Pediatric Occupational Therapy and Feeding Therapy in Ventura County, CA

Tongue ties are usually suspected when breastfeeding is difficult. Here are some symptoms that might indicate a tongue tie and the need for further screening:

Mother’s Symptoms:

• Painful nursing, poor latch cracked, creased, flattened nipples, bleeding nipples, having to use a nipple shield and feeling like feeding the baby is a full time job

Baby’s Issues:

• Poor latch at breast or bottle, falls asleep while feeding, slides on and off the nipple while feeding, cries often/fussy often, reflux symptoms, spits up often, clicking or smacking noises when eating, gagging and choking when eating, poor weight gain, biting/ chewing nipple, pacifier falls out easily or won’t stay in, milk dribbles from the corner, mouth breathing, snoring, noisy breathing, congested, frustration at the breast or bottle, takes more than 20 minutes per feeding, eats more frequently than every 2 hours

  If you suspect that you baby has a tongue tie, contact Lil’ nugget OT to schedule an evaluation. 

  To find how Pediatric Occupational Therapy and Feeding therapy can help you baby feed better and thrive, check out this blog post: Is a Tongue Tie Behind Your Feeding Struggles?

If you baby is just starting to eat solids, gagging is normal and is part of learning how to eat. However, if gagging leads to vomiting, if he/she gags with every bite of food it could indicate some difficulties with mouth movements or oral motor skills development. If your baby gags at the smell and sight of food, without even tasting it, he/she might be having some difficulties processing the different sensory inputs associated with food and eating. Delayed oral motor skills development and difficulties with sensory processing can lead to picky eating and even food aversion if not addressed quickly. Getting an occupational therapy evaluation with a focus on feeding is recommended in this case.

Picky eating or selective eating is normal in toddlers and preschoolers. However, if your child eats less than 20 foods total, eliminated foods he/she used to eat from his diet and/or will not eat foods from a certain food group (won’t eat any vegetables), will not try new foods, requests the food be presented the same way, will only eat the same brand of a food and refuses to eat another brand, won’t touch his/her food and gets upset when his/her hands are dirty, and prefers to drink over eating, this is cause for concern. You should request a feeding evaluation by an occupational therapist since your child might be having delayed oral motor skills and sensory processing difficulties which affect his ability to eat a variety of foods.

Lactation consultants are experts in breastfeeding and many of them can guide you through getting over bottle refusal. But sometimes, bottle refusal is a symptom of something else that’s going on with your baby. Scheduling a feeding evaluation with me is different. When I complete a feeding evaluation, I look at the whole baby; I look at body alignment, tension, muscle tone, developmental delays including oral motor skills delays, sensory processing difficulties and difficulties with regulation. These can all impact baby’s ability to feed from a bottle.