{"h1":"Feeding & Eating Difficulties: What to Do First","faq":[{"a":"No. Forcing, bribing or pressuring raises a child's anxiety and usually makes feeding harder. Instead, offer small amounts of new foods alongside trusted favourites and let your child explore them without any expectation to eat — trust is rebuilt gently over time.","q":"Should I force my child to eat the foods they refuse?"},{"a":"Start with your paediatrician to check growth and rule out medical causes like reflux, allergies, constipation or swallowing-safety concerns. Then a feeding therapist — a speech & language or occupational therapist — assesses the skills and senses behind eating and builds a tailored plan.","q":"Which doctor or therapist should I see first?"},{"a":"Some mild fussiness eases with age, but persistent feeding and eating difficulties usually benefit from early, gentle support. The sooner a tailored plan begins, the more confidently a child widens their range of foods — so a feeding assessment is worthwhile rather than simply waiting.","q":"Will my child grow out of feeding difficulties on their own?"}],"lang":"en","slug":"my-child-was-just-diagnosed-with-feeding-and-eating-difficulties-what-should-i-do-first","title":"What to Do First After a Feeding & Eating Difficulties Diagnosis","entity":{"key":"feeding-disorder","kind":"condition","name":"Feeding & Eating Difficulties","slug":null},"lenses":[{"kind":"stakeholder","label":"Parent","value":"parent"},{"kind":"domain","label":"Adaptive","value":"adaptive"},{"kind":"intent","label":"Support","value":"support"},{"kind":"lifecycle","label":"Plan","value":"plan"},{"kind":"route","label":"Special-Education","value":"special-education"},{"kind":"empowerment","label":"Family Empowerment","value":"family_empowerment"}],"parent":{"key":"conditions","label":"Conditions"},"related":[{"lang":"en","slug":"where-should-i-start-to-get-help-for-a-child-with-feeding-and-eating-difficulties","title":"Where to start for feeding & eating difficulties"},{"lang":"en","slug":"can-feeding-and-eating-difficulties-be-cured","title":"Can Feeding & Eating Difficulties Be Cured?"},{"lang":"en","slug":"what-are-the-treatment-and-therapy-options-for-feeding-and-eating-difficulties","title":"Treatment & Therapy Options for Feeding & Eating Difficulties"},{"lang":"en","slug":"my-child-was-just-diagnosed-with-sensory-based-feeding-selectivity-what-should-i-do-first","title":"What to do first after a Sensory-Based Feeding Selectivity diagnosis"},{"lang":"en","slug":"what-causes-feeding-and-eating-difficulties-in-children","title":"What Causes Feeding & Eating Difficulties in Children?"},{"lang":"en","slug":"how-is-feeding-and-eating-difficulties-diagnosed-in-a-child","title":"How Feeding & Eating Difficulties Are Diagnosed in a Child"}],"summary":"After a feeding and eating difficulties diagnosis, your first steps are to stay calm and stop mealtime pressure, see your paediatrician to rule out medical causes and check swallowing safety, book a feeding-focused assessment, and keep mealtimes predictable and shared. AbilityScore® is part of Pinnacle’s developmental assessment. Diagnosis, where needed, requires an appropriately qualified healthcare professional.","answer_md":"*A diagnosis can feel overwhelming — but it is also the first step towards calmer, happier mealtimes for your child.*\n\n## In short\nFirst, take a breath — a diagnosis of feeding and eating difficulties is the start of a clear, supportive path, not a verdict. Your first steps are simple: book a feeding-focused developmental assessment, have your paediatrician rule out any medical causes (reflux, allergies, constipation, swallowing safety), and begin keeping mealtimes calm and pressure-free at home. With the right team and a tailored plan, most children steadily widen what they eat and learn that food can feel safe again.\n\n## What to do first\n- **Stay calm and stop the pressure** — never force, bribe or beg bites. Pressure raises a child's anxiety and makes eating harder. Your reassurance matters more than any single meal.\n- **See your paediatrician** — ask them to check growth, reflux, allergies, constipation and especially swallowing safety. Any coughing, choking or wet voice during feeds needs prompt medical review before anything else.\n- **Book a feeding assessment** — a feeding therapist (speech & language or occupational therapist) will look at *why* your child struggles — the mouth muscles, the senses, or anxiety around food — and build a step-by-step plan.\n- **Keep a simple food and feeding diary** — note what your child accepts, what they refuse, textures, timings and any distress. This gives the team a clear picture quickly.\n- **Make mealtimes predictable and shared** — regular times, eating together, and offering tiny portions of new foods beside trusted favourites, with no expectation to eat them.\n\nThe goal is never to win a battle at the table, but to rebuild your child's trust in food, one safe, unhurried bite at a time.\n\n## When to seek a check sooner\nSeek prompt medical review if your child gags, chokes or coughs during feeds, has a wet or gurgly voice or breathing changes while eating, is losing weight or not growing well, eats an extremely narrow range of foods, or if mealtimes cause real distress for your child or family.\n\n## The Pinnacle way\nAbilityScore® is part of Pinnacle’s developmental assessment. Diagnosis, where needed, requires an appropriately qualified healthcare professional — never from an app or online form. From there your child receives a precise [feeding and developmental profile](/ask/what-is-the-abilityscore-and-how-is-it-calculated) and a plan shaped by therapists who understand the skills and senses behind eating, through our [feeding and oral-motor therapy](/feeding-therapy). You are not alone in this — [explore how Pinnacle supports families](/) at every step.\n\n## Trusted sources\nWHO ICD-11 (feeding or eating disorders); American Speech-Language-Hearing Association guidance on paediatric feeding and swallowing; American Academy of Pediatrics (HealthyChildren.org) feeding guidance.\n\n**Next step —** Ready to make mealtimes calmer for your child? [Book a feeding assessment with a Pinnacle clinician](/feeding-therapy).\n\nThis is general information, not a diagnosis — individual assessment and diagnosis require an appropriately qualified healthcare professional.","canonical":"https://pinnacleblooms.org/ask/my-child-was-just-diagnosed-with-feeding-and-eating-difficulties-what-should-i-do-first","editorial":{"reviewed_at":"2026-06-11T20:12:18.613642+00:00","reviewed_by":null,"developed_by":"SETU Consortium · Pinnacle Blooms Network"},"alternates":[{"href":"https://pinnacleblooms.org/ask/my-child-was-just-diagnosed-with-feeding-and-eating-difficulties-what-should-i-do-first","lang":"en","indexable":true},{"href":"https://pinnacleblooms.org/ask/my-child-was-just-diagnosed-with-feeding-and-eating-difficulties-what-should-i-do-first-te","lang":"te","indexable":true}],"dimensions":[{"key":"conditions","label":"Conditions"}],"meta_title":"Feeding Difficulties Diagnosis: First Steps","meta_robots":"index, follow, max-image-preview:large","everyday_tip":"Offer one tiny portion of a new food beside foods your child already trusts, and let them touch, smell or play with it — no pressure to eat. Eat the same food yourself to model calmly.","published_at":"2026-06-10T12:56:00.519845+00:00","reading_paths":[{"key":"understand","items":[{"lang":"en","slug":"what-causes-feeding-and-eating-difficulties-in-children","title":"What Causes Feeding & Eating Difficulties in Children?","reason":"Linked from this answer"},{"lang":"en","slug":"how-does-feeding-and-eating-difficulties-affect-a-child-s-daily-life","title":"How Feeding & Eating Difficulties Affect a Child's Daily Life","reason":"Same topic"},{"lang":"en","slug":"is-feeding-and-eating-difficulties-considered-a-disability","title":"Is Feeding & Eating Difficulties a disability?","reason":"Same topic"},{"lang":"en","slug":"is-feeding-and-eating-difficulties-genetic-or-hereditary","title":"Is Feeding & Eating Difficulties genetic or hereditary?","reason":"Same topic"},{"lang":"en","slug":"what-are-common-myths-about-feeding-and-eating-difficulties","title":"Common Myths About Feeding & Eating Difficulties","reason":"Same 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