Peadiatric Feeding Therapy | Hamilton - Waikato
Feeding Therapy | Table Talk
Responsive feeding therapy for children to feel confident in their eating and enjoy mealtimes.
Paediatric Feeding Therapy
Helping Children Become Confident and Capable Eaters
At Table Talk Therapy, the focus is on helping children develop a healthy and joyful relationship with food. Support is provided to help children enjoy eating, feel internally motivated to eat enough, and gain confidence in their eating skills. Whether your child struggles with extreme picky eating, food aversions, or mealtime tantrums, I am here to support you on the journey towards mealtime peace. Feeding support is offered both in-person and via telehealth.
Enjoyable Mealtimes
Our approach respects and nurtures your child’s internal cues of hunger and fullness, fostering curiosity and motivation to create a positive feeding relationship. We strive to make mealtimes enjoyable and stress-free for the entire family, helping children build essential eating skills and confidence.
Exploration
We encourage children to explore a variety of foods, trust different textures, and adapt to mealtime changes. This helps them become more flexible and adventurous eaters, promoting a healthy relationship with food.
Family Involvement
We work closely with families, empowering parents and caregivers with effective strategies to support their child's food journey. By fostering trust and safety, we help families rediscover the joy of eating together and build lasting mealtime skills.
When is Picky Eating More Than a 'Phase'?
Picky eating can often be a passing phase, but there are times when it signals a more serious issue.
Consider professional help if your child:
- Consistently eats a limited range of foods.
- Avoids entire food groups or reacts strongly to specific textures and smells.
- Has difficulty with chewing or swallowing.
- Experiences anxiety during mealtimes or avoids social situations involving food.
Recognising these red flags early can make a significant difference in your child’s development.
Table Talk Is Here To Help
If typical strategies aren’t working and mealtimes are a constant struggle,
it might be time to seek help.
Table Talk Therapy specialises in supporting families to make mealtimes
happy, healthy, and stress-free.
Check out the "Feeding Matters Feeding Questionnaire" to identify if your child is showing any feeding 'red flags'.
Comprehensive assessments and personalised therapy are provided for:
Picky eaters
Highly anxious eaters of all ages
Paediatric Feeding Disorder
ARFID (Avoidant Restrictive Food Intake Disorder)
Difficulties transitioning to solids
Limited range of foods considered safe
Oral feeding alongside tube feeding
Challenges with managing food in the mouth
Fear and refusal of new foods
Gagging and choking
Difficulties with introducing solids and texture progression
Sensory sensitivities to food textures, smells, and flavours
Difficulty accepting purees
Social pressure and anxiety around eating
Difficulty chewing (swallowing whole or spitting out food)
What Does a Feeding Assessment Look Like?
Our assessment process involves a detailed review of your child's feeding history and observation of typical meals to create a customised therapy plan.
Detailed discussions gather information about your child's relationship with feeding and eating, current intake, feeding skills, sensory preferences, nutrition, medical history, growth, development, and your family’s feeding goals.
A mealtime observation assesses your child's mealtime skills and provides valuable information for goal setting and a starting point for therapy.
For those not local, assessments can also be conducted via telehealth.
Therapy
At Table Talk, I love helping children learn how to explore a wider variety of foods. With specialised training in managing mealtime challenges, the approach is tailored to suit your child's and your families needs. This will look different for everyone.
Working closely with you, we create a personalised plan that addresses both short-term and long-term feeding goals.
Examples of therapy activities include:
- Cooking exercises and food play
- Education sessions and guided learning to introduce new foods
- Incorporating your child's interests to facilitate food learning
- Low-pressure exploration of foods
- Sensory exploration activities
- Desensitisation to new foods
- Coaching and counselling for parents
- Generating plans to implement at home
Pricing
Please note – this is just a general guide, and it may vary depending on your child's unique needs. I'm always happy to chat and help you decide on the best first step.
For some families, a simple initial assessment or discussion can be enough to get you started on the right path. For others, more in-depth therapy might be beneficial. I’ll work closely with you and your child to create a plan that suits your family best.
Assessment
Initial Assessment: $240 + GST
Can be completed either in person or via phone/video call. If session goes over 60 minutes, additional time will be charged in 30 minute intervals at $75 + GST.
Detailed discussion including your child's relationship with feeding and eating, current intake, feeding skills, sensory preferences, nutrition, medical history, growth, development, and your family’s feeding goals.
Verbal feedback on discussion findings will be provided. A feeding assessment session may then be recommended based on initial assessment findings.
Feeding Assessment: $150 + GST
Can be completed either in person or via a pre recorded video of a mealtime with your child. If session goes over 60 minutes, additional time will be charged in 30 minute intervals at $75 + GST.
Comprehensive Feeding Assessment Report: $100 + GST
A comprehensive assessment report is required when a full feeding assessment is completed.
Therapy
45 minutes - $120 + GST
60 minutes - $150 + GST
Includes session planning and preparation.
Therapy sessions may include a combination of education, caregiver coaching as well as child feeding therapy activities.
Travel
Within Hamilton metro area: $25 + GST
Greater Waikato region: Mileage charged at $1.20 per kilometre (return trip).
Transforming Mealtime Challenges with Table Talk Therapy
Ready to take the first step towards happier mealtimes? Let's chat- I'm here to help.