About Blended Diet

There are so many misconceptions surrounding giving Blended Diet to a child with a feeding tube. Hopefully this website will help parents and carers to feel more confident, and will allow professionals to support parents better.

An Overview of Blended Diet
About Blended Diet

There are many reasons why families choose blended diet (BD) for a child with a feeding tube.

For some children, formula works very well and there is no reason to change it. For others, formula may be difficult to tolerate, or parents may simply feel that using real food is a better fit for their child and family.

BD isn't an easy option. It takes time, planning and nutritional knowledge, and parents need to be confident about food hygiene and safe preparation. But for many families, the extra work is worthwhile.

Food can become part of family life again. Children can share the same meals as everyone else, even when their own meal is blended and given through their tube. They can help choose foods, taste food where appropriate, sit at the table and be involved in mealtimes. For parents, there can also be something very special about being able to nurture their child with ordinary family food.

Some children experience improvements in vomiting, reflux, constipation or general tolerance when they move from formula to BD. These benefits are not guaranteed and every child is different, but they are some of the reasons families choose to explore it.

BD does not have to mean giving up formula completely. Some children have a mixture of formula and blended food, while others gradually move towards a fully food-based diet.

There is no single right way to do BD. Your child writes their own manual.

Where to go next

Getting Started
Find out who may be suitable for BD and what to think about before you begin.

The Practicalities
Learn about nutrition, blending, giving feeds, supplements and hydration.

Transitioning to BD
Different approaches for babies, bolus-fed children, continuous pump-fed children and children who have previously eaten orally.

Food Facts & Safety
Answers to some of the concerns and statements parents commonly hear about BD.

Food Safety, Storage & Administration
Practical information about hygiene, preparation, storage, transport and giving blended feeds safely.

The Evidence
A look at the research and what we currently know about blended diet.

Some of the Benefits of BD

These are some of the health benefits parents have seen with blended diet. It is not only the physical improvements parents see, but the emotional feeling that you are giving your child a much better quality of life via their nutrition

Reduced Vomiting

In many children formula feeds, after an initial honeymoon period, seem to cause endless vomiting. Children may be able to come off their medications when fed BD. Medical advice is usually needed as some need to be reduced slowly. Vomiting is upsetting for the child and others around them, particularly in a school setting. It creates endless washing. It adds to the risk of oral aversion which in itself makes eating orally less likely where possible.

Reduced/Eliminated Constipation

Because you can vary the amount of dietary fibre with BD the child may be able to have a normal bowel movement once you have worked out the optimum amount of fruit and vegetables they need. This can eliminate medication in some cases and gives you a better opportunity to toilet train a child.

Reduced Reflux

Reflux, where the contents of the stomach splash up into the lower part of the oesophagus is very painful for the child and medication does not always help. Long term use of ppi meds may not be good for the child. A gastro surgeon said to me once TD (typically developing) children are on their feet and eating solid food reflux usually stops naturally. BD provides solid food and has helped many children. Many are now trying BD and finding the operation to stop reflux (fundoplication) is not needed.

Weight Gain

Children can put weight on with formula, but if they simply don't tolerate it and are vomiting constantly or just not putting enough weight on then BD may be the answer. BD can be tailored to the child's needs and extra calories can be added. There is usually an issue with volume tolerance to begin with, but its usually manageable and tolerance builds up slowly.

Better Health

Its pretty obvious that if you can give a child a super healthy diet with all those superfoods mixed in, the child will become healthier. If they are well fed and healthier, their energy levels will increase and their mood will improve. It is lovely to see your child with a clear skin, shiny hair and bright eyes. Their resistance to illness improves and if they do get ill they recover faster. This is so important if your child is medically fragile.

Improved Eating

Surprisingly children do not lose interest in food and eating if they are well fed. Their appetite usually increases and they want to try the food you have prepared. Obviously if their swallow is impaired they can't be given the food, but if not many children go on to eat better orally. I prefer to make a 'proper' meals and blend them so they are edible. Elliot loves Korma curry and will eat a little. At school he kept stealing the other childrens custard puddings until it was decided he would have his own! He had a severe oral aversion but now tucks into Greggs sausage rolls and McDonalds chips.

Improved Sleeping

Anyone who has reflux and vomiting or feels underfed during the day will inevitably not sleep well. A child hooked up to an overnight feed will not move so freely or risk getting tangled in the giving set. Its also not natural for the gut to be active at night. BD often results in better sleeping, and eventually the night feed usually goes if enough calories can be taken in during the day.

Parental Satisfaction

You feel you are nurturing your child better and feeding in a way that's more natural. The sense of control BD gives you after so long with your child 'medicalised' cannot be underestimated. The child can have party food, a slice of their own birthday cake, or a superhealthy meal other children would balk at.

Reduced Medicalisation

You can feed at mealtimes and get rid of pumps and giving sets. No more continuous feeding and being hooked up to pumps. Many children can achieve this if they have a normal digestive tract. It takes a while but its worth it not to have to use the pump, except for emergencies, such as illness.