Special diets & feeding methods
Learning HubFind general information about breastfeeding and transitioning to solid foods, as well as information about different food allergens. Also learn about special diets for health conditions such as diabetes, epilepsy, cancer treatment and kidney disease. Also find information about feeding methods for children with cleft lip and palate or sensitive gag reflex.
Special feeding for babies
Newborn babies, both full-term and premature, have unique nutritional needs. Read more about the different ways your child can get important nutrients for their first year of life, whether they are feeding at home or in the hospital.
- Breastfeeding
- Breastfeeding: How do you know your baby is getting enough milk?
- Expressing breast milk occasionally for your healthy baby
- Breastfeeding your hospitalized baby
- Oral immune therapy for your hospitalized baby
- Breast milk: Expressing for your hospitalized baby
- Feeding methods and nutritional requirements for premature babies
- Feeding a baby with a heart condition
- Supplementation for breastfeeding babies
- Formula feeding when you cannot provide breastmilk for your baby
- Failure to thrive
- Breastfeeding: Decreasing or stopping your breastmilk production
- Cleft lip and cleft palate: Spoon feeding and cup drinking
- Nutrition as your baby gets older
- Introducing solids
- Sensitive gag reflex: Transition to textured foods
- Spitting up and vomiting
G and GJ tubes
Gastrostomy tubes (G tubes) are placed in the stomach and gastrojejunal tubes (GJ tubes) are placed in the small intestine. Both help with feeding by allowing liquid feeds to be given directly into the stomach or small intestine.
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Making the decision to get a feeding tube
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Types of G and GJ tubes
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Primary tube insertion
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G and GJ tube management
- Equipment and supplies for feeding tube care
- G/GJ tubes: What to do if your child’s feeding tube is blocked
- G/GJ tubes: What to do if your child’s feeding tube is pulled out
- G/GJ tubes: What to do if your child’s feeding tube moves
- G/GJ tubes: How to tell if a feeding tube is a good fit
- Venting a feeding tube to manage fullness and bloating
- Peritonitis related to G tubes and GJ tubes
- Deciding to permanently remove a feeding tube
- G/GJ tubes: Permanent feeding tube removal
- G/GJ tubes: Troubleshooting tube feeding
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Stoma and skin care
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Transitioning to adult care
Nasogastric (NG) tubes
Nasogastric tubes (NG tubes) are inserted into a nostril and go down to the stomach. Liquid feeds are then able to go directly into the stomach through the tube.
Energy boosting
If your child has a health condition, they may need to follow a special diet to help them get the right balance of nutrients. Learn about a sample of special diets that can help manage health conditions or reduce the side effects of some medications.
Special diets
Sometimes children who have a specific condition or are taking a certain medications will need to follow a special diet. These diets, for example, could increase or decrease the amount of a nutrient that is needed or it could limit the amount of fluids a child drinks.
Food allergies and sensitivities
A food allergy is the immune system's response to a protein found in food. A food sensitivity is the digestive system's difficulty in processing a food or chemical. Find out how to manage the most common allergies and sensitivities and when to get your child tested.
Bowel conditions and diseases
The bowel, which includes the large and small intestine, plays a vital role in digesting food and helping the body fight infection. Discover the common symptoms that can occur when the bowel is damaged or diseased and how they can be treated and managed.
- Abnormal-looking stool
- Constipation and diarrhea in newborns
- Gastroesophageal reflux disease
- Inflammatory bowel disease (IBD)
- Irritable bowel syndrome (IBS) and nutrition
- What's the difference between IBD and IBS?
- Celiac disease
- Ulcerative colitis
- Crohn's disease
- Anorectal malformation
- Anorectal malformation diet page
- Hirschsprung disease
- Hirschsprung disease diet page
- Eating after EA/TEF repair
- Antegrade continence enema (MACE)
- Bowel management program for fecal incontinence
- Constipation
- Distraction during enema
- Ostomy
Metabolic disorders
A metabolic disorder is a genetic disease that prevents the body from digesting some substances, usually because it lacks an essential enzyme. Learn about the most common metabolic disorders and how a special diet can help ease symptoms.
Health conditions and nutrition
Although many health conditions that have a nutritional component are related to the bowel or are metabolic, there are some that are not. There are numerous health conditions or treatments for diseases where nutrition plays an important role.
- Blood and marrow transplant: Feeding and nutrition
- Regaining appetite: Choosing flavours to try after a blood and marrow transplant and cellular therapy
- Brain tumours: Nutritional issues
- Cleft lip and cleft palate: Spoon feeding and cup drinking
- Epilepsy: Dietary therapies
- JIA: Healthy eating
- Leukemia: Good nutrition during treatment
- Diabetes: Meal planning for children
- Heart conditions and nutrition
- Premature babies: Feeding methods and nutritional requirements