Pediatric Speech Therapy

Feeding Therapy

Mealtimes shouldn't feel like a daily battle. Feeding therapy helps children who are extremely selective eaters, struggle with certain textures, or find eating stressful and overwhelming, so meals feel calmer for the whole family.

It might look like a child who eats the same five foods on repeat, gags at the sight of a new texture, or needs a meal to look exactly a certain way before they'll touch it. It might also look like a toddler who hasn't yet made the jump from purees to table food.

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AGES

Infant to school age

SESSIONS

45 minutes

FORMAT

In-clinic or telepractice

General guideposts

Feeding Milestones

General feeding milestones that can help you gauge whether it's worth a conversation:

6 months
Starts purees and smooth foods.
9-12 months
Manages mashed and soft table foods.
18-24 months
Eats a range of textures and begins self-feeding with utensils.
By age 3
Eats a reasonably varied diet, similar to the rest of the family.

General guidance only — every child develops differently. An evaluation gives you an answer specific to your child.

What to look for

Signs Your Child May Benefit

A very narrow list of accepted foods, especially when new foods are refused outright, can point to a feeding difficulty rather than typical pickiness.

Strong reactions to crunchy, mushy, or mixed textures can signal an oral-motor or sensory component worth evaluating.

If dinner consistently ends in a battle for you or your child, that daily stress is worth addressing directly.

A hard refusal to even touch or smell unfamiliar foods, well past toddlerhood, is worth a closer look.

If your pediatrician has flagged growth alongside eating struggles, feeding therapy is often part of the plan.

Our process

What to Expect

1

Initial evaluation to understand your child's specific challenges

2

Personalized goals built around your child's comfort level

3

Parent coaching so progress carries over to home meals

Between sessions

How You Can Help at Home

  • • Offer new foods alongside familiar favorites, without pressure to eat them.
  • • Let your child touch and explore food before expecting them to eat it.
  • • Keep mealtime mood neutral — pressure tends to backfire.

Frequently asked

Common Questions

We work with children from infancy through school age, adjusting our approach for each stage.

Every child is different, but most families notice small, steady wins within the first several weeks.

Typical picky eating is common; feeding therapy is for patterns that are more extreme, rigid, or tied to physical difficulty.

Appointments

Ready to make mealtimes easier?

Serving families in Calabasas · Agoura Hills · Woodland Hills · West Hills · Westlake Village · Tarzana · Encino · Malibu · Simi Valley · Thousand Oaks · Moorpark

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