On this week’s episode of the Tube to Table podcast, we are talking about the difficulties families face while communicating with their medical team during their tube weaning journey. Jennifer and Heidi sat down with Dr. Katja Rowell, the co-author of Helping Your Child with Extreme Picky Eating as well as a wonderful responsive feeding resource. Katja shares her experience working in a family practice and how she became so interested in the development of feeding as well as the importance of a ...
Jan 29, 2020•43 min•Ep. 28
On this week’s episode of Tube to Table, we are talking about blenderized diets and how they help children who are on feeding tubes as well as those who are in the weaning process. To discuss this topic in detail, we sat down with Julie Bombacino, the founder of Real Food Blends ( https://www.realfoodblends.com/ ). Julie is telling her story of how she started the Real Food Blends company and her child’s tube feeding journey. Transitioning to a blenderized diet can be very scary for families, es...
Jan 22, 2020•31 min•Ep. 27
We are so excited for this week’s episode, which marks the start of our series “A Parent’s Perspective”. The Tube to Table podcast will be featuring parents and families who have gone through our Tube Weaning program and can share their experience! In this week’s episode, our feeding therapist, Jamie Hinchey, is interviewing Benji’s parents, Cory and Ivy from New York City. Benji is also here so you may hear him chiming in! Benji’s family participated in our intensive tube weaning program at the...
Jan 15, 2020•32 min•Ep. 26
Happy New Year! We are so happy to be back in 2020 with new episodes and exciting guests! In this week’s episode, your hosts Jennifer and Heidi, will discuss the difference between when children find comfort in eating vs. eating for compliance. It can be very difficult for families to identify if the success they are seeing is due to compliance. Your hosts break down the evidence behind the reasons why children eat and what strategies help build long-term success. Many families share that it can...
Jan 09, 2020•22 min•Ep. 25
It’s the holiday season, which means a lot of talk about food! This can lead to more “food noise” around parents and their children. In this week’s episode, we are discussing our own food noise as parents and how our self-body image can directly impact our tube-fed kids. In today’s society, adults are often having conversations about the way we see ourselves, our bodies, and how we relate to food. What a lot of adults don’t realize, is that these conversations are typically overheard by our most...
Dec 19, 2019•18 min•Ep. 24
That’s right, we are talking about all things poop in this week’s episode. This includes constipation, poop patterns while weaning, and everything else that comes into play when weaning your child off their feeding tube. This is an important topic to discuss because it can be a large factor during a wean if a child is feeling off. Heidi and Jennifer dive right into the poop talk and discuss what to consider so that your child is feeling good throughout their weaning journey and can continue to m...
Dec 12, 2019•12 min•Ep. 23
It’s the start to the holiday season and although that brings joy, it also brings many other feelings! The holidays are a time that can bring back ALL of the feelings, good and bad. This topic can be a difficult one for many families since it involves digging deep into your emotions throughout all the phases of the tube weaning journey. This is such an important topic to discuss because often the experience of having a child who is tube-fed or weaning from a feeding tube can feel very isolating ...
Dec 05, 2019•25 min•Ep. 22
This week’s episode discusses a topic that can cause stress and anxiety for many families. The insurance battle. Where do you start? How do you start? What information do you need? Jennifer and Heidi will walk you through the important steps for starting the conversation with your insurance provider. Deciding to start a tube weaning program is a significant and life-changing event, but unfortunately many families run up against walls that cause them to stumble and give up while fighting for insu...
Nov 26, 2019•22 min•Ep. 21
In this week’s episode, we are getting REAL about reflux. Why are we talking about reflux? It affects so many children throughout their feeding tube journey, whether they had reflux before the tube or after tube placement. It also impacts the decision for the timing of a wean, the process of weaning, and the transition to oral eating. Jennifer and Heidi are discussing what is known about reflux, what medical providers use to help diagnose and treat reflux, and how reflux is related to the tube w...
Nov 19, 2019•22 min•Ep. 20
This week’s episode is talking about weight. Why is it such a stressful topic? How can you handle conversations about weight? What else should we be looking at? Throughout our tube weaning process, we receive so many questions about the role that weight plays in child receiving a tube, preparing to wean, or while weaning. Weight is a topic that causes stress for families of children with feeding tubes, children with general feeding difficulties, or children who have had a complicated medical his...
Nov 07, 2019•26 min•Ep. 19
Happy Halloween! It’s time for a celebration!! Halloween, Thanksgiving, Christmas, or even a birthday party. These are all exciting celebrations in families that are a time to be together as a family and enjoy each other’s company. For tube-fed children, it can be hard to remember that these days are special and are about so much more than just the food. These are days where you can celebrate your child! Even if your child might not be able to enjoy certain foods, or if food is a challenge, it d...
Oct 31, 2019•20 min•Ep. 18
When you hear the words “oral motor therapy” what comes to mind? Has this been a recommendation for your child? When is it appropriate? This week’s episode of the Tube to Table podcast will answer all these questions and more. Your hosts, Jennifer and Heidi, will break down what oral motor therapy really is, when it is appropriate, and when it doesn’t make sense. For some children, strengthening and range of motion exercises may be necessary and helpful, but for many others, this type of therapy...
Oct 24, 2019•26 min•Ep. 17
Picture this: You’re starting a tube wean and you’re at the grocery store...what do you buy? On this week’s episode of the Tube to Table Podcast, Heidi and Jennifer are discussing a topic that is on every parent’s mind when starting to wean their child from the feeding tube. Making food choices while weaning can be very overwhelming for families. Parents are always asking for that “magic food” and although we wish we had that, it doesn’t exist. There is no one food that will help your child eat,...
Oct 17, 2019•27 min•Ep. 16
We’re back for Season 2! Thank you so much for listening to Season 1 of the Tube To Table Podcast, we are so excited for you to hear our upcoming season! Your hosts, Jennifer and Heidi, are back and ready for a great season! This week, Jennifer and Heidi are discussing the tools and tricks of the trade. What does that mean exactly? They are answering all your common questions including, “What cup should I use?”, “When should I introduce spoons?”, and “Is there a magic food?!” When starting treat...
Oct 10, 2019•36 min•Ep. 15
In this week’s episode, Jennifer and Heidi are discussing the common traps in tube weaning and how people can easily get stuck on their journey from feeding tube to family table. As discussed in previous episodes, Jennifer and Heidi will use the pyramid infographic as a reference for building the foundations to become an oral eater. When time is spent in the foundational aspect of the tube weaning process, the final stages feel easier and have a better flow. This episode will work through each f...
Jul 29, 2019•43 min•Ep. 14
In this week’s episode, Jennifer is joined by Brianna Brown, a speech therapist and member of the Thrive Tube Weaning Team. Brianna works in the Spectrum Pediatrics clinic in Alexandria, VA, working in Early Intervention, as well as working with families in our tube weaning program. Brianna and Jennifer will dive into the topic of structure around mealtimes, and how you can use structure without added stress. They will discuss how to help kids that need more structure or support through the tube...
Jul 23, 2019•37 min•Ep. 13
On this week’s episode of Tube to Table, Jennifer and Heidi discuss how tricks and treats are used to encourage children to eat or make progress in therapy and why this is detrimental to their relationship with food. This can happen at a family mealtime as well as during structured feeding therapy. Throughout this episode, Jennifer and Heidi will talk through both situations and the length people and therapists will go to “get” their child to eat with tricks or how they use treats to encourage e...
Jul 15, 2019•37 min•Ep. 12
How fast should tube weaning really be? Is there a right speed? At Thrive, we hear from parents starting their journey, in the middle of weaning, or during follow up wondering about how fast to push their kid or how slow to go. Tube weaning often gets broken down into two simplified categories: Rapid weaning and the “wait and see” method. At Thrive, we are typically put into the rapid weaning category, but in this week’s episode, Jennifer and Heidi discuss how our therapists make clinical decisi...
Jun 24, 2019•21 min•Ep. 11
This week’s episode is all about the safety parameters put in place during your child’s tube weaning journey and how we work together with your child’s medical team to establish boundaries to make sure your child is safe. In preparation for an intensive tube wean, the Thrive team collaborates with your child’s existing medical team to make sure there is a discussion tailored to each child’s needs to ensure safety during this time. As discussed in previous episodes, it is crucial to educate your ...
Jun 11, 2019•18 min•Ep. 10
Teaching a child how to eat when they aren’t experiencing hunger is like teaching that child to swim in a pool without water. What does this mean? In this week’s episode, Jennifer and Heidi are breaking down this analogy that we use in tube weaning to explain the importance behind the need for a context when learning to eat. We often hear that a child is not eating yet, and therefore not ready to learn how to eat because they don’t know how. This is a confusing topic for families to work through...
Jun 04, 2019•28 min•Ep. 9
Is there a moment in time that stands out for you during your tube weaning journey? This week’s Tube to Table episode focuses on the moments that matter! Whether you are working on building the foundations for eating, just starting your tube weaning journey, or already have an eater, there are moments that MEAN something! This episode focuses on all the moments that stand out for both therapists and families during their tube weaning journey. This week’s guest, Jamie Hinchey, is a feeding therap...
May 27, 2019•31 min•Ep. 8
What should a family mealtime look like? How can I create happy and healthy mealtimes for my child? This week’s episode of Tube to Table discusses the principals behind building a positive and happy mealtime environment for your child. These mealtime foundations are relevant for children with a feeding tube, children with a feeding aversion, or families who are looking to improve their family mealtimes. Responsive mealtimes are mealtimes that encourage togetherness between family members, facili...
May 20, 2019•32 min•Ep. 7
In past episodes, we have talked about some of the foundations to our program, including hunger, signs of readiness, and what you can do while you wait to wean. This week’s episode focuses on the specific progression from feeding tube dependency to eating orally. Heidi and Jennifer will walk you through the five crucial steps that the Thrive by Spectrum Pediatrics Tube Weaning Program focuses on while working with families who are ready to start their journey to being tube-free. The five steps a...
May 15, 2019•26 min•Ep. 6
Wondering if your child is ready to wean from their feeding tube? How do you know? In this week’s episode of Tube To Table, we are discussing feeding tube readiness and what makes a child ready to transition from feeding tube to oral eating. There are many important factors to look at when making this important decision. Heidi and Jennifer talk through the series of readiness criteria that the Thrive Tube Weaning Program looks at. At Thrive, we focus on medical readiness including weight gain an...
May 06, 2019•28 min•Ep. 5
In this week’s episode of the Tube To Table Podcast, Jennifer and Heidi sit down with Virginia Sole-Smith to discuss her child’s journey from feeding tube to family table. Virginia is a writer, contributing editor to Parents Magazine, and the author of The Eating Instinct: Food Culture, Body Image, and Guilt in America. Virginia is also the cohost of one of our favorite podcasts, The Comfort Food Podcast, and most importantly, a mom! Virginia has known both Jennifer and Heidi since her own feedi...
Apr 29, 2019•39 min•Ep. 4
In this week’s episode of Tube To Table, Jennifer and Heidi are giving our listeners a brief history of how the Thrive by Spectrum Pediatrics Tube Weaning Program started. They will discuss what brought them together as therapists and how their interest in feeding therapy and tube weaning first started. Jennifer shares how she found herself looking for more after working as an occupational therapist in feeding therapy for multiple years. For so long, therapy focused on skills including behavior,...
Apr 22, 2019•29 min•Ep. 3
What can you do while you’re getting ready to wean? Last week, we talked about what parents wish they knew when their child received their feeding tube. This week’s episode focuses on what you can do to help your child become a happy and healthy eater while they are still tube-dependent. We will talk through practical tips for parents to set their tube fed kids up for success for when the time comes to wean from the feeding tube. Jennifer and Heidi discuss the importance of building a foundation...
Apr 15, 2019•28 min•Ep. 2
Welcome to Tube To Table: The podcast about helping tube fed kids become happy and healthy eaters. In episode 1, you’ll get to know your hosts, Jennifer Berry, occupational therapist and founder of the Thrive by Spectrum Pediatrics Tube Weaning Program and Heidi Moreland, speech-language pathologist and clinical coordinator of the Thrive Tube Weaning Program. In preparation for this episode, we spoke to multiple families of children we have helped wean from their feeding tube and asked them what...
Apr 01, 2019•20 min•Ep. 2
