away from the structure and safety of the tube. But with the right environment—one that provides safety, autonomy, and patience—children can slowly build the self-regulation they need to meet their own feeding needs. Weaning isn’t about perfection. It can sometimes feel slow and non-linear. It’s not a 10-day program; it’s a months-long evolution. The key is to keep showing up, staying curious, and following your child’s lead.    ** Please remember this podcast is NOT meant to replace the support and guidance of your child's medical team.  Consult with your doctor before starting the weaning process.**    Don’t forget to follow us on social media for more helpful information @Thrivewithspectrum on Instagram and Thrive by Spectrum Pediatrics on Facebook. You can also find out more information about the programs we offer at www.thrivewithspectrum.com