Nutrition Therapy for Infants and Children

Nutrition Therapy Helps:

Nutrition therapy for infants and children helps parents manage the feeding challenges that involve the mix of beliefs, behaviors, facts, emotions and health conditions that make mealtimes frustrating. Families get parenting and bonding tips, and ways to make meals pleasant. There may be challenges that take work and time. Yet, when children pick up on their parents’ new skills, our children often surprise and please us. When parents find ways to open up to their child at the table, resistant factors can yield to better parenting at the table.

Differences Between Nutrition Therapy and Nutrition Education

Nutrition education tends to be very short term, focuses mainly on nutritional facts and tends to be standardized. Nutrition therapy includes a tailored treatment plan that evolves over time. Nutrition Therapy sessions can occur in the office or the home during mealtimes. At the table, mealtime behaviors can be directly observed. A coached meal can be part of the session.

A More Proper Definition

Nutrition therapy is “a client-centered approach that focuses on beliefs, emotions, and behaviors, particularly as they related to food and eating.”* For infants and young children, nutrition therapy is about supporting family relationships relative to food.

*Cairns J, Milne RL. Eating disorder nutrition counseling: strategies and educational needs of English-speaking dietitians in Canada.
Journal of the American Dietetic Association. 2006: 106:1087-1094

 

What to Expect