What is Pediatric Nutrition Therapy?

Are you concerned your child is lacking proper nutrition? Looking to improve mealtime with in-person tips, or virtual support in your home? Worried the “picky phase” has lasted too long? Nutrition Therapy is here to help!

If you answered “yes” to any of the questions above, your child can work with our Registered Dietitian Nutritionist (RDN) to target picky eating, independence at mealtime, diet planning, and more.

How is Nutrition Therapy Incorporated into the Day?

  • Part of extended day therapy.
  • Target: consumption of food groups lacking in the diet while building confidence around new food.
  • Child-paced and multidisciplinary approach to mealtime.

  • EAT – UP model, behavioral momentum, and positive association are common strategies.

Catering

Blue Bird Day partners with Gourmet Gorilla to develop healthy and delicious lunch and snack menus that meet the unique sensory and oral motor needs of each child. Family-style meals promote social interaction between peers and structure mealtime in a way to promote engagement with a variety of foods.

Menus are carefully planned and considered the foundation of developing feeding skills and sensory profiles for each child. Textures served range from soft cube to crunchy textures, allowing children to practice and develop oral motor skills. This approach is designed to increase the acceptance of non-preferred or novel foods. Menus are rotated on a weekly basis to increase exposure and the opportunity for a child to explore new foods.

Allergies and Dietary Restrictions

The feeding team at Blue Bird Day is experienced in providing therapeutic interventions to children with dietary restrictions, feeding tubes, allergies or food intolerance. The nut-free facility prepares USDA recommended serving sizes for preschoolers and kindergartners. Menus are free of peanuts, tree nuts, gluten, dairy, and sesame to encourage participation in family-style meals for children with dietary restrictions.

If there are additional allergies or dietary restrictions outside of Gourmet Gorilla protocols, Blue Bird Day is happy to accommodate. Separate meals with specific requests for lunch alternatives can be made. The meal will be checked daily by the Registered Dietitian upon arrival to ensure cross-contamination does not occur.

The expert feeding team is trained in a variety of approaches to target the individualized needs of any child with challenges in feeding.

Who Makes Up the Nutrition Therapy Team?

Blue Bird Day’s collaborative, multidisciplinary team ensures the best possible therapeutic interventions are used during meal times. The inter-professional team includes occupational therapists, speech therapists, developmental therapists, and registered behavior technicians. Our Registered Dietitian Nutritionist oversees the mealtime preparations and communications with our catering company.

Our Registered Dietitian Nutritionist

Hiral P

Specializes in Medical Nutrition Therapy and Nutritional Assessment and Counseling.

Talecia R

Specializes in Maternal and Child Nutrition and Lactation.