Interdisciplinary Feeding & Nutrition Program

For some children, consuming the food and liquids they need is a struggle. At the Pediatric Interdisciplinary Feeding and Nutrition Program, part of Hassenfeld Children’s Hospital at NYU Langone, we offer evaluation and treatment, as well as nutrition and feeding recommendations that can help ensure your child gets the nutrition they need.

When to Seek Care for Your Child

We work with children who are experiencing the following symptoms:

  • Failure to thrive, defined as not growing and gaining weight as expected for their age
  • Failure to progress with developmentally appropriate feeding skills or textures
  • Selective eating, also known as picky eating, that severely limits the variety of foods your child eats
  • Coughing, choking, or gagging during feeding
  • Feeding refusal
  • Frequent vomiting, constipation, or diarrhea
  • Multiple food allergies
  • Reliance on tube feeding, either through the nose (nasogastric tube) or the stomach (gastrostomy tube)
  • Complicated medical history, such as underlying cardiac causes or a prolonged neonatal intensive care unit stay

Your Child’s First Appointment

At your child’s first appointment, our team evaluates your child to determine nutrition, feeding, and swallowing challenges, and any gastrointestinal symptoms. This appointment may take up to 90 minutes.

We also discuss your observations of your child’s eating patterns. Your input is especially valuable in helping us understand your child’s needs.

This assessment helps us diagnose and manage your child’s condition as effectively and quickly as possible. The medical evaluation can include testing for underlying causes of feeding difficulties. Additional testing can include a blood test for allergies, imaging studies, and endoscopy with biopsies.

What to Bring to Your First Appointment

Please bring one or two items of food that your child likes, as well as a few items of food that your child hesitates to eat. For babies who are only formula fed, bring the appropriate formula along with the appropriate-sized nipple and bottle.

Our Care Team

Contact Us

For more information on this program or to make an appointment, please call 212-263-5940 and select the option for pediatric gastroenterology.