It looks like your browser is out-of-date! For the best user experience, please upgrade to a more modern browser like Chrome or Edge.

Skip to Main Content
Visitor Guidelines | Directrices de visitas

We are taking thoughtful steps to ensure our spaces remain safe for patients, parents and caregivers. View visiting guidelines.

Estamos adoptando medidas reflexivas para garantizar que nuestros espacios sigan siendo seguros para los pacientes, los padres y los cuidadores. Vea las directrices de visitas.

Mobile sized logo
  • 317.944.5000
    • Schedule an Appointment
    • Refer a Patient
    • Plan My Visit
    • Pay a Bill
    • Make a Donation
    • Volunteer
    • Find a Career
    • Health Information
    • Find a Doctor
    • Departments & Programs
    • Support Services
    • Contact & Locations
    • Refer a Patient
    • My IU Health Patient Portal
Riley Children's Health
  • 317.944.5000
  • My IU Health Patient Portal
    • Schedule an Appointment
    • Refer a Patient
    • Plan My Visit
    • Pay a Bill
    • Make a Donation
    • Volunteer
    • Find a Career
Book Appointment Online with select physicians.
Request Appointment Online to schedule with one of our coordinators.
1.888.IUHEALTH for
Same-Day Primary Care Appointments.
If you are experiencing a medical emergency, please call 9-1-1.
    • Schedule an Appointment
    • Refer a Patient
    • Plan My Visit
    • Pay a Bill
    • Make a Donation
    • Volunteer
    • Find a Career
  • Health Information
  • Find a Doctor
  • Departments & Programs
  • Support Services
  • Contact & Locations
  • My IU Health Patient Portal
  • General Information
    317.944.5000
  • Health Information
  • Find a Doctor
  • Departments & Programs
  • Support Services
  • Contact & Locations
Riley Children's Health

Feeding Problems

Feeding Problems
  • Find a Doctor
  • Request An Appointment
  • On This Page:
  • Treatments
  • Key Points to Remember
  • Support Services & Resources
  • Research & Clinical Trials
  • Locations
  • Departments Treating This Condition
Go back to the top of the page

Children of all ages can experience a variety of feeding problems. Feeding problems can be caused by a child's dietary preferences or an underlying medical problem.

Issues and symptoms of feeding problems include:

  • Being a picky eater (eating only certain foods)
  • Being a slow eater
  • Eating only foods with certain textures
  • Eating only solid foods or liquids
  • Gagging and choking issues when eating

Sometimes, feeding problems are due to a child's dietary preferences. Other times, the condition might indicate another underlying medical problem such as:

  • Anatomic abnormalities of the gastrointestinal (GI) tract
  • Aspiration (when foods, liquids or secretions enter the airway or lungs)
  • Inflammation of the GI tract
  • Swallowing problems
  • Gastrointestinal mucosal conditions such as:
    • Celiac disease
    • Delayed gastric emptying
    • Eosinophilic disorders
    • Gastroesophageal reflux (GERD)
    • Peptic ulcers

Prematurity and congenital conditions like cleft lip and palate, tracheomalacia and neurological disorders can cause feeding problems. Internationally adopted children who are born in an environment where they are only exposed to thickened liquids (e.g., China or Guatemala) may also develop feeding problems.

Diagnosis of Feeding Problems

If you answer "yes" to any of the following questions, your child may have a feeding problem:

  • Does your child choke, cough or gag when drinking liquids?
  • Does he or she play with the bottle or cup, taking a long time to finish it?
  • Does your child limit the total amount he or she drinks per day?
  • Does he or she sound congested or wheezy after drinking?
  • Does he or she fight taking the bottle, turning his or her head away or pushing the bottle away?

If you are concerned about your child’s eating problems, you should discuss them with his or her doctor. If your child’s symptoms indicate certain feeding problems, a pediatric gastroenterologist will perform exams and tests to make a diagnosis.

Diagnostic exams and tests for feeding problems include:

  • Keeping a four-day diet diary
  • Fluoroscopy procedures such as an upper gastrointestinal (UGI) barium study or video feeding study
  • An upper endoscopy

If your child's symptoms are severe, he or she will undergo a videofluoroscopic swallow study (VFSS) to make sure liquid or food is not going into the lungs. The Radiology & Imaging Department at Riley at IU Health conducts these studies. A speech pathologist will also take part in the study. A VFSS shows how well a patient drinks or eats and if he or she can swallow safely. If the study shows liquid going into the lungs (aspiration), this indicates a breathing or feeding problem. During the study, your child will sit in a feeding seat and drink formula with barium while a technician takes videos of the mouth, esophagus and breathing tube.

Treatments

Treatments

Treatment for feeding problems often depends on the underlying cause of the problem. If your child's symptoms are not severe, the doctor will try adjusting the thickness of liquids to minimize risk of aspiration. Additional treatment options include:

  • Modifying the texture of foods
  • Gastrointestinal tube (feeding tube)
  • Modifying the types of foods allowed
  • Speech-language pathology

The doctor will recommend a treatment plan that addresses the underlying cause of the feeding problem and is tailored to your child's unique needs.

Ways to Thicken Your Baby's Formula

To thicken your baby's formula, add 1 tablespoon of baby oatmeal cereal to every 2 ounces of formula, and feed with a crosscut nipple or high-flow bottle system. If you are making a big batch of formula for the day, make sure you add the cereal each time you make a bottle—the cereal dissolves over time, making it less effective.

TIPS

  • Use a commercial thickener such as SimplyThick, Thick-It or Hydra-Aid.
  • You can thicken juice by adding 5 tablespoons of applesauce to 2 ounces of juice.
  • Add 1 tablespoon of instant powdered pudding mix to every 2 ounces of milk. Wait a few minutes for thickening.
  • A typical child's yogurt drink is usually a thick consistency.

Often times, doctors at Riley at IU Health will have children practice their thin-liquid skills with water in a regular flow drinking system (e.g., a regular flow bottle system or Rubbermaid straw cup).

Key Points to Remember

Key Points to Remember

  • Children can develop feeding problems at any age.
  • Feeding problems can be caused by a child's dietary preferences or an underlying medical problem.
  • If you are concerned about your child’s feeding problems, talk to a physician.

Support Services & Resources

Support Services & Resources

Visit the websites below to find support groups and services and learn more about feeding problems in children.

Riley at IU Health offers a broad range of supportive services to make life better for families who choose us for their children's care.

Learn More About Riley Support Services

American Speech-Language-Hearing Association

This website provides extensive information about the causes of feeding problems and how to care for patients with the condition.

Feeding Problems Research

Feeding Problems Research

The pediatric gastroenterologists at Riley at IU Health participate in research projects that examine the various causes of feeding problems. Ask your child's doctor for more information about these studies.

Locations

Locations

Locations

In addition to our primary hospital location at the Academic Health Center in Indianapolis, IN, we have convenient locations to better serve our communities throughout the state.

See all facilities →

Departments Treating This Condition

Departments Treating This Condition

  • Audiology & Speech Pathology
  • Developmental Medicine
  • Gastroenterology, Hepatology & Nutrition
  • International Adoption Program
  • Physical Therapy & Occupational Therapy
  • Psychiatry
Riley Children's Health Indiana University School of Medicine
Designated as Best Children's Hospitals by U.S. News & World Report, Ranked in 10 Specialties in 2020-21

©2023 Riley Hospital for Children at
Indiana University Health
Find adult services at iuhealth.org

Get Informed

  • About Riley Children's Health
  • Family Support Services
  • Health Professionals
  • Medical Education
  • Newsroom
  • Riley Connections Blog
  • Careers
  • Legal Notices

I Want To…

  • Schedule an Appointment
  • Refer a Patient
  • Plan My Visit
  • Pay a Bill
  • Make a Donation
  • Volunteer
  • Find a Career

General Information

317.944.5000

Connect with Riley at IU Health

  • Facebook
  • Twitter
  • YouTube
  • LinkedIn
  • Instagram
  • RSS
Designated as Best Children's Hospitals by U.S. News & World Report, Ranked in 10 Specialties in 2020-21

©2023 Riley Hospital for Children at
Indiana University Health
Find adult services at iuhealth.org


Non-discrimination Notice

  • English
  • Español
  • Français
  • Burmese
  • Pennsilfaanisch Deitsch
  • 中文
  • Nederlands
  • Deutsch
  • Hakha
  • 日本語
  • Karen
  • 한국어
  • Русский
  • Tagalog
  • Tiếng Việt
  • العربية
  • हिंदी
  • ਪੰਜਾਬੀ
Back to top of the page