Paediatric Dietitian Bookings
 

When should my child see a Dietitian?

Parents might need to see a dietitian for their children if they have concerns such as delayed acceptance of solids, wanting information for starting solids, toddler nutrition, picky eating, food allergies or intolerances, growth concerns, or digestive problems. A dietitian can provide personalized guidance to ensure balanced nutrition, address specific dietary needs, and promote lifelong healthy eating habits. Whether feeling worried about starting solids, dealing with growth and development concerns or managing a medical condition through diet, our online consulting services offer convenient, expert support tailored to your child's unique requirements.

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What does a Dietitian do?

Dietitians use evidence-based practice and nutrition therapy to support children and families to meet their nutrition needs, and manage, improve or prevent medical conditions with nutrition therapy. They are the experts on childhood nutrition, and medical nutrition therapy.

Here are some examples of areas Dietitians can provide assessment and support for:

 

• Infant Feeding

Dietitians can help when babies experience early feeding difficulties, struggle to put on  weight or feed well, be small for gestational age or have growth concerns.Dietitians are the experts on starting solids, progressing texture, baby-led weaning, supporting families at mealtimes and building healthy lifelong relationships and skills for solids.

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• Reflux/Silent Reflux

Dietitians are experienced in supporting babies with reflux and can help with feeding routines, infant formulas, underlying food allergies and strategies to manage growth.

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• Toddler Feeding

Dietitian assessment can help to provide support to families struggling with toddler mealtimes, food refusal, fussy eating or concerns about toddler intake.

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• Fussy Eating/Restrictive Eating/Feeding Disorders/ARFID

Dietitians are experts in managing fussy eating and take a holistic approach to look at the whole feeding framework for the child, including underlying conditions that can lead to fussy eating, their skills, the feeding environment and so much more.

Dietitians can support families with evidence-based practice to help children learn to accept new foods, prevent fussy eating, ensure adequate nutrition intake and reduce stress at mealtimes. Also using neurodiverse affirming care and supporting children with underlying ASD, ADHD and GDD.

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• Food Allergies

Comprehensive dietitian assessment and education are crucial in food allergy management in children. Excluding foods from a child’s diet can make it difficult to meet their nutrition needs. Dietitians specialise in nutrition and allergy assessment and education on allergen avoidance, meeting nutrition requirements, substituting foods, recipe modification, and planning for school or childcare.

 

• Food Intolerance/Tummy Troubles/Coeliac Disease

Dietitian assessment for intolerances, tummy troubles and constipation, including a comprehensive nutrition assessment of symptoms, diet and medical history, and an individualised plan is developed to address the issues identified. This may include a guided elimination diet and challenges. There can be many underlying causes of constipation, Anna uses a hollistic approach and will refer for lactose or fructose intolerance testing, stool tests and any other necessary investigations. 

Coeliac disease requires lifelong elimination of gluten, and children with coeliac disease are recommended to see a dietitian regularly.

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• Home Enteral Tube Feeds and Tube Weaning

Dietitians specialise in supporting paediatric patients requiring home enteral nutrition with evidence-based practice, and are attuned to the complications and difficulties often experienced by tube-fed children. Dieticians work with families to make tube feeding functional and practical including the use of ‘blenderised’ diets.

 

• Faultering growth/slow growth or underweight

• Nutrition Support for Medical Conditions, such as Congenital Heart Disease, Disabilities and Developmental Delay

• Nutrient Deficiencies

• General Nutrition Advice and chronic disease management 

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