Pediatric Feeding Therapy in Bozeman, MT

Pediatric Feeding Therapy at Root Pediatrics in Bozeman

When mealtimes are consistently a battle, a child eats fewer than 20 foods, gags on textures, or isn’t gaining weight, structured feeding therapy can change family life. Root Pediatrics in Bozeman delivers pediatric feeding therapy through a collaborative team of occupational therapists and a speech-language pathologist, using gentle, evidence-based, pressure-free approaches that expand what a child can comfortably eat.

We work with babies through teens — from newborns struggling with breast or bottle feeding (including post-tongue-tie release), to toddlers stuck on a handful of foods, to school-age kids with sensory food aversions, to adolescents with ARFID.

What Is a Feeding Disorder?

Feeding disorders go beyond typical picky eating. They involve:

• A severely limited diet — often fewer than 20 foods.
• Refusal of entire food groups — proteins, vegetables, or specific textures.
• Significant mealtime distress — gagging, vomiting, anxiety, behavioral resistance.
• Growth or nutrition concerns — failure to thrive, vitamin deficiencies, weight loss.
• Family-life impact — separate meals for the child, social avoidance, daily stress.

These respond well to structured feeding therapy. Typical picky eating, by contrast, usually resolves with patience and continued exposure at home.

Conditions We Treat

• Extreme picky eating and ARFID (avoidant/restrictive food intake disorder).
• Sensory food aversions — texture, temperature, smell, color sensitivities.
• Oral motor delays — difficulty chewing, swallowing, or managing different textures.
• Failure to thrive and poor weight gain.
• Bottle and breastfeeding difficulties in infants — including post-frenotomy support.
• Tube weaning and transition from G-tube to oral feeding.
• Cleft lip / palate feeding support.
• Autism-related feeding challenges with sensory and rigidity components.
• Post-medical-procedure feeding aversions (post-NG tube, post-surgical).

How Feeding Therapy Works at Root Pediatrics

1. Comprehensive evaluation (60 minutes) — feeding history, a medical and growth review, an oral motor assessment, a sensory profile, and watching a meal or snack.
2. Goal-setting with family — concrete targets tied to your kitchen table: number of foods, textures, mealtime length.
3. Pressure-free, play-based sessions — moving through gentle steps (from tolerating a food nearby, to touching it, to tasting it, to eating it) and building from foods your child already likes.
4. Oral motor work when indicated — chewing strength, tongue lateralization, lip closure, swallow coordination.
5. Parent coaching — mealtime structure, feeding schedules, behavior strategies, sensory accommodations.
6. Medical and team coordination — pediatrician, GI specialist, IBCLC, ENT, allergy, and feeding clinic communication.

What Makes Our Approach Different

• Pressure-free, never forced. Force feeding shrinks food acceptance over time and increases anxiety. We build trust and curiosity instead.
• OT and SLP co-treating when complex sensory, motor, and swallowing issues overlap.
• Family-centered. Mealtimes happen at home — your routines, foods, and culture shape the plan.
• Pediatric clinicians who work with babies, toddlers, school-age kids, and teens with comfort and skill.
• Medical coordination for failure to thrive, tube weaning, and post-surgical feeding cases.

Signs Your Child May Benefit from an Evaluation

• Eats fewer than 20 foods or refuses entire food groups
• Gags, vomits, or has strong sensory distress with food
• Mealtimes regularly run over 30–45 minutes or are chronically stressful
• Poor weight gain, dropping percentiles, or pediatrician concern
• Difficulty transitioning textures (purees → solids)
• Difficulty chewing or swallowing
• Strong food rituals — only one brand, only one shape, only intact items
• Limited or aversive response to mealtime social participation

Why Bozeman Families Choose Root Pediatrics for Feeding Therapy

• OT + SLP collaboration under one roof.
• Gentle, step-by-step, pressure-free approach.
• Full 1-on-1 sessions with pediatric therapists.
• Family coaching built into every visit.
• Montana Medicaid welcome alongside major commercial plans.
• Direct access for evaluation in Montana.

Take the First Step

Earlier intervention generally produces faster, more durable change — and waiting often allows feeding patterns to entrench. Request an evaluation today — most families are seen within the same week.